Teaching Artist Roster

For Independent Artists interested in applying for the Teaching Artist Roster, applicants must:

• Must be Maryland residents (owning or renting residential property in Maryland six months prior to the application’s submission) and must be 18 years of age or older.
• Ensembles or collaborative groups must be composed of artists who are 18 or older. 50% of artists in a collaborative group must meet the residency requirement above.
• Not enrolled in any matriculated high school, undergraduate or graduate degree program at the time of application.
• Continue to be Maryland residents while active on AiE Teaching Artist Roster and for the duration of any funded Arts in Education Grant-supported activities.

For Organizations interested in applying for the Teaching Artist Roster, the organization must be any of the following:

• A 501(c)3 with tax exempt status from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and is incorporated in Maryland
• A unit of Government based in Maryland
• A member institution in the University System of Maryland

And have one completed and documented fiscal year at the date of application submission with ongoing arts activities.

If you are applying as an organization and would like to have several of your teaching artists considered for the MSAC Teaching Artist Roster, a separate application for each teaching artist is required.

The Teaching Artist Roster is for artists, ensembles, and organizations who provide arts education programming in school and community settings. Any applicant with questions about preparing an application is encouraged to reach out to relevant MSAC staff, as listed below.

Please check back for updates on application assistance webinars in February 2027. For additional support, you can find the latest scoring rubric, examples of arts learning programs, and video recording of instruction/performance guidance, and other relevant documents under the Resources section below.

The Teaching Artist Roster application will open for new applicants in February 2027. Applications are completed in SmartSimple when open for submissions. The application deadline is April 15, 2027. 

Applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by a group of panelist. MSAC convenes a group of panelists, composed of members of the public statewide representing a range of discipline expertise, to electronically review and score all applications according to the review criteria.

Notifications on the status of the application will be sent in June 2027. Applications will either be declined or conditionally approved for the Roster. Conditionally approved applicants will be asked to create an Arts Directory page prior to final approval. Declined applicants will have the opportunity to request feedback on their application and may reapply in future years. 

Refer to the Guidelines document in the Quick Resources section for more information.

The benefits of becoming an MSAC Teaching Artist include:

• Rostered artists are eligible to apply for the Arts in Education Grant program. The Arts in Education Grant supports the costs of arts learning programs for Maryland schools and community groups. Arts in Education Grants are awarded through a separate application and review process. Funding through the Arts in Education Grant program is not guaranteed. 
• Opportunities for feedback to help strengthen current and proposed arts learning programs
• Heightened visibility through MSAC's Arts Directory and Artist Showcases

In order to maintain one’s status on the Teaching Artist Roster, all roster members must: 

• Maintain Maryland residency as defined in the guidelines. 
• Annually review the information in their MSAC Arts Directory profile.
• Complete an annual check-in report that demonstrates their ongoing and active work as a teaching artist. 
• Meet MSAC reporting deadlines and remain in regular communication with MSAC staff and schools/sites (as needed).