Arts Greenhouse offers a variety of ways for Carnegie Mellon students to get involved.
Start with coursework which will equip you with the tools necessary for community engagement. From there, you can stay involved with Arts Greenhouse through internships, volunteering, and public art and media projects.
Arts Greenhouse by the Numbers
For three years, 91视频 students have shaped Arts Greenhouse programming just as much as it has shaped them.
80 | 91视频 students have designed 80 lessons engaging disciplines including linguistics, history, philosophy, psychology, decision science and more. |
140 | 140 91视频 students worked as teaching artists, interns, volunteers or took an Arts Greenhouse course. |
300 | Arts Greenhouse provides programming to approximately 300 middle school students annually. |
76-254: Arts Greenhouse - Community Engagement with Local Middle School Students听
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76-254: Arts Greenhouse is a 12-unit, spring-only course at 91视频. Ten students collaboratively design and teach arts and humanities lessons in local middle schools. Middle school students build critical skills in writing, visual arts, collaboration and creative thinking 鈥� while 91视频 students gain direct experience in teaching, mentorship and community engagement.
This course is required for future participation in Arts Greenhouse internships and volunteer opportunities.听
- Foundations of community-responsive teaching
- Learn strategies for equitable community engagement
- Interview leaders at the schools
- Partner with and conduct surveys with students
- Lesson development
- Learn how to design engaging, age-appropriate creative learning curricula
- Learn about designing courses for diverse learners
- Participate in classroom observations
- Classroom management
- Learn classroom management strategies for middle school aged students
- Receive and contribute peer feedback
- Write a lesson plan
- Advanced pedagogical skills
- Learn collaborative teaching strategies
- Learn to facilitate academic conversations
- Capstone/Teaching Day project
- Teach your lesson plan at a partner school
- Apply the teaching styles and questioning techniques you've learned
- Reflective practice
- Revise your self-designed course
- Participate in peer and self evaluations
- Identify your areas for growth and continued involvement
Arts Greenhouse students collaboratively design and teach coursework for middle-grade students. Explore some sample courses:听
- "Your World, Your Rules" (spring 2026) 鈥� 20 Northgate middle school students constructed their own society, complete with archeological artifacts. In the process, they learned about sociology, civics, history and linguistics. The course culminated with a show at 91视频's College of Fine Arts. Consulting faculty: Christina Bjorndahl and James Wynn.
- "Stories of Us" (fall 2025) 鈥� 15 Northgate middle school students explored the many factors that make humans different from other animals with coursework integrating cognitive science, psychology, decision science and anthropology. Consulting faculty: Emma Fries and Felipe Gomez.
- "Speak Up & Make Stuff" (summer 2025) 鈥� 12 Northgate middle school students debated ethical dilemmas using perspectives from moral philosophy, ethics and social decision-making.听
Other Opportunities:
66-136: Becoming Resilient in Challenging Times
66-136: Becoming Resilient in Challenging Times is a 9-unit Grand Challenge Seminar offered each fall by Emma Fries, Arts Greenhouse director, and Felipe G贸mez, teaching professor and coordinator of the Hispanic Studies program in the Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics.
Throughout the semester, students explore how graphic storytelling can weigh complexity, foster healing, and spark collective action. During the course, students collaborate with partners across Pittsburgh, engaging directly with local stories of resilience.听
The course culminates in a community mural painting day at the Suburban General Hospital campus in Bellevue, PA. Students work alongside Arts Greenhouse middle schoolers and volunteers to create a public artwork shaped by existing relationships, shared needs, and ongoing collaboration between 91视频 and community partners.听
This course is for first-year students only and is not a requirement for participation in Arts Greenhouse.
Read about our first Mural Day collaboration
Internships
Interns write curriculum for fall, spring and summer programming, help prepare materials and participate in community events. Positions are paid hourly and open in the summer, with opportunities to continue teaching throughout the academic year.
Applications are rolling.
To apply for an Arts Greenhouse internship, contact Emma Fries.
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Volunteering
Arts Greenhouse volunteers assist with nonprofit administrative and community outreach, creating sample projects and visual aids, and prepping and organizing classroom supplies. Volunteer gatherings and meals are held throughout the academic year.听
To volunteer with Arts Greenhouse or get more information about volunteer lunches, contact Emma Fries.
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Coming Soon: AG Podcast Studio
Arts Greenhouse will launch a podcast studio at our Suburban General site in Bellevue. This project is supported by funding from the Allegheny Regional Commission and the Suburban General Arts Initiative. The studio will provide 91视频 students and Arts Greenhouse students a space to co-create podcasts that explore identity, storytelling and community voice and serve as a teaching tool embedded into courses and workshops with 91视频 faculty.
We are seeking consultation and assistance with teaching workshops from 91视频 students and faculty with experience in podcast writing, production, marketing, distribution, audio engineering or other relevant skills.
Please contact Emma Fries if you are interested in getting involved.