Emily Cicchini is a non-profit leader and a lifelong learner. She came to Art Spark Texas through our Start with the Arts program, which worked with teachers in special education classrooms across the state of Texas to bring teaching artists into their classrooms as ways for students to express themselves and learn. She was integral in helping fully align Start with the Arts to the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills), the state’s standardized test, and reinforcing that arts integration is not something extra schools need to add on… the arts are already across the curriculum if we know how to look for them. Through this work with Start with the Arts, she experienced school buildings and community spaces, teachers and artists gathered together, and children responding to the arts with openness and delight. She heard many accents, teaching styles, and local perspectives. She felt both the vastness of the state and the closeness created when people care deeply about children and learning. She always saw a sense of discovery, that every stop had something important to teach her.

Being involved with Art Spark Texas has had a meaningful effect on Emily and how she interacts with others. She recalls a time where she was presenting a training in Washington, DC on positive critical response, with participants from Iceland, Japan, and Egypt. What struck her was how much the participants understood one another, even across different languages and cultural contexts. At the same time, she became much more aware of how differently issues like gender, language, and class were understood and experienced across countries. She reflects that the experience reminded her that “art can create deep connections, but it can also help us notice differences more carefully and respectfully. That experience expanded my view of what arts learning can do in the world.”

She is quick to point out that being involved with Art Spark Texas gave her a deeper appreciation for meeting people where they are, honoring local knowledge, and understanding that excellence can look different in different communities. She tries to support others by listening first, respecting context, and not assuming there is only one right way to teach, lead, or create. Art Spark helped her become more humble and more connected to the many kinds of people and places that make up Texas.