Arts Integration Fellowship Seeks Teacher Applicants for 2026-27 School Year

The ARTeacher Fellowship is now accepting applications from passionate and innovative educators for its 2026 cohort.

Entering its 15th year, this award-winning professional development program invites secondary teachers in English/language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and world/foreign languages to explore how arts integration can deepen learning and energize classroom instruction and engagement. The application period is open now until April 27. Download the ARTeacher Fellowship application here.

Ten teachers will be selected to participate in the year-long program. First-year Fellows receive a $1,000 stipend upon successful completion of the program.

The ARTeacher Fellowship is sponsored by the Center for Children and Youth at the U of A in partnership with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Walton Arts Center. The Center for Children and Youth has been recognized with the Governor's Arts Award for Arts in Education for its outstanding work and commitment to enriching learning through the arts.

The Fellowship includes a four-day summer institute, followed by four additional sessions throughout the academic year—two each semester. These sessions focus on effectively connecting the visual, performing and media arts to learning across disciplines while encouraging both teacher and student to think and create as artists.

Applicants must have at least three years of teaching experience at the middle, junior high or high school level and demonstrate a strong interest in arts-based teaching strategies, a commitment to implementing them in their classrooms and a collaborative spirit when working with fellow educators. Participants who successfully complete their first year may be invited to continue for second and third years to further develop their expertise in arts integration.

"The ARTeacher Fellowship empowers participants with practical, arts-based strategies that inspire curiosity, develop rich understanding and transform the learning experience," said Hung Pham, director of the Center for Children and Youth. "The arts are a powerful way to infuse critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication into the secondary classroom." 

The ARTeacher Fellowship collaborates with nationally recognized leaders in arts education, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Fellows have shared their work in professional conferences and publications, and have received numerous awards and honors. In 2023, CCY published a book on arts integration, authored by ARTeacher Fellows themselves.

"The ARTeacher Fellowship expanded my teacher's toolbox in a way that seldom happens during professional development," said Kelly Buckley, ARTeacher alum and 2020 Fayetteville High School Teacher of the Year. "Arts integration has been a game-changer for me and the learners in my classroom."

The Center for Children and Youth is an endowed initiative housed within the U of A College of Education and Health Professions, Department of Curriculum and Instruction.