The Collaboration of Schools and Cultural Institutions: A case study

Abstract

Recent research highlights the benefits of long-term collaboration between schools and cultural institutions for the artistic and cultural education for various age groups, the broader development of students’ personality, teachers’ professional development and the improvement of the school environment. Nevertheless, research related to the factors that influence the efficiency of such collaborations is still limited. The present paper examines the collaboration between two public educational institutions, a Primary and a Secondary School, and various cultural institutions, in the context of self-funded educational programs. The common elements of the two programs were their long-term duration, as well as the fact that they both aimed at the familiarization of students with contemporary art. The paper focuses on the effect of the educational programs on students, teachers and the artists-educators of the cultural institutions, as well as on the investigation of the factors that empower the collaboration between schools and cultural organizations.