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TAT Lab is a statewide community of teaching artists, arts specialists, youth arts providers, and certified classroom teachers committed to transformative teaching and learning in and through the arts. TAT Lab provides workshops, resources, and mentorship to arts educators across Washington State. We deepen our teaching craft by exploring instructional strategies, arts learning standards, social emotional learning (SEL) and social justice frameworks.

TAT Lab welcomes arts educators with all identities who teach in many different contexts and work in any arts discipline. Join our yearly cohort of arts educators through the Core Program or check out ongoing community workshops and events.

Core Program

Develop your teaching craft with a statewide community of teaching artists and arts educators through the TAT Lab Core Program! In this 7-month program, participants explore learning plan design, learning frameworks, and teaching methods. Faculty and participants seek to create more inclusive and culturally responsive learning spaces for youth. The Core Program focuses on community building, creative thinking, racial justice, and social emotional well-being for both students and educators. Share your expertise and learn alongside peers who are working in various contexts and artistic disciplines across Washington state.

Annual program applications are open to Washington State arts educators, teaching artists, school-based arts specialists, youth arts providers, and classroom teachers working in any artistic discipline.

Applications for the 2023/24 Core Program are now closed. Applications are anticipated to open for 2024/25 in late summer/early fall 2024.

Learn & Connect with TAT Lab

Join TAT Lab events to build community, explore relevant topics in arts education, and celebrate the work of arts educators.

These stand-alone virtual events are open to teaching artists, school-based arts specialists, youth arts providers, and classroom teachers across Washington State. Events are facilitated by TAT Lab faculty and/or guest presenters and are offered throughout the year.

No previous TAT Lab experience required, and TAT Lab Alumni are welcome.

Sliding scale pricing from $0-$40, or free, depending on event.

Free Clock Hours are available for most events through OSPI.

Closed captioning available at all events.

Faculty

Lauren Appel (she/her/they)

Faculty/Mentor

Lauren Appel has worked in arts education for twenty years. Currently she is an Elementary Art/MakerSpace Specialist with Seattle Public Schools, and works as an educational consultant on local projects and partnerships. Previously she worked with Arts Corps, Hilltop Artists, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Youth Theatre Northwest, Rubin Museum of Art, Henry Street Settlement’s Abrons Arts Center, and the Guggenheim Museum. Lauren holds a BA in theatre from Smith College and a MSEd in Museum Education from Bank Street College of Education.

shannon barnes

Shannon Barnes (she/her)

Program co-Director/Faculty

Shannon is a dance educator and arts administrator committed to inclusive and creative practices. As Director of Community Education at Pacific Northwest Ballet, she oversees community-based programs and partnerships with public schools. Shannon is the 2018 Dance Educators Association of Washington Dance Educator of the Year and a guest instructor for Seattle University. Shannon holds a B.A. in Dance and Psychology from the University of Washington and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Dance in Community from Laban, London.

Ann Marie Caldwell

Ann Marie Caldwell (she/her)

Program Coordinator/Faculty

Ann Marie Caldwell (she/her) is passionate about arts education because it helps people express themselves, solve problems creatively, and build community. A TAT Lab alum, Ann Marie serves as TAT Lab Coordinator and Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Community Education Programs Manager. A teaching artist since 2004, Ann Marie has had the honor of teaching youth in a variety of subjects, like creative movement, choreography, improv, creative drama, visual art, and arts integration. Ann Marie grew up in Idaho and holds a BA in theatre.

Lauren Davis (she/her)

Communications Coordinator

Lauren Davis works towards equitable access to arts opportunities for both artists and audiences. She has been with ArtXchange Gallery in Pioneer Square for 15+ years and received her MFA from Seattle University’s Arts Leadership program. Lauren’s projects include events with the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, the Arts & Social Change Partnership and Columbia City Gallery. She also works with La Sala, a Latinx artists’ support organization, and ReVision Arts, which organizes inclusive arts programs. 

Carina A. del Rosario (she/her)

Faculty/Mentor

Carina is a cultural worker who uses visual art, writing and teaching to build community. Her art has been exhibited in various venues and supported with grants from Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, 4Culture and Puffin Foundation. She teaches youth to express their experiences and advocate for what matters to them through art. She serves on Seattle Public School’s Antiracist Arts Education Task Force and specializes in arts integration at Arts Corps. KCTS presented her with its 2020 Golden Apple Award.

Tatlab faculty

Janet Hayakawa (she/her)

Program Co-Director/Faculty

Janet is the Program Supervisor for The Arts at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the primary agency charged with overseeing public K-12 education in Washington state. She holds a MA in educational theatre from New York University. Janet is a currently practicing visual artist with experience as a classroom teacher, teaching artist, playwright, workshop facilitator, and program manager. She has worked for the Seattle Public Schools, the Creative Arts Team/New York University, WNET, the Education Development Center, and Densho.

TAT Lab faculty

Tamar Krames (she/her)

Program Co-Director/Faculty

Tamar joins the TAT Lab team as a multimedia artist, National Board Certified teacher, instructional coach, and arts administrator. Her work in schools is an ongoing exploration of how equity ideals show up in the everyday craft of teaching. As ArtsWA’s Arts in Education (AIE) Program Manager, Tamar oversees a variety of programs that support the creative practices of youth and educators. Tamar holds a Master in Teaching degree from The Evergreen State College and a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute.

Tina LaPadula (she/her)

Faculty/Mentor

Tina LaPadula is a warrior for equitable arts education. For more than 15 years she poured her creative energy into Arts Corps, the award winning arts and social justice nonprofit she helped found. Currently, she serves as the Arts Education Manager at the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, overseeing the The Creative Advantage. Tina supports the development of teaching artists locally and nationally through the Seattle Teaching Artist Network and as a national advisor for the Teaching Artist Guild.

Orlando Morales (he/him) 

Faculty/Mentor

Orlando is a Seattle-based musician, educator, and songwriter. He is currently Assistant Artistic Director for the Tacoma Refugee Choir and holds a Masters in Teaching from the University of Washington. He has over eighteen years of experience teaching music and theater and over thirteen years of experience as an arts administrator (Seattle Children’s Theatre, 2013-2015; The 5th Avenue Theatre, 2010-2013, 2015-2023) working to empower young people, build community, and use the performing arts to dismantle systems of oppression.

TAT Lab Overview Video

See how TAT Lab 2021 built a community of practice with teaching artists and arts educators across Washington State.

TAT Lab programs are courageous spaces that invite all arts educators working in Washington State regardless of race or ethnicity, gender and gender expression, ability/disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, or any other identities to be their true selves.

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Questions? Contact TATLab@PNB.org or 206.441.2415

Funding Partners

Major funding and support for TAT Lab is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Washington State Arts Commission and Pacific Northwest Ballet, with additional support from Jubilation Foundation.

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