Quality arts experiences for Hawaiʻi’s pre-K – 12 public and charter school students.
The Artists in the Schools (AITS) application is completed and submitted in the Hawaii GO Smart online application system: HawaiiGoSmart.org.
Connecting to core curriculum through the arts can significantly increase student engagement, comprehension, and retention of information. Teaching Artists and classroom educators frequently report that students look forward to the sessions.
Close to 100 paintings of marine life by Maui High School students are on display at the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary in Kihei, Maui. Students worked as both scientists and artists to communicate the value of Hawaii’s ocean ecosystem.
Photo: Konawaena High School students using ʻohe kāpala to stamp borders on bandanas. “Given our location and access, many South Kona students do not have
The Artists in the Schools (AITS) Program is under the jurisdiction of the SFCA. AITS arts residency grants provide engaging, creative, and fun learning experiences based on the Fine Arts standards for all grade levels, through residencies with qualified, trained teaching artists from the Artistic Teaching Partners (ATP) Roster. Many of these teaching artists integrate their art form with other core curriculum areas, such as language arts, math, social studies, and science, meeting both Fine Arts and other core standards.
Online Information Sessions
Artists in the Schools information sessions for School Year 2025-2026/7:
These information sessions are for Hawaiʻi public and charter schools interested in applying. Hawaiʻi public and charter school classroom teachers, curriculum specialists, vice-principals, and principals can apply in tandem with a teaching artist from the SFCA Artistic Teaching Partner Roster.
School Year 2025-2026/7 application materials. To submit, please go to the application portal, Hawaii.GoSmart.org. Applications are due by March 30, 2025.
The Artists in the Schools Program Values:
Partnership – Teaching Artists and schools collaborate closely.
Creativity and Individuality – Teaching Artists and schools design specific experiences that are meaningful to all stakeholders involved.
Cultural Relevance – Pedagogy is well-informed of and responsive to the unique cultural context of Hawaiʻi.
Student-Centered Education – Lessons and experiences empower students to take an active role on their own education and design their learning.
Educational Equality – Residencies, PDs, and infrastructure are designed in such a way that we may live into our kuleana to racial and economic equality and support individuals with diverse physical abilities, learning styles, sexualities, gender expressions, and geographic realities.
All state of Hawai‘i public schools and public charter schools, grades pre-K through 12, are eligible to apply for ONE arts residency grant annually. This year, schools can apply for a one-year or two-year long grant. Schools must work in partnership with a teaching artist from the SFCA’s Artistic Teaching Partners (ATP) Roster to develop the residency. The roster lists qualified trained individual teaching artists and arts organizations. The roster is updated annually before each call for AITS applications. (Download the roster PDF below under “Necessary Materials for Applying” or use the searchable roster: Artistic Teaching Partners (ATP) Roster).
A residency consists of a minimum of 5 secondary or 8 elementary sessions by the teaching artist with the same core group of students. The learning experiences must support the Fine Arts Standards from the Department of Education Hawai‘i Content and Performance Standards III. Teaching artists on the Artistic Teaching Partners Roster bring dance, drama/theatre, literary arts, mime, music, puppetry, and visual arts to the classroom in their arts residency.
Schools may apply for either an Artists in the Schools General Grant or an Artists in the Schools Art in Public Places Grant. All Hawai‘i public and public charter schools are eligible to apply. Neither grant requires a school match.
Schools are able to apply for a one- or two-year long residency. The grant funds and arts residency activities are for only School year 2024- 2025, or School Years 2024-2026 if applying for a two year residency. Individual Artistic Teaching Partners working with multiple schools must ensure that all of their schools are either all one-year or two-year long residencies due to contracting.
The goal of the general grant is to incorporate the Teaching Artists’ art form into classrooms, utilizing art standards. This grant can be either arts integration, or focused on a specific arts practice. The maximum grant amount is $8,000 plus an additional (optional) $500 for Professional Development for the classroom teachers. If your school would like to learn about the school match reduction/waiver, please contact Danica Rosengren at [email protected].
The goal of this Art in Public Places (APP) Grant is to increase students’ appreciation of, and engagement with, works of art in the Art in Public Places Collection. The emphasis for APP arts residencies is on interpreting an artwork by means of the Teaching Artist’s art form. The goal is to increase students’ appreciation of, and engagement with, the Arts in Public Places Collection. Most artworks can be viewed in this online photo gallery: DAGS.Hawaii.gov/SFCA/APP/gallery.
