Every Student, Every Community: Celebrating National Arts in Education Week
Updated: 5 days ago
Each September, communities across the country come together to celebrate National Arts in Education Week, recognizing the essential role that arts learning plays in helping students create, connect, and thrive.
Established by Congress in 2010 through House Resolution 275, National Arts in Education Week is celebrated each year during the week following the second Sunday in September. The observance brings attention to the importance of equitable access to arts education and encourages communities, educators, and policymakers to support opportunities for every student to experience the arts.
This year, Arts for Learning WNY joins thousands of arts organizations, schools, educators, and advocates nationwide in celebrating National Arts in Education Week, September 13-19, under the theme “Every Student, Every Community.”
The message is simple: Every student deserves the opportunity to create, innovate, and thrive through the arts, regardless of zip code or family income.
For more than 60 years, Arts for Learning has partnered with schools and communities throughout Western New York to make that opportunity a reality. Through artist residencies, arts-integrated learning, youth apprenticeships, and family programming, we work to ensure that students have meaningful opportunities to learn through the arts and discover their own creativity.
A Year of Impact Through the Arts
As we celebrate the start of a new school year, we are also reflecting on the incredible impact made possible through the support of educators, Teaching Artists, cultural partners, funders, and advocates across Western New York.
Over the past year, Arts for Learning served 90 schools, libraries, summer camps, and community sites throughout Western New York, providing 28,676 students with hands-on access to arts-integrated programming.
From classroom residencies and Whole School Partnerships to youth apprenticeships and family programming, each experience helps students build creativity, confidence, collaboration skills, and a deeper connection to learning.
Behind every number is a student discovering a new skill, an educator finding a new way to engage their classroom, and a Teaching Artist helping a young person see what is possible through the arts.
To learn more about the impact of our programs and the students, educators, and communities we serve, explore our 2025-2026 Annual Impact Report.
Why Arts Education Matters
Arts education is more than an enrichment opportunity. It helps students develop skills and experiences that extend far beyond the classroom. Arts learning supports:
Academic Achievement: Research connects arts participation with stronger academic outcomes, including higher test scores and graduation rates.
Workforce Readiness: The creativity, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills developed through the arts prepare students for the workforce and the challenges of the future.
Student Wellness: The arts provide meaningful opportunities for self-expression, connection, and belonging.
Equity: Quality arts education helps ensure that every student has access to transformative learning experiences, regardless of where they live or their family's income.
Yet more than 2 million students still lack access to a quality arts education.
We believe where a student lives should never determine whether they have the opportunity to experience the arts. That is why expanding equitable access remains at the heart of our work.
Why Federal Investment Matters
The arts education opportunities available to students in our communities are strengthened by investment at every level - from local partners and foundations to state and federal support.
At the national level, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is the largest national funder of arts education programs, supporting communities across all 50 states. Federal investments also help schools and organizations provide well-rounded educational experiences and expand access to the arts for students from preK-12 through higher education.
As Congress approaches the September 30 budget deadline, advocates are urging lawmakers to protect federal investments in arts education and ensure that students in rural, low-income, and historically underserved communities are not left behind.
This year's “Every Student, Every Community” campaign is a collective opportunity to remind policymakers that arts education is essential, equitable, and worthy of continued federal investment.
The 2026 National Arts in Education Week theme, “Stronger Together for Arts in Education,” highlights the importance of collective action in ensuring all students have access to quality arts learning opportunities.
Federal Arts Education Priorities
We, along with other arts advocates, are calling on Congress to:
Protect funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the programs it supports in communities across the country.
Support the Arts Education for All Act (H.R. 2485) to expand access to arts learning opportunities for students.
Support the HBCU Arts Act (H.R. 2664) to strengthen arts programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and support pathways for the next generation of artists and creative leaders.
Protect well-rounded education programs, including federal funding that supports arts, music, and creative learning in schools.
When federal investments are reduced, the impact is often felt most by the communities that have the fewest resources to begin with. Protecting arts education funding helps ensure that access to creative learning does not depend on a student's zip code or family income.
Your Voice Matters
National Arts in Education Week is an opportunity not only to celebrate the role of the arts in our schools and communities, but also to advocate for the future of arts education.
Whether you are an educator, parent, student, artist, community member, or arts advocate, your voice matters. Share why the arts have made a difference in your life, encourage your elected officials to support arts education, and help others understand why every student deserves access to meaningful arts experiences.
Learn more about Arts for Learning's advocacy priorities and how you can support arts education in Western New York through our Arts Education Advocacy One-Sheet.
Download our Advocacy One-Sheet, connect with friends and community members who also value arts education, and contact your elected representatives to let them know how important arts education is to your community.
Join the Celebration
Everyone has a role to play in celebrating arts education. During National Arts in Education Week, you can:
Thank an educator, Teaching Artist, or arts mentor who has made an impact
Attend a student performance, exhibition, or community arts event
Share a story about how the arts have made a difference to you using #NationalArtsInEducationWeek and #BecauseOfArtsEd
Advocate for continued access to arts learning opportunities in your community
Share the message that every student, in every community, deserves access to the arts.
We know that the arts are more than enrichment, they are an essential part of a well-rounded education. With educators, families, Teaching Artists, funders, community partners, and advocates, we can continue building a future where every student across Western New York has the opportunity to learn, create, and thrive through the arts.
Happy National Arts in Education Week!
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