It's more than youth engagement - it's empowerment
About this program
Classroom to the Streets (“CTTS”) is a Fellowship Program that uses the power of public art to transform learning, deepen community connections, and inspire change.
By bringing students, educators, and artists together, we turn the streets into classrooms– empowering the exploration of identity, culture, and community through art.
How do we do this?
Teacher fellows are paired with internationally renowned street artists to design and install large-scale public art in their city. Fellows then create lesson plans around the co-designed public art installations, targeting specific learning outcomes for their students. In the fall, fellows incorporate field trips and mural tours so students can experience and interpret the art firsthand, connecting classroom learning with the city’s murals. Classroom to the Streets Teacher Fellows receive CTE/professional development credits for their participation in the program.
The Process
Phase One
Schools in highly diverse, urban communities are engaged and teacher fellows are selected
Phase Two
Beyond Walls team and educators hold listening sessions to determine curation of the artists
Phase Three
Artists selected and paired with teacher fellows. Virtual and in person working sessions between artists and teachers held to determine mural design
Phase Four
Teachers work with artists to create the mural
Phase Five
Teachers create and teach lesson plans. Teachers and Beyond Walls team lead students on in person mural walking tours
The Benefits of Public Art in Education
- Visual Learning: Art provides visual stimuli that enhance learning, making abstract concepts more tangible.
- Community Ownership: Involving teachers and students in public art fosters a sense of ownership and pride.
- Interdisciplinary Learning: Murals can incorporate elements from different subjects, offering a holistic learning experience.
- Cultural Appreciation: Celebrating cultural heritage through murals promotes understanding and pride in diverse cultures.
- Critical Thinking: Analyzing murals stimulates critical thinking as students decipher symbolism and themes.
- Social Awareness: Murals addressing social issues can spark discussions and inspire students to become community change agents.
Additional Resources
Lesson Plans
In addition to our Fellowship Program, we have a a variety of lesson plans for Elementary and Middle School grades that we have created around our murals. These lessons are built to include public school curriculum frameworks such as Visual Arts, Social Studies, English Language Arts, Science and Technology, and others. These lessons also touch on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) outcomes and English Language Learner (ELL) outcomes. Our lesson plans include:
- Hands-on art making activities
- Virtual worksheets for students that can be emailed to teachers
- Unit guides for teachers that include in-depth background information and resources for particular topics
- PowerPoints for teachers to use as visual aids
- Videos of artist interviews
Bring CTTS to your city!
The CTTS Fellowship was piloted in our home city of Lynn, Massachusetts in the summer of 2025 with great success. To bring CTTS to YOUR city or school reach out to us with an email at admin@beyond-walls.org
Mural Tours
As part of our education program, we also offer mural tours to school groups and after-school programs. We curate these mural tours to fit the needs and interests of a particular group, whether it is a focus on SEL skills or BIPOC representation.
On these mural tours, which last anywhere between an hour to an hour and half, youth get the opportunity to see and learn about 20-25 murals across downtown Lynn.
Project Partner Snapshot
Location: Lynn, MA
Community Partners: Breed Middle School, Marshall Middle School, Pickering Middle School, Kipp Academy, Girls Inc. of Lynn, Family and Child Services of Greater Lynn Inc., Lynn Youth Street Outreach Advocacy, SPUR, Demakes Family YMCA
Contributors: Cummings Foundation, Essex National Heritage, ECCF
Gallery