The maximum grant amount is $8,000 plus an optional additional $500 for Professional Development for classroom teachers.
AITS is funded with state appropriations from the State of Hawai‘i Legislature, federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and private matching funds from the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. In the 2023-2024 school year, 125 schools received AITS funds to conduct their arts residencies.
These schools received an Artists in the Schools grant for School Year 2025-2026.
| School Name | Island | Artistic Teaching Partner | Arts Discipline | AITS Project Title | Length of Residency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paauilo Elem. and Inter School | Hawaii Island | McGee, Debra:Prince Dance Company | Dance | Moolelo in Motion: Dances Inspired by Murals | Two Year Residency |
| Hilo Union Elementary School | Hawaii Island | Honolulu Theatre for Youth:McGee, Debra | Dance :Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Reading and understanding Waianuenue, Rainbow Water: Connecting people to place through the Arts | Two Year Residency |
| Holualoa Elementary School | Hawaii Island | Donkey Mill Art Center | Visual Arts | Exploring Cultural Kipuka Through the Arts | Two Year Residency |
| Kanu o ka Aina NCPCS | Hawaii Island | Prince Dance Company | Dance | Molten Motion.... Dancing Through Our Emotions | Two Year Residency |
| Waimea Elementary School | Hawaii Island | Prince Dance Company | Dance | Dance Through Waimea: Waimea Images Artwork Interpreted | Two Year Residency |
| Innovations Public Charter School | Hawaii Island | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Critical Thought, Creative Expression | Two Year Residency |
| Kealakehe Elementary School | Hawaii Island | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Our Stories, Ourselves: A creative journey | Two Year Residency |
| Honaunau Elementary School | Hawaii Island | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Dramatizing Culture: Creative Experiences with Literature | Two Year Residency |
| Waimea Middle School | Hawaii Island | Prince Dance Company | Dance | Daily Living Danced | Two Year Residency |
| Laupahoehoe Public Charter School | Hawaii Island | Prince Dance Company | Dance | Movement that moves you: how the arts communicate emotions, ideas and opinions. | Two Year Residency |
| Ha'aheo Elementary School | Hawaii Island | Adams, Lisa Louise | Visual Arts | Interpreting Art Through Drawing and Watercolor Explorations | Two Year Residency |
| Konawaena High School | Hawaii Island | Crocker, Ellen | Visual Arts | Modern History of Hawaii/Sumi-e, Elements & Principles of Art & Creating Community Through Art | Two Year Residency |
| Ernest Bowen DeSilva Elementary School | Hawaii Island | Adams, Lisa Louise | Visual Arts | Strength In Diversity Sculpture Inspires Creativity | Two Year Residency |
| Connections PCS | Hawaii Island | Adams, Lisa Louise | Visual Arts | The Wonder of Watercolor and Place | Two Year Residency |
| Keaau High School | Hawaii Island | Adams, Lisa Louise | Visual Arts | Explorations in Color, Clay and Creativity | Two Year Residency |
| Waikoloa Elementary and Middle School | Hawaii Island | Adams, Lisa Louise | Visual Arts | Creative Hawaiian Plant Mosaics | Two Year Residency |
| Waiakea Intermediate School | Hawaii Island | Adams, Lisa Louise | Visual Arts | Explorations in Watercolor | Two Year Residency |
| Keaau Elementary School | Hawaii Island | Adams, Lisa Louise | Visual Arts | Expressing Place through Interpretation and Creation | Two Year Residency |
| Keonepoko | Hawaii Island | Adams, Lisa Louise | Visual Arts | Printmaking and Patterns within our Ahupua'a | Two Year Residency |
| Kalaniana'ole Elementary & Intermediate School | Hawaii Island | Sol Hahn, Bonnie | Visual Arts | The Reef and Us: Drawing, Painting and Sculpting creatures of the reef | Two Year Residency |
| Konawaena Elementary School | Hawaii Island | Crocker, Ellen | Visual Arts | Expressing Self Through Art and Culture | Two Year Residency |
| Ka'u High & Pahala Elementary | Hawaii Island | Diminyatz, Kevin | Visual Arts | Ka'u Keiki Growing in the Wind! | Two Year Residency |
| Keaau Middle School | Hawaii Island | McGee, Debra | Dance | Hip Hop's Voyage: A Rhythmically Rich Dance Experience | Two Year Residency |
