Session F4. From Story to System: How Narrative Drives Arts Education Policy in Alabama

Presenters:
Ashley Lucier, Executive Director, Amp Up Arts
Kat Stoves, Amp Up Arts Mobile Site Director, Mobile Arts Council 

In Alabama, the arts story is deeply tied to education and community change. Amp Up Arts, a statewide collective impact 501(c)(3) organization and official partner of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, has seen how storytelling can strengthen partnerships and influence policy. Working alongside the Alabama Governor’s Office and the Turnaround School Initiative, Amp Up Arts uses narrative to highlight the role of the arts in improving engagement, attendance, and belonging in schools that need it most. This session, led by Executive Director Ashley Lucier and Mobile Site Director Kat Stoves, gives participants hands-on experience using storytelling as an advocacy tool. Together we will explore how local stories from classrooms and communities can shape conversations with superintendents, legislators, and funders. Participants will practice combining data and personal stories to make a clear case for arts education and will leave with templates and examples they can apply in their own work. Through this process, we will look at how narrative helps build lasting relationships among schools, districts, and state partners and how shared stories can move systems forward.