We have a rich history that goes back to 1955 in Virginia. From our humble beginnings with a single string ensemble and a handful of volunteers, our organization has grown to become a nonprofit with scores of professional artists in various artistic disciplines who perform and teach hundreds of programs a year. Throughout the years, we’ve impacted the lives of more than 10 million Virginia students.
In our first decade, we worked in Hampton Roads with the Feldman String Quartet and visited 20 schools. In the 1960s, the Norfolk Chapter of Young Audiences was independently incorporated as a nonprofit organization, and our programming increased to 90 hours per year. In the 1970s, we hired our first professional staff, our programs doubled, and we changed our name to the Virginia Chapter of Young Audiences, Inc. In the 1980s, our programs expanded to additional areas of Virginia, and our board of directors changed our name to Young Audiences of Virginia, Inc.
In the 1990s, we provided more than 900 hours of programming a year in schools as we integrated our arts curriculum with the Virginia Standards of Learning. Our national organization, Young Audiences, received the National Medal of Arts, which President Bill Clinton presented to one of our national board members, Yo-Yo Ma, at the White House.
Our work in schools, libraries, and community centers continued to grow and evolve in the next two decades; in response, in 2019 we changed our name to Arts for Learning, the Virginia affiliate of Young Audiences to more clearly communicate what we do, while honoring our dynamic connection with the nationwide Young Audiences’ network. When the pandemic hit in 2020, we developed innovative new services, from arts-integrated virtual learning to bilingual art activity kits, as we worked to reach more children in new and meaningful ways. Those efforts expanded again in 2023 when we partnered with the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts to become the Coastal Virginia Wolf Trap affiliate.
OUR MISSION IS TO INSPIRE AND ENGAGE STUDENTS IN AND THROUGH THE ARTS!
Every day, this organization does what the classroom teacher may not have the time or the resources to do – we engage the imagination and spirit of children through the life-changing power of the arts!
Young Audiences of Virginia, Inc., doing business as Arts for Learning, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EIN 54-6063377, eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions. We have earned the highest ratings possible from Charity Navigator and GuideStar/Candid.