| Mountain View Elementary School | Hawaii Island | McGee, Debra:Sol Hahn, Bonnie | Dance :Visual Arts | Moving Mural: Dance Inspired by Murals (ATP1) Drawings taking Flight: Drawing Birds of Hawaii (ATP2) | Two Year Residency |
| Hilo Intermediate School | Hawaii Island | Marcil, Beth | Visual Arts | Art of Debate: Bringing Hawaiian History to Life with Bookmaking, Illustration, & Lively Discourse | Two Year Residency |
| Hawaii Technology Academy, Kona PCS | Hawaii Island | Marcil, Beth | Visual Arts | Modeling Relationships and Finding Our Way with Paper Engineering | Two Year Residency |
| The Volcano School of Arts and Sciences Public Charter School | Hawaii Island | Kim, Bonnie | Hawaiian Legends and Shadow Puppetry | One Year Residency | |
| Pahoa Elementary School | Hawaii Island | Sigh, Melissa | Creative music-making with ukulele and xylophone | One Year Residency | |
| Kua O Ka La Public Charter School | Hawaii Island | Maui Dance Council | Music & Dance for trauma-informed SEL | One Year Residency | |
| Kohala Middle School | Hawaii Island | Prince Dance Company | Moving Through Expression: Exploring Dance as Creative Communication | Two Year Residency | |
| Kilauea Elementary School | Kauai | Carter, Ashiya K.:Lotus Arts Foundation | Dance :Music | Set Your Own Score: The Synergy of Art, Dance & Music | Two Year Residency |
| Kapaa Middle School | Kauai | Lathrop, Kayti | Cultural Arts :Visual Arts | Moolelo Mural Magic | Two Year Residency |
| Hanalei Elementary School | Kauai | Lathrop, Kayti | Cultural Arts :Visual Arts | Moolelo Mural Legacy Project! | Two Year Residency |
| Kawaikini Public Charter School | Kauai | Cook, Mauli Ola | Dance | Dancing the Story | Two Year Residency |
| Kanuikapono Public Charter School | Kauai | Cook, Mauli Ola | Dance | Dancing the Story | Two Year Residency |
| Lanai High & Elementary School | Lanai | Maui Dance Council | Dance | Connecting to Culture and Place Through Dance | Two Year Residency |
| Wailuku Elementary School | Maui | Maui Academy of Performing Arts | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Page to Stage: Building Reading Skills through Drama | Two Year Residency |
| King Kekaulike High School | Maui | Maui Academy of Performing Arts | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Bringing Shakespeare's Characters to Life | Two Year Residency |
| Hawaii Technology Academy, Kihei PCS | Maui | Maui Academy of Performing Arts | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Bringing Stories to Life through Drama | Two Year Residency |
| Puu Kukui Elementary School | Maui | Maui Dance Council | Dance :Music | Dancing The Leader in Me | Two Year Residency |
| Paia Elementary School | Maui | Maui Dance Council | Dance :Music | The World of Dance & Diversity | Two Year Residency |
| Kula Elementary School | Maui | Maui Dance Council | Dance :Music | Listening With Our Bodies: Developing Musicality in Dance | Two Year Residency |
| Hana Elementary School | Maui | Maui Dance Council | Dance :Music | My Body Is My Instrument Let's Tune the Instrument! | Two Year Residency |
| Haiku Elementary School | Maui | Maui Dance Council | Dance | Lõkahi Kākou: United In Harmony and Aloha Through Dance | Two Year Residency |
| Makawao Elementary School | Maui | Maui Dance Council | Music | Musical Teamwork: Unity through Rhythm & Song | Two Year Residency |
| Iao Intermediate School | Maui | Marcil, Beth | Visual Arts | Journey to Self-Discovery: Exploring the Human Spirit Through Intuitive Collage and Poetry | Two Year Residency |
| Pukalani Elementary School | Maui | Maui Dance Council | Enhancing SEL with Trauma Informed Music & Dance | One Year Residency | |
| Princess Nahienaena Elementary School | Maui | Matheis, Julie | Endemic Species Of Kahalawai: Lahaina Mauka to Makai | One Year Residency | |
| Kihei Charter School | Maui | Matheis, Julie | Celebrating Hawaiian Ocean Species: A Collaborative Mural | One Year Residency | |
| Kihei Elementary School | Maui | Osborne, Lasensua | Creatvity in Motion-empowering expression through music & dance | One Year Residency | |
| Kamalii Elementary School | Maui | Osborne, Lasensua | Musicality in Motion | One Year Residency | |
| Lihikai Elementary School | Maui | Maui Dance Council | Dance | These Are My Superpowers... | Two Year Residency |
| Pomaikai Elementary School | Maui | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Creative Stewards for a Sustainable Future | Two Year Residency |
