FY2026 Teaching Artists Directory

The Kentucky Arts Council strongly encourages you to read and understand the Teaching Artists Directory guidelines before accessing the online application.

Like all programs of the Kentucky Arts Council, the Teaching Artists Directory is guided by the arts council’s core values. Successful applications will embody these core values, and all applicants are strongly encouraged to read and reflect upon them before submitting an application.

Core Values of the Kentucky Arts Council

Program Purpose

• To provide paid career opportunities and professional development for teaching artists.
• To encourage professional artists to share their talents with Kentucky's students and teachers through teaching residencies.
• To provide a public resource where educators and organizations can find the biographies, qualifications, work samples, and residency examples of professional teaching artists who are adjudicated by the arts council.

Who May Apply

• Artists working in any discipline(s), including visual arts, media arts, performing arts, literary arts, and folk arts.
• Applicants must be 21 years or older.
• Applicants must be United States citizens, lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence, or have permission from the Department of Homeland Security to work permanently in the U.S.
• Applicants must have been full-time Kentucky residents for at least six months prior to the application deadline and remain full-time residents for the program participation period.

Program Description

The Teaching Artists Directory is a roster of adjudicated artists of all disciplines, who not only produce high-quality work, but also have the skills and competencies to work in educational settings. The directory serves as a resource for schools and organizations who seek to employ professional teaching artists. Each artist receives a curated profile page on the Teaching Artists Directory featuring a biography, photos, residency plan examples, contact information, and links to external content. All approved teaching artists are eligible for teaching residencies in Kentucky schools through the Teaching Art Together Grant.

Approved teaching artists in the literary arts, storytelling, and theatre disciplines may also partner with schools in the Poetry Out Loud Program.

Additional program benefits include:

• Referrals to presenters, community groups, schools, businesses, governmental agencies, and others seeking to employ high-quality teaching artists.
• Access to the Kentucky Peer Advisory Network (KPAN), which provides consultation services in various professional areas.

Program Timeline

Participation Requirements

To remain eligible for full participation in the Teaching Artists Directory, all artists must adhere to the requirements below. The Program Agreement Form details the rights and responsibilities of participants in the Teaching Artists Directory. The arts council must receive the Program Agreement Form and the results of background checks from the Kentucky State Police, FBI, and Child Abuse and Neglect (CAN) before an approved artist will be included in the directory. The teaching artist must send the background checks to the program director within 30 days of accessing them. Additionally, each newly admitted teaching artist must attend a mandatory orientation.

To maintain eligibility, each artist must:

• Remain a full-time Kentucky resident while a participant in the Teaching Artists Directory.
• Submit the results of Kentucky State Police, FBI, and Child Abuse and Neglect (CAN) background checks to the Kentucky Arts Council every two years.
• Complete and submit an annual Directory Renewal form by June 30 each year.
• Actively participate in Kentucky Arts Council arts education grant programs such as Teaching Art Together. Artists must be involved in at least one Teaching Art Together application every three years.
• Conduct themselves in a professional manner during arts council events and when participating in arts council grant programs.
• Write at least one letter per year to each of their state senator and representative. These letters should inform them of the artist’s inclusion in the Teaching Artists Directory and may extend invitations to events that feature the artist’s work. Copies of each letter must be sent to the Kentucky Arts Council (Who are my elected officials?).
• Acknowledge the Kentucky Arts Council in all published materials and announcements including websites, advertising promotions, news releases, printed programs, flyers, posters, literature, social media posts and other publicity, according to the the Credits and Logos page on the arts council website.

If an artist fails to meet any of these participation requirements, they will assume a probationary status in which the arts council will accept no future applications from that artist, and the artist’s online directory page will be suspended until the requirements are met or until they communicate to the arts council an actionable plan to meet the requirements.

Performance Expectations

The review panel uses the Panelist Assessment Sheets to evaluate all applications according to the following performance expectations.

1. Artistic Excellence
• Work samples demonstrate accomplished technique in the chosen media.
• Work samples demonstrate creativity and individuality.
2. Education Strategies and Interview
• Implementation (30%)
• Strategies to engage students in the creative process during the residency.
• Strategies to help teachers prepare students for the residency.
• Strategies to engage teachers during the residency.
• Strategies to engage parents and community members during the residency.
• Assessment (20%)
• Strategies to measure the impact of the residency on all participants.
• Strategies to help teachers incorporate residency content into future lesson plans.
• Accessibility and Inclusivity (20%)
• Instructional strategies and resources used to engage diverse student populations.
• Instructional strategies and resources used to engage students with disabilities.
• Artist Interview (30%)
• Ability to communicate knowledgeably about their artistic and educational expertise.
• Ability to stimulate interest in their art form and enthusiasm for learning.
• Ability to use positive classroom management strategies.

You may wish to refer to the Panelist Assessment Sheets below to better understand how your application will be evaluated.

Artistic Excellence Assessment Sheet

Education Strategies and Artist Interview Assessment Sheet

Accessing and Completing the Application

Creating a GO Smart Profile

Before beginning the application, you will need to create a profile, including a username and password at GO Smart. For this program you will need to create an “individual” profile. Do not select "organization" profile. If you already have an individual profile, do not create a new one. Store your username and password in a safe place to ensure that you can access your account later. Contact the KAC Grants Manager if you need help with your username and password. You can use this profile to apply for this and other arts council program for individuals, year after year, and update it as needed.

Complete the application form and upload all supplementary materials by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date. Applications which are incomplete or submitted late will not be considered.

Following the deadline, each application will be reviewed by the program director, who may contact the applicant if more information or clarification is needed.

Required Materials

Residency Proposal

Applicants must submit a plan for a teaching residency in their artistic discipline. This plan does not need to be specific to a particular school, organization, or grade level. Rather, it should be a general outline for the artist’s ideal teaching residency, adaptable to various age groups and residency lengths. This plan may always change in the future, but it should broadly communicate what the artist hopes to achieve through a teaching residency. Example residency plans can be found on the Teaching Artists Directory.

A successful residency proposal should specifically address each of the performance expectations under “Implementation,” “Assessment,” and “Accessibility and Inclusion.”

Work Sample Guide

Panel Meeting

A panel of arts professionals and other individuals with relevant experience will review all applications according to the performance expectations. Please be aware that panels may be comprised of individuals from both inside and outside Kentucky who may be unfamiliar with the state’s organizations, artists and communities.

Program Agreement Form

Successful applicants will receive a Program Agreement Form (PAF), which will detail benefits and responsibilities as an adjudicated participant of the Teaching Artists Directory. Successful applicants must agree to the terms, sign the form and return it to the arts council within 14 days if they choose to participate in the program.

Appeals

There are no appeals in this program.

For More Information

The arts council welcomes all questions regarding this program. For more information, please contact:

Cynthia Warner
Arts Education Director
cynthia.warner@ky.gov
502-782-4982