"The arts engage individuals holistically, demanding creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. Artistic practice itself involves a cycle of creation, reflection, editing, and refinement, where learners actively make meaning, generate ideas, and problem-solve."

This is a quote from Amy Rasmussen, who has served as the Executive Director of Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE) since 2007. The organization itself was founded in 1992, and continues to do vital work within the art education community in the Windy City.

Breaking the mold of pre-established classroom curriculums, CAPE instead pairs teachers and teaching artists for a minimum two-year period, with those teachers and their students benefiting in significant ways from the experience.

Exactly why is this so important for both? Well, a 2019 New York Times article convincingly made the point that robust art education at a young age actually improved children's learning skills across all subjects; yet educators have also often found that being involved in CAPE programs has helped to elevate their own approach to teaching, whatever their area of focus might be. In other words, engaging with art is even a good thing for science and math teachers.

Numerous cultural icons (Abstract Expressionist painter Jackson Pollock, as well as legendary musician and U2 / Coldplay producer Brian Eno, to name but a couple) have determinedly stressed the importance of process over merely focusing on the end product in creative endeavors. And one of the key pillars of the CAPE learning philosophy is the emphasis on the development of ideas which lead to critical thinking and problem solving. The goals may seem lofty, but are in fact eminently achievable; and as put forth in the CAPE mission statement (see bullet points below), are actually also essential to a greater awareness of how we all fit into the rich cultural mosaic of American society. Creative education actually makes us...better citizens.

*Cognitive and Academic Advancement: Arts integration enhances divergent thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking. It correlates positively with academic performance through transferable skills like attention and visual-spatial reasoning.

*Social and Emotional Development: Self-expression via the arts boost self-awareness and emotional regulation. Successful artistic projects build self-confidence. Collaborative art forms foster teamwork, empathy, and community.

*Broaden Cultural Understanding: By fostering supportive creative environments in classrooms, students are open to learning from each other, their individual contexts and histories and their diverse communities. Teachers and artists are skilled at encouraging students to listen and observe, ask questions and develop understandings of one another.

Of course, these curriculums are put into practice in the classroom with real, goal-oriented projects. And one might be surprised at the depth and sensitivity of said projects, considering the ages of the students. Yet in seeing the actual, physical results, it's truly revelatory - revealing the creative potential of six, seven, eight year old children who are, let's face it, sometimes not taken as seriously by grownups as they surely should be.

“One of the things that I love most about CAPE", enthuses Waters Elementary teacher and 2024 Golden Apple Award for Teaching Excellence winner Olga Nuñez-Johnson (an eleven year veteran of the program), "is the fact that children have such agency in creating and in being able to express their voice.” –

For instance, first graders were asked to weave textiles from fabrics they found at home, inspired by songs that have had an emotional impact on their lives. (Check out this story about how an Associate Professor at Iowa State University explored the relationship between sound and textiles in 2024). While the elaborately titled 'Weather Through the Eyes of an Artist' project inspired third grade students to visualize weather phenomena via multi-sensory exploration - for instance, using watercolor paints to capture the rhythm of falling rain. (How cool is that?)

Perhaps most tangible - and genuinely exciting! - was the celebrated Convergence 2025 exhibit (May 10 - June 6), the latest installment in the annual series showcasing the arts-integrated projects created by K-12 students in their Artist/Researchers Partners Program.

"It's a chance for the students to show their work in a professional setting," explains CAPE Associate Director of Education Mark Diaz, "broadening the audience for their creativity. The exhibition also functions as a valuable third classroom, where students can further reflect on and discuss their learning from the CAPE unit.

That it also offers the opportunity for students to view their work alongside that of fellow students, uniquely fosters dialogue about the diversity of viewpoints represented in the exhibit.

Yet perhaps most importantly, there is a significant element of empowerment that the Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education has cultivated since its founding more than three decades ago. Coming from less privileged backgrounds, many of the children that the organization serves - as well as their parents - had merely assumed and accepted that they would never have access to the abundance of learning resources some other schools enjoy as a matter-of-fact.

“So many of our students believe that access to quality performance, gallery, and other arts spaces are beyond the reach of the everyday Chicago Public Schools student," explains North-Grand High School Music Director Fabian Lopez. "With a partnership like CAPE, we can bridge the gap to allow students to help them feel like this is their city too, and they can access some of the most amazing and tangible art that the City of Chicago has to offer.”

Still, leave it Pioneer Elementary 1st grade student Jaqueline to sum it most succinctly and joyfully: “My favorite school subject is CAPE!”

One could hardly ask for a better endorsement.