New Wolf Trap Affiliate Will Work with Local School Districts to Bring
Arts-Based Learning to Early Childhood Classrooms Throughout South Carolina’s Lowcountry
Charleston, SC and Vienna, VA (Dec. 11, 2024) – Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts and Spoleto Festival USA have partnered to bring Wolf Trap’s customizable arts-based teaching and learning programs to early childhood classrooms in southeastern South Carolina. The partnership creates Lowcountry South Carolina Wolf Trap, Wolf Trap’s newest addition to a growing network of 29 affiliates across the United States and in Singapore.
Lowcountry South Carolina Wolf Trap, operating locally as part of Spoleto Festival USA, will deliver arts integration services to early childhood classrooms in Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties, beginning in spring 2025. The work of the affiliate is made possible with support from South Carolina Arts Commission’s Arts Grow SC, which aims to provide equitable access to learning in and through the arts for South Carolina students.
“We are incredibly grateful to the South Carolina Arts Commission for their invaluable support in making Spoleto Festival USA a Wolf Trap Affiliate,” says Mena Mark Hanna, General Director and CEO of Spoleto Festival USA. “This partnership is a first for Spoleto: we are providing early childhood arts education year-round to students in the Lowcountry. As a parent of young children, I am enormously proud that Spoleto is playing a key role in fostering the state’s next generation of artists and audiences.”
Wolf Trap and its affiliates work collaboratively with schools to deliver vital in-person and virtual classroom residencies, professional development workshops for teachers, and family workshops that serve the unique needs of their communities. The affiliate program is operated under Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, a program of Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. Through Wolf Trap’s education programs, including the work of the Institute and its affiliates, Wolf Trap serves more than 100,000 children, families, and educators each year.
Lowcountry South Carolina Wolf Trap programs will be designed for children in preschool and kindergarten and their teachers and families. The program will introduce performing arts-based experiences that illustrate key curricular concepts such as literacy, math, and science, as well as 21st-century skills including communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and creativity. By incorporating song, movement, imaginative play, and musical instruments, these programs will equip teachers with skills to seamlessly integrate active, arts-infused learning into their daily instruction, enriching every child they teach.
“We’re excited to partner with Spoleto to bring dynamic arts experiences and professional development opportunities to early education communities in Charleston and the surrounding region through Lowcountry South Carolina Wolf Trap,” said Akua Kouyate-Tate, Vice President of Education at Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. “Throughout the school year, Lowcountry South Carolina Wolf Trap Teaching Artists will work with teachers and young children in early childhood classrooms to integrate arts disciplines like dance, music, theater, and puppetry into their curriculum. In doing so, they help educators meet their educational objectives, make learning more engaging and joyful for young children, and equip teachers with lasting skills that will resonate in their professional practice with young children for years to come.”
Through professional teaching artists trained in the Wolf Trap model, Wolf Trap Institute delivers customized, in-class professional development to early childhood educators using proven, arts-based strategies that reach across curricula and support development in key areas like language, literacy, math, science, and social-emotional learning. Teaching artists engage in multi-day residencies, where they meet one-on-one with teachers to create custom lesson plans that align with their curriculum objectives. They work in the classroom alongside the teacher to engage students in arts-based learning experiences, supporting the teacher to lead the lesson using these strategies.
To inquire about scheduling a Lowcountry South Carolina Wolf Trap Residency, contact Bailey Mann at BMann@spoletousa.org.
For more information about Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, visit www.wolftrap.org/education.
For more information about Spoleto Festival USA, visit spoletousa.org.
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About Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, produces and presents a full range of performance and education programs in the Greater Washington area, as well as nationally. Wolf Trap features three performance venues: the outdoor Filene Center and Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods, both located at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, and The Barns at Wolf Trap, located down the road from the national park and adjacent to the Center for Education at Wolf Trap. The 7,028-seat Filene Center is operated in partnership with the National Park Service and annually showcases an extensive array of diverse artists, ranging from pop, country, folk, and blues to classical music, dance, and theatre, as well as multimedia presentations, from May through September. The Barns at Wolf Trap is operated by the Wolf Trap Foundation year-round, and during the summer months is home to the Grammy-nominated Wolf Trap Opera, one of America’s outstanding resident ensemble programs for early career opera singers. Wolf Trap’s education programs include the nationally acclaimed Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods, a diverse array of arts education classes, grants, and a nationally recognized Internship and Apprenticeship Program.
About Spoleto Festival USA
Spoleto Festival USA was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who sought to create an American counterpart to the annual Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, which he had founded in 1958. Now in its 48th year, Spoleto Festival USA is internationally recognized as America’s premier performing arts festival. For 17 days and nights each spring, Spoleto Festival USA fills Charleston’s historic theaters, churches, and outdoor spaces with performances in opera; theater; dance; and chamber, symphonic, choral, and jazz music. Spoleto’s mission is to present programs of the highest artistic caliber while maintaining a dedication to young artists, a commitment to all forms of the performing arts, a passion for contemporary innovation, and an enthusiasm for providing unique performance opportunities for established artists. Beyond its role as a launching pad for young talent, Spoleto also serves as a catalyst for cultural change and has aided in Charleston’s flourishing as a top arts and culture destination. With General Director & CEO Mena Mark Hanna at its helm, the 2025 season takes place from May 23 to June 8 in various locations throughout Charleston. Spoleto Festival USA is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.
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Media Information
Liz Nickless
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts
571-585-2512
lizn@wolftrap.org
Lauren Van Liew
Spoleto Festival USA
Public & Media Relations Manager
843-720-1137
Lvanliew@spoletousa.org