Cultural Arts at Marshall
The Marshall PTA’s Cultural Arts Committee brings arts and cultural enrichment directly to our students through assemblies, special programs, and hands-on artist residencies throughout the school year.
Our goal is to give every Marshall student opportunities to experience the arts, see themselves and their cultures represented, and discover creative stories and traditions that expand their view of the world.
What We Do
Throughout the year, we bring artists, performers, and cultural organizations into Marshall, offering students experiences in dance, music, theater, storytelling, and cultural traditions from around the world.
In recent years, we’ve also expanded our programming to include multi-week artist residencies, giving students sustained, hands-on opportunities to learn and create alongside professional teaching artists.
What’s Coming This Year
Thanks to the incredible generosity of our Marshall community, we raised $25,000 at our 2026 spring fundraiser specifically to support Cultural Arts programming.
Those funds are allowing us to bring in-school artist residencies to every grade level this year while continuing our regular assembly program.
Students can look forward to a wide range of experiences, including an Alvin Ailey dance and percussion residency for our older students, the return of the beloved CHS Step Team, and programs celebrating cultural heritage months and traditions throughout the year — including Indigenous Peoples’ Month, Black History Month, and Lunar New Year.
Why Cultural Arts Matter
The South Orange-Maplewood community has long been home to families who value the arts — whether they work in creative fields, pursue artistic hobbies, or simply support the artists, events, and institutions that make our community special.
Research from the National Endowment for the Arts reinforces what many of us already see: access to arts education is associated with a stronger sense of school belonging, positive approaches to learning, and stronger interpersonal skills.
That’s why this work matters to us. We want Marshall students to experience the joy of creating and performing, encounter new perspectives, and develop a deeper appreciation for the cultures and traditions represented within our school and beyond.
Have an Idea? We’d Love to Hear It!
As our Marshall community evolves, we want our Cultural Arts programming to evolve with it — and all families should have a voice in shaping that work.
Have an idea for an artist, cultural tradition, performance, or program you’d love to see at Marshall? Reach out to the Cultural Arts Committee!
We’re looking forward to our most ambitious year yet — and to everything our students will experience, discover, and create along the way.
