My offerings include: - Hands-on visual arts workshops tailored to grade levels, focusing on foundational skills in drawing, painting, mixed media, composition, and creative problem-solving. - Project-based residencies that engage students in artmaking, collaborative mural design, and comprehensive documentation from concept to completion. - Arts integration modules aligned with New York State Learning Standards to enhance classroom instruction and foster deeper engagement. - Professional development for educators on arts integration strategies and creative process facilitation to strengthen their capacity for maintaining arts-rich learning environments. - Flexible delivery formats, including in-class workshops, multi-session residencies, assemblies, and virtual sessions. My approach promotes student expression, creative confidence, and cultural awareness by connecting studio practice with academic inquiry. I am committed to equitable access to arts education and assisting schools in enriching their curricula through meaningful, student-centered artistic experiences.

Our virtual school author talk program brings the magic of stories to inspire, educate, and connect with students in the classroom. Whether it's the laughter from a funny tale, the curiosity kindled by a mystery, or the wonder of discovering new worlds, each BookBreak virtual author talk is designed to spark a love of reading and enhance literacy. Our innovative platform connects students with renowned authors virtually, allowing schools to participate who would not normally be able to afford the speaking fees of bestselling authors. With BookBreak, you can offer your students the excitement and inspiration of a live author event, empowering them to thrive as readers and writers. With over 2,000 subscribing schools and counting, our goal is to embed author talks as an integrated component of student learning. By seamlessly integrating these virtual author sessions into your curriculum, you’ll ignite a fire for reading, kindle a passion for writing, and captivate even the most reluctant readers. These interactive experiences are more than just talks—they’re a catalyst for transforming student motivation and cultivating a vibrant school-wide culture of reading. Use our curriculum aligned virtual author talks and included pre- and post- activities and watch as your students’ enthusiasm soars and their love for literature flourishes!

Brian Zickafoose is an award-winning Hudson Valley muralist, illustrator, and educator whose work bridges fine art and community engagement. As founder of Splash Art Murals, he transforms storefronts and public spaces across New York with vibrant seasonal and thematic designs that celebrate creativity, collaboration, and local identity. His large-scale projects—such as the Seeds of Connection mural at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds and the Art Day in the Village community banner series—demonstrate how art can activate public spaces and inspire collective pride. Through interactive workshops and artist-in-residence programs, Brian guides students in exploring visual storytelling, symbolism, and design thinking while building confidence and teamwork. His programs align with Visual Arts and SEL standards and can be adapted for grades 3–12 in classroom, assembly, or mural formats.

Celebrate the Erie Canal Bicentennial with "The Erie Canal: A Story of Building the Impossible," Sandy Schuman's presentation with more than 275 informative images. Learn about the Great Depression through songs and stories of those times. Marvel at the story of "Lead Belly: Singer, Songwriter, Murderer; King of the 12 String Guitar." Sing along to songs from the Great American Songbook and hear the stories about how they came to be written with "Familiar Songs and their Unfamiliar Stories."

The Arts Engagement and Education Department serves as a vital bridge between artistic expression and community involvement. Rooted in the belief that art is transformative and essential for personal and societal growth, the department is dedicated to fostering creativity, nurturing talent, and promoting cultural understanding through various educational and engagement initiatives. Our mission is to enrich lives and strengthen communities through the power of the arts. By providing accessible and inclusive arts education, innovative programs, and meaningful community engagements, we aim to inspire creativity, cultivate diverse talents, and foster a deep appreciation for the arts. We offer many programs such as Junior Theatre Celebration, On School Time performances, a high school musical theatre awards program, residencies, 4 theatre camps, and more.

The Buffalo Zoo's Education team is here to provide your students with a WILD educational experience! Whether you're looking for a virtual program that will take you inside some of our animal exhibits, a presentation to enhance your Zoo field trip, or the Zoomobile to bring the Zoo to You, we can meet your group's learning needs. There are so many topics to choose from, including unique habitats, amazing adaptations, conservation, and so much more!

