VISION: A world-class visual arts education for every student

MISSION: Provide the highest quality service and support to all schools, visual arts teachers, students, and families

The K-12 Visual Arts programs in Pinellas County Schools are nationally recognized because of the district's continuing commitment to the arts. Additionally, because of the Pinellas County Schools Referendum and enthusiastic community support, the visual arts at every level are flourishing like never before!

Points of Pride

• Every school year, the PCS Visual Arts Department partners with the following 11 local art museums, art centers, art galleries, and other organizations to have more than 25 district and county-wide student art exhibitions, receptions, and award ceremonies for K-12 students: The Dali, The James, Museum of Fine Arts, Morean Arts Center, Dunedin Fine Art Center, Creative Pinellas, St. Petersburg College, Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, Tampa Museum of Art, the Studio@620, Mainsail, Gasparilla Festival of Arts, Kids Tag Art Pinellas, and Art Festival Beth-El. Approximately $2,000 in prizes are awarded to students at these shows.
• In 2022-2023, there were 8,509 K-12 student submissions and 3,797 artworks displayed in district exhibitions. 774 art awards were earned.
• Pinellas County students have earned 99 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards National Medals in just the last eight years. Even during the height of the pandemic in 2021, "Art Never Stopped" in our district - as demonstrated by the 17 National Medals our students earned.
• In 2023, 310 middle and high school students earned 438 awards in the Pinellas County Art Region of the Scholastic Art Awards. Over $7,000 in scholarship money provided by generous awards sponsors was earned by Pinellas County students.
• Pinellas County students had another strong showing in the 2023 Florida Art Education Association's K-12 Student Art Assessment and Virtual Exhibition with 62 Awards of Excellence and 20 Awards of Excellence with Distinction. Additionally, PCS students' artwork won "The Best of Show" and the Elementary Division (two of the top four awards) in the state-wide show. In 2022, PCS students won both the Elementary Division and the Middle School Division. PCS students have earned "The Best of Show" award five out of the last seven years.
• PCS students earned "The Best of Show" (Congressional Choice Awards) in both the 13th Congressional and 14th Congressional Districts High School Art Competitions in 2023. The two artworks will be on display in the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. for one year.
• In 2023, two of the three top award winners in the Gasparilla Festival of Arts Tampa Regional High School Showcase were PCS students (seven neighboring school districts were invited to participate). In 2022, a PCS student earned one of the top three awards.
• The Pinellas All-County K-12 Art Exhibition, with over 1,500 original 2-D and 3-D works on display throughout the district's Administration Building, is considered the largest annual exhibition of student art in the nation. These captivating works are created by students in grades Kindergarten to 12th grade from almost all of the 140 schools in the district and are returned to the students in May of each year. Participating students, their families, friends, art teachers, and administrators are invited to the annual reception event in September.
• The Pinellas County Schools Referendum strengthens reading, technology, music, and visual arts programs by providing up-to-date technology and software applications, helps retain and recruit highly qualified art teachers, provides quality professional development opportunities, allows students to go on field trips to local art museums, and enables art teachers to purchase needed art supplies, materials, and equipment for their students to use to create high-quality and award-winning artwork.
• In 2022, East Lake High School Visual Arts Educator, Eileen Iacobucci, was recognized as the 2022 PCS Teacher of the Year!

Visit the Pinellas Art Education Association (PAEA) website to find out about our supportive local K-12 visual arts educators' not-for-profit professional organization. This dedicated group works to raise money and provide scholarships and awards for students with exemplary artwork displayed in many district exhibitions.

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