Applications for the 2023/24 Core Program are now closed. Applications are anticipated to open for 2024/25 in late summer/early fall 2024. Preview the application here!
Develop your teaching craft with a statewide community of teaching artists and arts educators through the TAT Lab Core Program! In this 6-month program, participants explore learning plan design, learning frameworks, and teaching methods. Faculty and participants seek to create more inclusive and culturally responsive learning spaces for youth. The Core Program focuses on community building, creative thinking, racial justice, and social emotional well-being for both students and educators. Share your expertise and learn alongside peers working in various contexts and artistic disciplines across Washington State.
Annual program applications are open to Washington State arts educators, teaching artists, school-based arts specialists, youth arts providers, and classroom teachers working in all artistic disciplines.
Tuition: $500, see below for scholarship, sponsorship, and R.I.S.E. Award information.
Cohort Model
TAT Lab Core serves as a statewide community of practice. Participants must commit to completing all sessions as well as some independent work. Some sessions will meet as a full cohort (up to 30 participants) and some will meet as subcohorts (7-9 participants). You will be placed in a consistent subcohort for the length of the program.
Core Program Schedule
The Core Program is primarily remote, with one in-person weekend in April. Participants meet for 32 session hours with an additional 1-3 hours per month of independent work. Closed captioning is available via Zoom.
How the Program Works
- Teaching Artists: individuals who identify as artists and educators. Teaching artists are professional artists dedicated to teaching as an integral part of their practice; they cultivate the craft of teaching alongside their work as artists.
- Certified Teachers: teachers working in PreK-12 grade classrooms as arts specialists, art teachers, non-arts content teachers who are interested in adding arts integration and arts learning goals to their daily practice.
- Youth arts providers: individuals working independently or with community-based organizations to provide arts experiences and learning for youth within the school day or out-of-school time.
- One Yearly Cohort: up to 30 selected teaching artists, arts specialists, classroom teachers, youth arts providers, and arts educators working in various contexts and artistic disciplines across Washington state.
- Learning goals for TAT Lab Core: Participants will…
- Integrate reflective practices
- Create learning plans that demonstrate understanding of instructional design
- Create inclusive, courageous, culturally responsive, and anti-racist learning spaces
- Build capacity to work as a collaborative partner in the development and delivery of quality arts experiences for preK-12 youth
- Gain tools and resources for arts education advocacy
Learn more about TAT Lab Core learning goals.
- Guiding Questions for TAT Lab Core include:
- What are the elements of instructional design?
- How do instructional design practices matter to students and families?
- What does Social Justice mean in arts education?
- How might we recognize and interrupt inequitable practices in our daily work?
- How might we continue to cultivate courageous communities of practice?
Eligibility:
- Live or work in Washington state
- Have prior experience as a teaching artist and/or educator utilizing the arts
- Identify as one or more of the following:
- Arts educator, teaching artist, school-based arts specialist, youth arts provider, or classroom teacher.
Application Timeline:
| Application Timeline | Submission Date | Notification |
| Priority Deadline | September 22, 2023 | October 27, 2023 |
Applications received after September 22 may be reviewed if space is available in the cohort. Dates are subject to change.
Application Options:
Choose one of the following methods to apply:
- Apply online: Applications open on August 14, 2023. Preview the application here!
- Apply over the phone. After applications open in August, you will be able to email or call to request a phone appointment and a TAT Lab staff member will ask you the application questions in a phone conversation.
For supporting application materials, the following types of files are supported on Survey Monkey, TAT Lab’s online application platform: PDF, DOC, DOCX, PNG, JPG, JPEG, and GIF.
TAT Lab Core applications are reviewed by TAT Lab faculty and staff to build a diverse and dynamic cohort. The team reviews applications for:
- Clarity of purpose and professional and personal goals
- Commitment to complete all aspects of TAT Core curriculum
- Demonstrated focus on empowering youth and children through arts learning
- Clear interest in self-reflection and collaboration
Educators underrepresented in the arts are encouraged to apply! Teachers of color, teachers working in rural areas or outside the Puget Sound region, teachers with dis/abilities, LGBTQIA+ educators.
