The 2015 Houston Arts Partners conference will include - for the first time in its five-year history - an extensive keynote program including nationally-known speakers John Abodeely, Deputy Director of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities; Jessica Hamlin, Director of Education Initiatives for ART21; dance and theatre innovator Liz Lerman; and musician, educator, and motivator Larry Livingston.

Featuring presentations from 10 of Houston's outstanding arts organizations and their education partners, as well as panel discussions of critical topics in arts education, the conference offers resources for campus and district decision-makers, teaching artists, and teachers of science, math, ELA, social studies, and all arts disciplines. Unearthing critical connections among arts education, arts integration, and success in other core and STEM subjects, the diverse, relevant, rigorous presentations at the conference draw on exemplary partnerships between schools and Houston's arts organizations, which collectively serve over 600,000 children through arts and arts education programming, both during school and after school. With these arts-based tools and ongoing partnerships, teachers are equipped to prepare their students for opportunities and challenges still in the making, and they can receive Continuing Professional Education and Gifted & Talented credit for attending. 

The Houston Arts Partners Conference, the only conference in Texas to combine arts integration tools and arts education advocacy, has galvanized the Houston teaching artist community and campus educators from across the state, leading to increased awareness of the importance of arts education access for all students. Through Houston Arts Partners, Houston arts organizations and education leaders work in collaboration to create unique partnerships that provide expanded services to educators and administrators of the greater Houston area.