Recognized across the Commonwealth since 1986, the Southeastern Massachusetts Arts Collaborative, better known as SMARTS, is a year round organization dedicated to the arts and creativity. SMARTS is a 501 (c)3 organization governed by a board of directors and funded in part by its member districts - Attleboro and Mansfield, MA. SMARTS programs take place during the school year and summer in school and community settings and offer architectural design, creative writing, dance, drama, film/video, instrumental, vocal, and visual arts with a focus on the creative process, developing imagination, and collaboration.

 

To this day SMARTS operates under the aegis of the following convictions:

 

• Education in the arts and the development of creativity is a right and a need of all children;

 

• Considerations of minority status or financial limitation will not preclude participation of any person;

 

• Collaboration and sharing among professional artists, teachers, and agencies of the region serves to elevate and make more relevant the arts experiences of young people;

 

• Emphasizing process over product ensures the development of skills and confidence that will carry into all aspects of life;

 

• Young people will have access to art enrichment opportunities locally.

 

Since 1986, SMARTS has provided student and community programs and events, professional development, partnerships and alliances with local, regional, and state educational institutions and strong advocacy for arts education in our schools. SMARTS goals are to enhance the learning process, expand opportunities and student potential, and encourage young people to trust their own vision and voice. SMARTS is concerned with the quality of our society, about creating and maintaining a sense of community and about making learning exciting and accessible to all. 

 

 

“Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable.”

George Bernard Shaw