Programs

Students Take Part in the Arts

Each year the arts council presents curriculum-related cultural arts performances for grades K through 12 throughout the county. This program annually reaches more than 30,000 local school children and teachers. The arts council works closely with the Cabarrus County and Kannapolis City schools and superintendents to carefully select programs based on artistic merit and curriculum fit. Teachers are provided study guides that relate the performances to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.

Grades K-1

Tarradiddle Players in The Commedia Cinderella

April 2-6, 2012

The Tarradiddle Players put a slapstick spin on one of the world’s most famous fairytales in this funny, fast-paced show.

Study Guide

Grades 2-3

Hobey Ford’s Goldenrod Puppets in Animalia

March 19-22, 2012

A puppetry ballet of incredibly realistic animal creatures called the “Foamies” explores the beauty and movement of whales, birds, butterflies and wolves.

Study Guide

Grades 4-5

Billy Jonas - singer, songwriter and percussionist

October 17-20, 2011

Original music played on what Jonas calls “industrial repercussion” instruments made from found objects including buckets, broom handles, bottles and key chains.

Grade 6

Glenis Redmond, performance poet

November 14-18, 2011

Poetry brought to life by a powerful and graceful poet who has performed to critical acclaim around the globe.

Study Guide

Grade 7

Living Rhythms - African drumming and dancing

December 5-9, 2011

Multicultural experience featuring the rhythms, songs, drums and dance of West Africa explores the spirit and traditions of the continent.

Study Guide

Grade 8

Scott Ainslie – storyteller, historian and musician

February 27-March 2, 2012

Ainslie leads students clapping and singing through a survey of more than a century of musical history, showcasing the interplay of African and American musicians and musical traditions.

Study Guide

High School

Shakespeare on Trial

October 31, November 2, 7, 9, 2011

Writer Bill Shakespeare encounters four of his most famous characters - MacBeth, Iago, Hamlet and Juliet - up-close, personal and ticked-off as they challenge the Bard’s relevance to the world today.

Study Guide

Artist Residencies

Students in local schools are able to experience in-depth arts-in-education through artist residencies. In these intensive programs, an artist works with small groups of students for several days. Elementary school students have learned dance and Spanish culture via residencies conducted by the Latin Ballet of Virginia, and middle school students experienced poetry with poet and author Phillip Shabazz. The arts council is available to help schools select and schedule residencies for their student body.

Art Enrichment

Students in local elementary schools learn about great works of art through the Art Enrichment program. Volunteers conduct short lessons in classrooms all across Cabarrus County using poster-sized reproductions and sculptures from the arts council's collection. The works cover many subject areas and periods in history. Orientation programs for new volunteers are held each fall. The Art Enrichment program works as a wonderful supplement to the children's classroom experience and introduces children to famous works of art that they might never see otherwise. Volunteers often relate the art to the classroom curriculum, such as color and shape in kindergarten, North Carolina history in the higher grades and special presentations during Black History Month.

Gallery Tours

The Galleries welcomes tour groups from schools and the community. Tours can be tailored to specific age groups or artistic themes and may also include information about the architecture of the 1876 courthouse. Each exhibition has a scavenger hunt to help younger students learn about the art.

Gallery Talks

The Galleries regularly sponsors lectures and demonstrations by exhibiting artists as well as academicians, architects and other experts in conjunction with its exhibitions. These events often are co-sponsored by the Cabarrus Art Guild.