Tryon Fine Arts Center is expanding its partnership with Polk County Schools for the 2026-27 school year, creating more opportunities for students and teachers to experience the arts in classrooms, performances and hands-on programs.
The partnership reaches students across multiple grade levels and includes teacher grants, arts immersion experiences, professional performances, poetry and theater programs.
One avenue is TFAC’s Be Inspired Grants, which offer teachers up to $500 to support projects designed to strengthen student learning through the arts.
Grant funding can support professional artists working with students, field trips to cultural institutions and hands-on arts projects, giving teachers additional ways to incorporate creative experiences into instruction.
Second graders across Polk County will also participate in Arts Immersion Days at TFAC during the school year.
Students rotate through workshops led by professional artists, exploring several forms of art in a single visit. Activities can include music performances and instrument exploration, creative dramatics, literary creation and visual arts experiences such as painting and printmaking.
TFAC also partners with the Tryon Concert Association through the Arts Outreach for Kids, or A-OK, series, which gives students access to daytime performances by internationally recognized artists. TFAC provides the performance space and helps cover transportation costs for schools.
At the high school level, TFAC supports Poetry Out Loud, a national competition that challenges students to select, memorize and perform poetry.
Students are judged on areas including memorization, stage presence and understanding of the work. TFAC has provided coaching and performance space for Polk County students, several of whom have advanced to state competition in previous years.
The partnership also extends to Polk County Early College, where TFAC has helped provide a semester of improvisational theater classes.
Working with a small group of students, TFAC staff used creative exercises to develop listening, teamwork and confidence, culminating in a public performance. A new group of Early College students will have the opportunity to participate this school year.
As the partnership continues to grow, TFAC will also work with educational consultant Lori Lonon to align programs with curriculum goals and identify additional creative opportunities for teachers and students.