| Lokelani Intermediate School | Maui | Carter, Ashiya K. | Dance | Speak On It, Dance On It | Two Year Residency |
| Kaunakakai Elementary School | Molokai | Maui Dance Council | Dance :Music | Rhymes and Rhythm Move Me | Two Year Residency |
| Kilohana Elementary School | Molokai | Maui Dance Council | Dance | Celebrating Ka 'Oihana Lawai'a Through Dance | Two Year Residency |
| Maunaloa Elementary School | Molokai | Maui Dance Council | Empowering Creativity & Expression through music & dance | One Year Residency | |
| Makakilo Elementary School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | In Art and in Nature: How Maui and the Sun and Hina and the Moon reflect Science | Two Year Residency |
| Queen Kaahumanu Elementary School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Stories in our Lives | Two Year Residency |
| Aliamanu Elementary School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Agents of Change: Creative solutions | Two Year Residency |
| Kaaawa Elementary School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Creative Exploration of Cultural History and Tradition | Two Year Residency |
| Kamaile Academy Public Charter School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Core Values in Creative Ways | Two Year Residency |
| Kaohao Public Charter School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Non-traditional Learning: Creative Text Explorations | Two Year Residency |
| Ke Kula 'o Samuel M. Kamakau Laboratory Public Charter School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Our Values, Our Voices | Two Year Residency |
| Kalihi Elementary School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Story Drama: Building Understanding through Engaging and Effective communication. | Two Year Residency |
| Kaelepulu Elementary School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Creative Interpretation: Bringing Learning to Life through Drama | Two Year Residency |
| Kaimuki Middle School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Creative Exploration of Text | Two Year Residency |
| Waiau Elementary School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Role-playing Conflict to Imagine Solutions | Two Year Residency |
| Waianae Elementary School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | With the ʻāina in mind | Two Year Residency |
| Enchanted Lake Elementary School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Dramatic Events: Exploring Culture Creatively | Two Year Residency |
| Haha`ione Elementary School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | People express culture through the Arts | Two Year Residency |
| Kamalani Academy Public Charter School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Creative, Collaborative Communication | Two Year Residency |
| Nanakuli Elementary School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Creative Expression: Building Capacity to Dramatize Understanding | Two Year Residency |
| Malama Honua Public Charter School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Mo'olelo in Play | Two Year Residency |
| Mauka Lani Elementary School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Tales and Telling: Dramatizing Classroom Stories | Two Year Residency |
| Mililani Uka Elementary School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Creative Engagement with History | Two Year Residency |
| Ala Wai Elementary School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Cultivating Creative Voices | Two Year Residency |
| Salt Lake Elementary School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Tales and Telling: Dramatizing Hawaiian folklore | Two Year Residency |
| Voyager Public Charter School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | In the Shoes of Others: Role-play in Learning | Two Year Residency |
| President Abraham Lincoln Elementary School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Drama/Theatre (includes Storytelling, Puppetry, Mime) | Building Expressive Skills through Creative Text Exploration | Two Year Residency |
| Palolo Elementary School | Oahu | Create With Clay Hawaii, Inc. (Rayna Galati) | Visual Arts | The Coral Reef | Two Year Residency |
| Princess Likelike Elementary School | Oahu | Create With Clay Hawaii, Inc. (Rayna Galati) | Visual Arts | The Coral Reef | Two Year Residency |