In 2019, TAT Lab surveyed alumni to learn more about the impact of TAT Lab across Washington state. Some highlights from this survey include:
- TAT Lab’s estimated reach through alumni work is:
- 2,175 schools
- 555 organizations
- 172,971 students
- Alumni have reached over 14 Washington state counties; with additional alumni reporting working in 12 different states and 4 countries
- Alumni most frequently work in the public school system and with out-of-school time arts education programs
- 1 in 3 alumni reported having worked in specialized settings such as a prison, hospital, or crisis center
Tuition, Scholarships & Sponsorships
TAT Lab Core Tuition: $500
Scholarships: financial support is available and may be requested as part of the program application
Sponsor an educator: Arts and education organizations are encouraged to support their teaching artists and educators by covering a portion of TAT Lab tuition. Applicants may reach out to a potential sponsoring organization and ask them to complete this Organizational Sponsorship form. Submitting this form does not obligate an applicant’s organization.
Tuition income and support from our funders help us offer tuition at a significant reduction to actual cost. TAT Lab also strives towards equity and we value participants regardless of their ability to pay.
Teaching Artists R.I.S.E. Award
The Teaching Artists R.I.S.E. (Representation, Inclusion, Service, Education) Award will provide tuition-free spots in the Core Cohort for up to four nominees who represent identity groups historically underrepresented in TAT Lab.
Purpose: Honor and support diverse arts education voices in Washington state. Build a dynamic cohort representative of the state’s population.
Nominees must meet TAT Lab participant criteria:
- Currently working as a teaching artist or arts educator serving youth (preK-12) in Washington state
- Clarity of purpose and professional development goals
- Commitment to complete all aspects of TAT Core curriculum
- Focus on empowering youth and children through arts learning
- Interest in self-reflection and collaboration
Additionally, R.I.S.E. Award nominees should:
- Identify as a member of and/or work directly with one or more of these communities:
- Black Indigenous and People of Color communities
- LGBTQIA+ communities
- People with disabilities
- Multilingual or English Language Learner (ELL) communities
- Immigrant and/or refugee communities
- Rural communities
- Communities outside King and Pierce counties
- Be recognized within their arts/education community as an important emerging voice
Nominate a candidate:
- After August 14, 2023, mail a letter of recommendation to TATLab@PNB.org or complete the R.I.S.E. Nomination Form (click here) by September 22, 2023 to tell us who you’d like to nominate for the R.I.S.E. Award and why! We’re interested in hearing about why they are an important emerging voice in your arts and/or education community including their:
- Focus on empowering youth and children through arts learning
- Demonstrated community engagement and collaborative practices
- Let your nominee know you nominated them and tell them about TAT Lab
- TAT Lab staff will invite the nominee to complete the TAT Lab Core Application, either online or via a phone call with TAT Lab staff.
- TAT Lab staff and faculty will evaluate and offer Awards to selected nominees October 27, 2023.
Self-nominate:
- Complete the TAT Lab Core Application, either online or via a phone call with TAT Lab staff, by September 22, 2023. The application includes an opportunity to tell us how you and your work are a good fit for this award.
- TAT Lab staff and faculty will evaluate and offer Awards to selected nominees by October 27, 2023.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the TAT Lab program, please contact TATLab@PNB.org or call 206.441.2415 (please leave a voicemail message).
This video features members of the TAT Lab faculty and community discussing a key instructional design concept- a Big Idea. This video explores what makes an effective Big Idea and the value of using one with students. The video features TAT Lab faculty, 2022 cohort participant reflections, a 2nd grade classroom using a Big Idea in their dance class, and an interview with a classroom teacher about the power of a Big Idea for student learning.