Arts for Learning WNY is pleased to partner with various organizations throughout the eight counties of Western New York to bring free public arts workshops to the community.
To celebrate the 2025 Erie Canal Bicentennial Commemoration, Arts for Learning WNY developed an engaging and educational arts-integrated program that provides youth and families a strong exploration of the social, cultural, and historical significance of the Erie Canal. Traveling the Erie Canal: 200 Years of Journeys (Traveling the Erie Canal) is a multidisciplinary arts-integrated program that addresses multiple learning styles to bring the Erie Canal-age to life through writing, poetry, theater, and music.
While the Erie Canal's local and national impact was primarily at the economic level, there was also a lasting social and cultural transformation on and around the Canal. This immersive program will celebrate and acknowledge those transformations through workshops and performances that are presented by our roster of Teaching Artists as well as Cultural Partners. Arts for Learning will present Traveling the Erie Canal at 16 libraries in the 8 counties of Western New York.
Programming will be hands-on and minds-on and closes the opportunity gap for those who have the least arts education access by exploring differences, encouraging collaboration, and exposing visitors to the exciting and varied world around us. Through arts-inspired activities, participants will be given once-in-a lifetime memories and opportunities to embrace diversity, experience and learn new things, and understand opportunities to impact their world positively by participating fully in their communities.
These programs were funded in part by Humanities New York with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.