| Liholiho Elementary School | Oahu | Create With Clay Hawaii, Inc. (Rayna Galati) | Visual Arts | The Coral Reef through Clay | Two Year Residency |
| Kamiloiki Elementary School | Oahu | Create With Clay Hawaii, Inc. (Rayna Galati) | Visual Arts | Ka Malamalama o Kamiloiki"" through Clay | Two Year Residency |
| Lanakila Elementary School | Oahu | Yamaguichi, Fae | Visual Arts | Forrest landscape diorama | Two Year Residency |
| Maunawili Elementary School | Oahu | Endo, Chizuko | Cultural Arts :Music | Playscape Soundscape | Two Year Residency |
| Hawaii School for the Deaf and the Blind | Oahu | Endo, Chizuko | Cultural Arts :Music:Other | Taiko Vibrations | Two Year Residency |
| Stevenson Middle School | Oahu | Liu, Zoe | Visual Arts | From the Past to Hawaii: Culture Circle and Visual Poetry | Two Year Residency |
| Linapuni Elementary School | Oahu | Endo, Chizuko | Cultural Arts :Music:Other | A Natural Fit: Taiko and HA:BREATH | Two Year Residency |
| Ka'ala Elementary School | Oahu | Kean, Steven | Abstract Explorations | One Year Residency | |
| Waiahole Elementary School | Oahu | Tam, Sheanae | Integrating art from Mauka to Makai | One Year Residency | |
| Prince Jonah Kuhio Elementary School | Oahu | Drama Crew, The (Michael Cowell) | Dramatic Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies for Grades 1-4 | One Year Residency | |
| Hokulani Elementary School | Oahu | McCarthy, James | Roots and Wings: Drama as a foundation and a launchpad | One Year Residency | |
| Waikiki Elementary School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Engaging with Text through Creative Collaborations | One Year Residency | |
| Haleiwa Elementary School | Oahu | Kim, Bonnie | Masks and Shapes | One Year Residency | |
| Nuuanu Elementary School | Oahu | Drama Crew, The (Michael Cowell) | Dramatic Social Studies for Grades K, 2, and 5 | One Year Residency | |
| Moanalua Middle School | Oahu | Drama Crew, The (Michael Cowell) | Finding Your Bravery Through the Ensemble | One Year Residency | |
| Pearl City Highlands Elementary School | Oahu | Womack, Kiara | Printmaking and Characters | One Year Residency | |
| Waialua Elementary School | Oahu | Kean, Steven | ʻĀina Inspired: Koa Trees, ʻAlalā (Hawaiian Crow), and Melia (Plumeria Flower) | One Year Residency | |
| Waipahu High School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | My Voice, My Choice, My Future: A creative journey | One Year Residency | |
| Manoa Elementary School | Oahu | Wisnosky, Mimi E. | Defining Mountains of Glass: Creating Poetry and Dance | Two Year Residency | |
| Waialae Public Charter School | Oahu | Honolulu Theatre for Youth | In Our Community: Understanding Place Through Drama | Two Year Residency |
In 2020, the SFCA began making AITS video lessons to enable remote learning.
AITS Music Class with Chizuko Endo, Taiko Drumming, Lesson 1
AITS Music Class with Chizuko Endo, Taiko Drumming, Lesson 2
AITS Music Class with Chizuko Endo, Taiko Drumming
AITS Music Class with Chizuko Endo, Taiko Drumming
AITS Music Class with Chizuko Endo, Taiko Drumming
AITS Music Class with Chizuko Endo, Taiko Drumming
AITS Music Class with Chizuko Endo, Taiko Drumming
AITS Art Class with Ellen Crocker, Japanese ink brush
Done in partnership with the State of Hawai‘i Department of Education’s video production branch, these videos take you into classrooms and have Artistic Teaching Partners, classroom teachers, school principals, and students explain how the program works and the benefits of the program. See the full album or view individual videos below.
A brief overview of the program. (58 seconds)
A brief overview of the program. (1 minute 14 seconds)
A longer overview of the entire Artists in the Schools program. (6 minutes 24 seconds)
Waiahole Elementary School, with ATP Chizuko Endo. (4 minutes 13 seconds)
Puohala Elementary School, with ATP Kealoha. (4 minutes 59 seconds)
Aliamanu Elementary School, with ATP Lily Brennick from Honolulu Theatre for Youth. (4 minutes 44 seconds)
Keoneula Elementary School, with ATP Michael Wall. (4 minutes 33 seconds)
King Kekaulike High School, with ATP Beth Marcil. (4 minutes 55 seconds)
Kahakai Elementary School with Gerald Lucena from Donkey Mill Art Center. (5 minutes 8 seconds)
Kawaikini Public Charter School and Kilauea Elementary School with ATP Kumu Mauli Ola Cook. (6 minutes 8 seconds)
