January 23, 2026

2026 SC ARTS IN EDUCATION FORUM

The SC Arts in Education Forum is a one-day event for leaders who influence and impact arts education in SC PK-12 education.

This year we will engage with the fundamental question that the 2025 SC Arts in Education Task Force has explored over the last eight months, “How do we expand access to arts learning in our current and future environment?”

Join us for:

• A sneak peek into this group’s process, findings, determined priorities, and an action agenda for the next three years.
• A keynote message by Mary Dell’Erba from the Arts Education Partnership.
• Action Agenda Breakout sessions that engage public comment and experience promising practices from across the state. 
• Gather for an opportunity to provide collective feedback and generate strategies to engage with the work

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When: January 23, 2026, 9:30 am – 3:00 pm

Where: Lex2 Performing Arts Center, 3205 Platt Springs Rd, West Columbia, SC 29170

Registration fee: $10 (includes lunch). Click here to see the full menu.

Need a hotel for the night of January 22, 2026? We reserved a block of rooms under the group name Arts in Education Forum at

Hilton Garden Inn
110 McSwain Drive
West Columbia, SC 29169
$135/night + applicable taxes

Booking link

Book by January 2, 2026

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Register by January 15, 2026 

We look forward to the conversation!

Register

Featuring

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: MARY DELL’ERBA

Mary Dell’Erba,  Assistant Director
Arts Education Partnership

As assistant director for the Arts Education Partnership, Mary oversees the development of AEP research, reports and convenings. Prior to joining Education Commission of the States, she worked in state arts education advocacy, leadership development and state government. Mary graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a Master’s in Public Policy and she participated in the 2021-2022 cohort of the D.C. Education Policy Fellowship Program. Her work at the intersection of the arts and education policy is grounded in her lifelong love of dance, music and theatre.​

2025 SC ARTS IN EDUCATION TASK FORCE

AGENDA

9:00 – 9:30 am
Check-in and Networking
With coffee service

9:30 am
2025 SC Arts in Education Task Force
We begin the day with an introduction to the 2025 SC Arts in Education Task Force, explaining why the group was called to action, what they were charged to do, and their collective research and reporting process. 

The State of the Creative State
A sneak peak to the forthcoming report from the 2025 SC Arts in Education Task Force that summarizes the landscape of arts in education over the last decade (2014-2025) to understand how current practices and key decisions have influenced access. Co-Chairs Carol Baker and Kim Wilson will outline how the report is organized and the process of determining priorities that will inform the Action Agenda. 

Subcommittee Chairs will share key moments and spotlight specific findings across the identified priorities.

Keynote
Mary Dell’Erba from Arts Education Partnership, will share a curated collection of national trends, research, and practices happening across the country that align with the priorities outlined in the State of the Creative State. 

Panel Discussion
We conclude the morning’s exploratory session with a panel discussion between the 2025 SC Arts in Education Task Force Subcommittee Chairs and Mary Dell’Erba on the complexities of expanding access to arts learning and the questions that are driving conversation within SC and across the country. 

11:30 am
Lunch
Lunch is included in the registration fee. Click here for a full menu. 

12:15
AfterSchool and Summer Learning Breakout Session
Join this breakout group if you are interested in a dialogue with Task Force members on the content of The State of the Creative State report and the potential within the Action Agenda for the AfterSchool and Summer Learning environments.

AfterSchool and Summer Learning “Promising Practices”
This session serves to elevate a promising practice that is happening in the AfterSchool and Summer Learning community. Join this breakout session if you are interested in hands-on learning experience.  

1:00
Break

1:15
In-School Practices Breakout Session
Join this breakout group if you are interested in a dialogue with Task Force members on the content of The State of the Creative State report and the potential within the Action Agenda for practices and partnerships within the school day environment.

In-School “Promising Practices”
This session serves to elevate a promising practice that is happening within the school environment. Join this breakout session if you are interested in hands-on learning experience.

2:00
Community Dialogue
An opportunity to provide feedback, share ideas, and generate strategies to engage with the work.