About Us
Arts in Service of Community
Our Story
Founded in 2000, Arts Corps is a nationally recognized youth arts education organization that works to address the race and income-based opportunity gap in access to arts education. We serve over 2,000 K-12 students in South Puget Sound each year, hosting in-house programs and partnering with schools, arts organizations, and community services.
Through participation in our arts integration, out-of-school arts enrichment, and teen leadership programs, youth experience the transformative power of creativity and gain a deepened belief in their own capacity to learn, take risks, persist, and achieve. Our programs are proven to foster creative and critical thinking skills as well as sense of belonging, connection and mindsets for learning.
Arts Corps’ programs have been recognized locally and nationally for their quality. In 2012, we were awarded the nation’s highest honor in community-based arts education by the White House, The National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award. The City of Seattle also honored Arts Corps with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for commitment to the ideals of Dr. King, as well as the inaugural award for Excellence in Arts Education.
The idea of Arts Corps came from a desire in me for more authentic expression. After a difficult passage through breast cancer in 1999, I discovered a deep longing to know my own creativity and live alongside others doing the same. Our creativity is our stablest source of personal truth because it doesn’t come from the outside…and no one can take it from you. Arts Corps today carries that same thread and is bringing it into life in new ways for a new time.
Three core values shape and define our work at all levels of the organization, from the classroom to the boardroom.
Equity: In every aspect of our work, we are deeply committed to the cause of fairness, respect, and equality for individuals and communities. We recognize historic and systemic injustices and actively seek to dismantle them through our programs, in our organizational practices, and in our advocacy.
Community: We intentionally collaborate with the understanding that through meaningful collaboration we build community. Working together is at the center of how we approach our work. Our best work and greatest insights are realized through the collective wisdom of diverse points of view coming together around shared goals.
Creativity: In every action we seek to inspire—to stimulate the mind, the creative imagination, and emotions. We do this through our authenticity, our passion, and our commitment to reaching beyond our known capacities. It is our teaching artists’ capacity to inspire that motivates our students to take risks and grow, and it is our students’ passion, authenticity, and risk-taking that inspires us all to move forward.
%
Students Served in 2024-25
Of our youth are students of color
Partner sites in 2024-2025
Years of arts education
FAQ
Common Questions
Where do Arts Corps Programs Take Place?
The Arts Corps office is located in West Seattle, in the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in Delridge.
Certain programs and events, such as Teen Art Jam, take place in our office. However, a majority of Arts Corps’ classes take place at partner sites across Seattle and South Puget Sound. Some of our partners for the 2025-26 school year include Highline Public Schools, Interagency Academy, Southwest Youth and Family Services, the King County Youth Detention Center, Amara, and Common Area Maintenance.
If you would like to bring an Arts Corps program to your school or community site, please fill out our contact form.
How much does an Arts Corps program cost?
Arts Corps programs are always free of cost to youth and their families.
Program cost for schools and organizations will depend on the type of program, length, and students served. Generally, our Out of School Time arts enrichment classes cost $6,000 per quarter and our arts integration Creative Schools residency costs $10,000 for 3 classes.
What age group does Arts Corps serve?
Arts Corps serves youth in Kindergarten all the way through to young adults in their early 20s. However, each of our programs is geared towards different age groups.
All City Choir is our singing training program which accepts youth ages 16-25.
Art 4 Life is our paid teen art internships. We have a spring break internship focused on Digital Art and geared towards Middle School youth, and we have a summer break internship focused on analog and geared towards High School students.
Creative Schools is our arts-integration teaching artist residencies, which can be adapted to any school grade level and core subject matter.
Interagency Arts Programs is our partnership with Seattle Public School’s Interagency Academy and is limited to their high school students.
New Futures is a partnership with Southwest Youth Family Services and is offered to elementary and middle school youth at specific low-income housing sites.
Out of School Time is our arts enrichment program, which can be offered at any school or community organization. A majority of our Out of School Time partners are elementary and middle schools.
Teen Art Jam is our open studio sessions which happen the second Friday of each month and which are open to youth ages 14-19.
How is Arts Corps funded?
Arts Corps is funded through a combination of grants, individual donations, earned income, and interest income.
If you would like to know our granters and donors, please visit our homepage.
If you would like to help fund our work, please make a gift or email development@artscorps.org for more information.