The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis presents, supports, and celebrates the art of our time. It is the premier museum in St. Louis dedicated to contemporary art. Focused on a dynamic array of changing exhibitions, CAM provides a thought-provoking program that reflects and contributes to the global cultural landscape. Through the diverse perspectives offered in its exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives, CAM actively engages a range of audiences to challenge their perceptions. It is a site for discovery, a gathering place in which to experience and enjoy contemporary visual culture.
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SUBMIT to 2026-27 Resident Teaching Artist Application

Each year, CAM hires Resident Teaching Artists (RTAs) to lead our ArtReach in-school programs and teen studio programs at the Museum, including LEAP and New Art in the Neighborhood (NAN). RTAs meet regularly to form a community of practice that includes skill sharing and professional development. Each season, select RTAs work with CAM staff to organize an exhibition of their students’ work at the museum. 

Programs

LEAP Middle School Initiative: Ten-week program offered on Thursdays from 4:00–6:00 pm in the Fall and Spring for students in grades 6–8. Selected RTAs develop and implement a curriculum that exposes students to a particular contemporary art practice or medium. Compensation: $1,000 per semester.

New Art in the Neighborhood (NAN): Twelve-week program offered on Saturdays from noon–4:00 pm in the fall and spring for students in grades 9–12. Selected RTAs collaborate with CAM's Teen and Adult Program Manager on co-designing the curriculum and co-teaching. Compensation: $2,000 per semester.

ArtReach: ArtReach RTAs bring contemporary art into classrooms at Vashon and Sumner High Schools, working closely with the Education Manager to determine project scopes. Compensation is estimated between $1,200–$1,600 per quarter depending on teaching load, and will be calculated at the rate of $25 per hour for prep and $30 per hour for teaching. 

 

2026-27 Theme: Art & Ecology 

Over the course of the 2026–27 school year, students in ArtReach and Teen Studio programs will work with CAM Resident Teaching Artists to explore the theme “Art & Ecology.” Projects will explore how art connects us with nature through place-based learning, environmental justice, and sustainability. Students will gain awareness of ecological kinship as well as tools that enable them to participate in climate activism and stewardship in their communities.  

RTAs will be asked to design curriculum that addresses these Essential Questions:

  • How does art help us understand our relationship with the natural world and the places we call home?
  • How can creative expression advance environmental justice?
  • What stories can art tell about our connection to the earth?   

CAM Staff will support RTAs to engage with the following Missouri State Standards for the Visual Arts provide Essential Questions to be explored through this curricular framework:

  • VA.1.A. Essential Question: What conditions, attitudes, and behaviors support creativity and innovative thinking? What factors prevent or encourage people to take creative risks? How does collaboration expand the creative process?
  • VA.7.A. Essential Question: How do life experiences influence the way you relate to art? How does learning about art impact how we perceive the world? What can we learn from our responses to art?
  • VA.10.A. Essential Question: How does engaging in creating art enrich people's lives? How does making art attune people to their surroundings? How do people contribute to awareness and understanding of their lives and the lives of their communities through art-making?

This information is shared for transparency and context; Applicants do not need to have projects ready at the time of application nor a proposal of how to link with this theme.

Candidates must be able to pass a Child Abuse and Neglect background check and criminal check in order to work with students. 

APPLICATIONS REQUESTED BY MAY 17, 2026 at 11:59 PM CST. Applications received by this date will be given preference; application received after will be considered on an a case by case basis.     

Questions: programs@camstl.org

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SUBMIT to 2026 Teen Museum Studies Application
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SUBMIT to 2026 Artist Exhibition Proposals (TMS)
Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis