| Arts Horizons is a premier not-for-profit arts-in-education organization that provides live professional performances and artist-in-residence programs to students and professional development for teachers throughout the entire tri-state region. Our commitment is to make music, art, dance, theatre, new media and creative writing an integral part not only of learning, but of life. Through the transformative impact of the arts, we reach young people through many dimensions, breaking down the barriers of language and culture, accelerating personal growth, and stimulating children’s full potential to prepare them for life in the twenty-first century.
Founded in 1978, Arts Horizons has presented programs to over seven million students, teachers and community members. Professional, dedicated teaching artists from Broadway, Lincoln Center and all over the world motivate young people through the arts to attain new heights of learning. Our programs serve all populations PreK-12, with a special emphasis on at-risk students and those with special needs. We offer all persons access and opportunities to participate in our services, programs and activities. - Challenging artist-in-residence programs help students make connections between the arts, the classroom curriculum and their own experiences.
- Interactive live performances introduce children to a lifetime appreciation of the performing arts.
- Professional development programs inspire teachers to implement innovative, creative approaches in the classroom that achieve state learning standards.
- Special projects and partnerships forge pathways towards innovative programs and in-depth learning.
- Community programs bring new meaning to the lives of children and adults in hospitals, correctional facilities and senior centers.
- The LeRoy Neiman Art Center was opened in Harlem in June, 2008 to enable children of all ages to participate in quality arts experiences beyond the classroom.
Mission, Vision and History
Awards
Mission Our mission is to foster development of the whole person and to improve education by delivering quality arts programs and activities to schools and communities. Vision Our vision is to transform children’s lives through the power of the arts, energizing schools to become vibrant, exciting places where children fulfill their need to create, are stimulated through the arts to improve their academic proficiency, and develop the skills essential for success in the 21st century. History Arts Horizons was founded in 1978 by John Devol, trumpet player, music educator and parent. John played in the orchestra of A Chorus Line for the entire 15-year run of the show and, as he sat in the pit night after night, he realized the importance of bringing quality music to children. He got together with fellow Broadway musicians and formed Festival Brass, a lively, interactive music assembly program that taught students about the brass family of instruments. The group was so successful that he enlisted other Broadway musicians to "turn kids on to music," forming ensembles in the percussion, strings and woodwind families. A not-for-profit organization, Festival of Music, was born. In 1995 Festival of Music became Arts Horizons, a full-service arts in education organization. Now entering our fourth decade, we reach more than 350,000 students and teachers every year and have become a leader in the field of educational reform, helping schools and districts meet State Learning Standards both in the arts and in academic subjects. That same year Celeste Holm, Oscar-winning star of stage, screen and television, became our Chairman of the Board. Looking back over the past three decades, John Devol says, "We are committed to foster the development of the whole person by integrating the arts into the educational experience, and we endeavor to instill in students a knowledge of their own creativity. And when I play with Festival Brass and see those kids’ faces light up, I know that it’s all been worthwhile." Milestones 1978 - Founded under the name of Festival of Music.
1984 - Collaborated with Teachers College, Columbia University and the National Endowment for the Arts to develop study materials to complement school performances.
1992 - Initiated ARTS2000, a planning process designed to help districts improve education through the arts, funded by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.
1993 - Implemented Project A.R.I.S.E. (Arts Resources In Special Education) serving 17,000 special needs children in New York City public schools with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
1995 - Changed name to Arts Horizons.
- Celeste Holm elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
- Launched Creative Alternatives for Youth at Risk (CAYR), an after-school safe haven program, in Orange, NJ and Brooklyn, NY.
1998 - Formed a consortium with two other organizations to administer and expand the Artists in Education program of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
- Received first competitive grant from The Center for Arts Education: The New York City Annenberg Challenge.
1999 2000 - Commenced three-year musical theatre Summer Camp, "Broadway Breaks Away."
2002 - Provided programs to seven schools affected by the World Trade Center disaster, through the School Arts Rescue Initiative (SARI).
2003 - Art Beyond the Horizons, a unique exhibit of murals by 200 fourth graders, was exhibited at JFK Terminal 4 for two years.
2005 - Collaborated with St. Barnabas Healthcare System, NJ, on a program to help children of drug addicts and alcoholics though the arts.
2006 - Developed a musical theatre program, Musical Motto, for children with autism.
- Brought the arts to children with chronic diseases in hospitals, through our Open Studio program.
2007 - Became first organization in the tri-state area to develop an in-depth, multi-tiered initiative to train artists in working with students with autism.
2008 - Opened the LeRoy Neiman Art Center in Harlem, sponsored through the generosity of world-renowned artist LeRoy Neiman, for community children to participate in quality arts experiences.
Awards
Recognized as a leader in the field of educational reform through the arts, Arts Horizons is the recipient of numerous awards and grants from organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the New Jersey and New York State Councils on the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge, Dana and Victoria Foundations and the Center for Arts Education. For more information, click here.
ARTS HORIZONS offers all persons equal access and opportunities to participate in its services, programs and activities. If any individual needs special assistance or assistive technology, please call as far in advance of the program as possible to make the necessary arrangements.
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