Teaching with ArtsQuest

ArtsQuest Visual Arts and Education is focused on providing the community with diverse artistic and cultural experiences through our year-round programming, which includes a wide variety of visual arts classes for all skill levels and ages. We strive not only to bring out the creativity of all our students but to support the creativity and growth of our Teaching Artists through a multitude of various teaching opportunities across our programs and professional development opportunities. We encourage all teaching artists with a passion and commitment to engaging in arts education, professional development, and equity and access in the arts to apply below! 

Construction Update 

The Banana Factory Arts Center, which has housed most of ArtsQuest’s Visual Arts and Education Programming, will close at the end of 2024 to break ground on a new Cultural Center, with a planned opening date in fall 2026. While the Cultural Center is under construction, Visual Arts and Education programs will continue to take place at different locations throughout the Lehigh Valley. We are seeking teaching artists who are comfortable with teaching at offsite locations.  

Eligibility and Criteria

• Applicant should be a professional artist and/or educator with expertise in one or more arts disciplines. Applicants should have a degree(s) in the Fine Arts, Art Education, or other related fields and/or related work experience/training of at least 2 years.
• Applicant must be able to obtain copies of PA State Police Criminal Record Check and PA Child Abuse History and submit them to ArtsQuest before beginning any teaching program. Additional documentation, such a fingerprinting, may be required for some education programs depending on the requirements listed by schools and other community institutions where our programs take place.

Applicants will be considered based on:

• Artistic excellence as demonstrated by samples of the artist’s work, training, and experience, resume, and letters of recommendation.
• Good communication skills as evidenced by the application, work samples, recommendations, and subsequent interview.
• Experience, interest, and the ability to work with students as evidenced by credentials in education, application, letters of recommendation, sample lesson plans, resume/CV, and interview with staff.

Teacher Compensation

Teaching Artists are considered Independent Contractors and are paid by the program, class, and/or workshop.

Classes and Programs

ArtsQuest hires Teaching Artists for a wide range of programs, including but not limited to:

• Creative classes for all ages and levels in the mediums of ceramics, drawing, painting, printmaking, photography (digital and darkroom), mosaics, sculpture, mixed media, fiber arts, pastels, art & mindfulness, illustration, digital design, photo editing, jewelry/metalsmithing, creative writing, poetry, and more
  • While we run classes at offsite locations during construction, we will not have a space to accommodate classes that require a dark room, iMacs, or metalsmithing. However, the new Cultural Center will include improved facilities for these mediums, and we will continue to accept applications to teach those mediums in the interim period   
• Visual Arts Camps for students ages 4-17
• After-School Programs for elementary, middle and high school students
• Field Trips for students of all ages/levels
• Creative Aging programs for seniors
• Artist Residencies with community partners, schools, etc. 
• Workshops and Art Classes for Veterans Groups
• Art History and Art Appreciation 
• Group critiques for emerging or student artists
• Art Therapy Programs (certification documents required)

ArtsQuest is specifically looking to expand our teaching roster to Teaching Artists with experience in:

• Working with students who have special needs.
• Developing programs and classes which are sensory-friendly.
• Teaching classes in languages other than English – especially interested in applicants who are fluent in Spanish.
• Early childhood education.
• Teaching at the high school level for after-school/arts education programs. 

Applicants for Teaching Artists are reviewed on a rolling basis by the Visual Arts and Education Staff. Teaching Artists will be contacted by ArtsQuest staff for an interview if their qualifications and proposed lesson plans meet our current program needs. After submitting the form below, you will receive a confirmation email indicating that your form has been received.

Apply Now

To learn more about the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) and to apply to be a PCA-rostered artist, click here.