Programs
Designed around the community in the room.
Heard organizes its work by the people it serves. Within every program area, teaching artists draw on writing, visual art, improvisation, poetry, and public speaking. Sessions are generally 60 minutes, with 90-minute sessions for special programs.
Program area
Youth and Schools
Who it serves: Elementary, middle, and high school students, after-school programs, and youth organizations.
What a typical session may include
- A warm-up that gets everyone making within the first few minutes
- A creative prompt in writing, drawing, collage, or improvisation
- Time to build a piece of work — a poem, a puppet, a scene, a collage
- An invitation to share, with sharing always optional
Potential outcomes
- Confidence
- Literacy practice
- Creative expression
- Collaboration
- Social-emotional learning
Available formats
- Single 60-minute workshop
- Multi-session residency
- 90-minute sessions for showcases and special programs
Program area
Justice-Involved Communities
Who it serves: Adults and young people in correctional facilities, detention settings, and reentry programs.
What a typical session may include
- A grounding exercise and a shared prompt
- Creative writing, poetry, visual art, or improvisation work
- Craft feedback offered as one artist to another
- Optional reading or presentation of finished work
Potential outcomes
- Reflection
- Creative expression
- Public speaking
- Communication
- Empathy
Available formats
- Single 60-minute workshop
- Multi-session writing or art series
- Culminating readings and creative writing contests
Program area
Recovery and Behavioral Health
Who it serves: Adults in recovery programs and behavioral health organizations.
What a typical session may include
- An opening prompt about identity, gratitude, resilience, or possibility
- Hands-on making in writing, visual art, or collage
- Group conversation guided by the work rather than by disclosure
- Optional sharing and reflection
Potential outcomes
- Creative expression
- Reflection
- Community connection
- Confidence
Available formats
- Single 60-minute workshop
- Short series
- Ongoing monthly sessions
Program area
Shelters and Transitional Housing
Who it serves: Residents of shelters and transitional housing, including families and children.
What a typical session may include
- Flexible, drop-in friendly structure for changing groups
- Accessible materials that require no prior experience
- A finished piece participants can keep the same day
- Space for families to create side by side
Potential outcomes
- Creative expression
- Belonging
- Community connection
- Confidence
Available formats
- Single workshop
- Recurring drop-in sessions
- Family art nights
Program area
Older Adults
Who it serves: Senior centers, older-adult programs, libraries, and residential communities.
What a typical session may include
- Conversation and memory prompts
- Spoken word, storytelling, writing, or visual art work
- Partner and small-group exercises
- A closing share and applause
Potential outcomes
- Creative expression
- Communication
- Community connection
- Reflection
Available formats
- Single 60-minute workshop
- Weekly or monthly series
Program area
Community and Intergenerational Programs
Who it serves: Libraries, community centers, cultural organizations, and mixed-age public programming.
What a typical session may include
- An invitation that works for all ages in the room
- Collaborative making across generations
- A shared piece or gallery moment at the end
Potential outcomes
- Empathy
- Community connection
- Creative expression
- Collaboration
Available formats
- Public workshops
- Festival and event programming
- Series partnerships
Program area
Custom Workshops and Partnerships
Who it serves: Any organization with a community and a goal in mind.
What a typical session may include
- A planning conversation about goals, participants, and constraints
- A program designed around the setting and available time
- Facilitation by a professional teaching artist, with materials included
Potential outcomes
- Designed with your team
- Creative expression
- Communication
- Confidence
Available formats
- One-time
- Series
- Ongoing partnership
- Staff and volunteer workshops
Programs in action
Short looks inside our sessions.
Special projects
Collaborations that put participant voices in public.
District 5 — “To Hell and Back”
In collaboration with DC's District 5, Heard teaching artists contributed spoken word performances to a concert themed around redemption called “To Hell and Back” — integrating poetry into classical performance spaces and elevating lived experience through art.
Mayor's Poster Contest
Heard partnered with the City of Alexandria's Mayor's Poster Contest to help young artists explore an important community theme through visual art. Artwork was displayed at the Torpedo Factory as part of America's 250th Anniversary Celebration.