During President Obama’s 2014 State of the Union address, San Antonio’s Eastside Promise Zone (EPZ) and Choice neighborhoods were announced as one of the first five Promise Zone areas in the nation. The Promise Zone Initiative is part of President Obama’s plan to comprehensively revitalize distressed communities by partnering with local communities and businesses to create jobs, increase economic security, reduce poverty, expand educational opportunities, increase access to quality, affordable housing and improve public safety. The program will provide resources for local artists to realize public art projects in the EPZ and will facilitate connections to establish long-lasting relationships between artists and EastPoint’s many community partners. Through PASA initiated focus groups with the schools and a partnership with the school district's supporting foundation we identified schools where there were nonexistent art programs, or schools where programs had been cut. We focused on those campuses and invited our resident to build a program to address their individual need. Artist in residence worked with students, administrators, and educators at three campuses: - Sam Houston High School o Jennifer Edmonds-Jones, visiting teaching choreographer and modern dancer. Worked with dance team to develop original modern dance choreography. Students also receive Alvin Ailey Master Class and attended Alvin Ailey performance. o Francisco Tavira, visiting teaching architect. Worked with building technology students to repurpose a shipping container into a mobile cultural space to be used by eastside artists and organizations. Students contributed to design and fabrication, were visited by architects and cultural-workers, and will help to manage operations moving forward. Rental proceeds will go to SAISD Foundation to support arts education. - Wheatley Middle School o Olivia Hinojosa, visit teaching multimedia artist worked with students to document and reflect on the school’s historic and neighborhood contexts. Facing the school closing at the end of the 2016-2017 school year, students worked with Olivia and visiting artists to develop a time capsule. They gathered oral histories, and historic materials, as well as drawing and photos of the neighborhood and created a display for the time capsule. They hosted a public time capsule ceremony attended by alumni and community members. o Curtis Braziel, neighborhood artist and Wheatley alumnus is repairing interior murals at the campus. - Washington Elementary School o Juney Butler, visiting teaching artist provided arts classes for students and families including painting with a twist classes for families and oversaw the installation of several frames and a large painting completed by the students in the halls of the campus. The campus previously had no artwork on display. o Francisco Cortez, teaching photographer led the Light Catchers Society, a 5th grade photo-club that explored their neighborhood and discussed perception of place, identity and community. Their work was shown in a gallery show and photo zine created by the students.