Stitch Buffalo is excited to share our love of textile arts and provide instruction to learners of all ages and skill levels. When you book a class, a Stitch Buffalo instructor will come to your location and provide comprehensive instruction to your group. All supplies for the project are included. Participants will learn fundamental techniques while developing design and collaborative skills in a relaxed environment that encourages exploration and personal expression. Our rextile art projects/skills reflect traditional techniques used in many cultures from around the world. These include: 1. Hand Embroidery 2. Block Printing 3. Pom-Pom Making 4. Jump Rope Making 5. Stencil and Appliqué 6. Macrame 7. Weaving For each of the seven core disciplines, we offer three related projects that correspond to different ages and ability levels: beginner (elementary school); intermediate (middle school); and advanced (high school through adult). We also provide information on the cultural context of each project, including how people from various cultures are practicing these traditional techniques today—right here in New York.

Best School Assembly NYC! Lina Liu Acrobatic is a twice Guinness World Records Holder, and Top 10 NBA halftime Entertainment, She has performed Royal Opera House in London, Chatelet Opera in France, and the Lincoln Center Festival in New York, Manchester Arts Festival U.K. You may see her on NBA TV, FOX5 News, Italy Got Talent Show, and TBS Go Big Show. Our mission is to bring world-class art to the home community of our young audience and enhance their understanding of Chinese culture by immersing them in authentic performances and educational programs from our top-tier artists. Our program is Chinese Traditional of Acrobatic & Sichuan Opera & Lion Dance. Acrobatic_Spinning plates and demo, Umbrella Foot juggling, Chinese yo-yo. Sichuan Opera_dance with Dramatic music, wearing colorful costumes and masks to show magical Chinese historical dramas. Lion dance: Lunar New Year mascot. Google review: "Ms.Lina Liu's performance in our school "The Lunar New Year Celebration" was truly outstanding."-Janet Lin "Great show at Lewiston Porter Central Schools, Youngstown, NY. Students and staff were captivated by Lina Liu and her team." -Paul Casseri

Explore Books on a Reading Safari. Finally – an elementary reading school assembly show that’s really about reading and language arts – and a lot of fun, too! Adventures in Reading is not another thinly disguised magic or puppet show that briefly mentions books. Instead, it’s a highly energetic, motivational program that’s received rave reviews from countless teachers and librarians. During the zany 40-minute reading safari, our hero, Ed Venture, helps students discover that reading leads to many rewards. The Adventure Includes: Sentence Structure | Punctuation | Story Parts | Spelling | The Alphabet | Word Games | Book Genres | Benefits of Reading.

I'm a kids' graphic novel author who over the last two years has presented at over 350 elementary and middle schools across America. My interactive, fast-paced presentations focus on the power of collaboration and the strengths of neurodiversity. As a dyslexic, one of my favorite things to present on is the strengths of neurodiversity. My books like Lumberjackula, Martian Ghost Centaur, and Indoor Kid have received starred reviews from most major trade journals, named to several state lists, and made the ALA best graphic novels list. I also used to work in higher ed at Boise State University where I taught classes on publishing and creative writing. I'd love to come speak with your students about creativity and persevering through learning differences!

We offer programs by Theresa Eckler, whose book "Limitless" is the perfect story to inspire young children around the world. Limitless is the beautiful story of a determined young girl, named Harper, who is on a mission to find her “thing.” After several failed attempts, she stumbles upon a group of children trying to fix a broken kite. Harper uses her creativity to fix not only the kite, but also inspires those around her to use their minds to help them succeed. For the last 16 years Theresa has been a local elementary teacher and has begun doing author visits at schools throughout New York State. Theresa's visits include reading her brand new children's book, sharing a beautiful presentation highlighting the writing process behind the science to make the book happen, engaging activities such as "spot the difference" where students become the editors and see if they can find the inconsistencies between the illustrative drafts and the final illustration and so much more! Theresa wrote this book as while teaching she noticed a need for books that highlight students creativity, ability to problem solve, and being proud of what makes you unique!

I am a sewist who makes bags and clothing. I love teaching others the basics of sewing and even getting into more advanced bag making. I am able to do live demonstration or run a workshop.