The Creative Connections program provides a year-long teaching artist internship to UCI arts majors, preparing them to develop and implement arts-based curriculum and projects to K-12 students in collaboration with an Orange County area educator.

Creative Connections has two major goals:

1. To provide CTSA Teaching Artist Interns practical teaching experience within their discipline that is equitable, diverse and inclusive.
2. To support K-12 Orange County students and educators in achieving greater learning through artistic practice and exploration.

This program not only offers sustained access to arts education that augments the amazing work being done in Orange County area schools and districts, but also develops our CTSA students into engaged citizen artists and arts educators as they work towards their degrees. Participation in the Creative Connections program is free for schools and school districts, with priority given to educators at schools receiving support from Title 1 of the Every Student Succeeds Act. Projects are created collaboratively between the Creative Connections Teaching Artist Interns and Classroom Educators in the fields of art, dance, drama and music, spanning across the entire school-year.