Sara Dickinson

Sara Dickinson is the Lead of Education Outreach and Community at the Art Gallery of Hamilton (AGH). She serves as the Director of AGH: In-Class, an innovative arts education program that partners teachers with Hamilton artists to create and facilitate dynamic, arts-based projects. These projects bring core curriculum subjects to life through music, visual art, rap, spoken word, drama, and creative movement.

In 2019, in response to COVID-19, Sara and her team swiftly transitioned AGH: In-Class to an online format, launching AGH: Virtual. Due to overwhelmingly positive feedback from students and teachers, the program was expanded. In 2023, with generous support from the Canada Council for the Arts, AGH: Virtual embarked on a cross-Canada tour, connecting with remote classrooms in Northern communities. Together, AGH: In-Class and Virtual programs positively impact over 4,500 students annually.

Sara began her journey as an artist educator at the Royal Conservatory of Music, where she served as a principal artist in the Learning Through the Arts (LTTA) program for over 15 years. She later managed the LTTA program in South Central Ontario before joining the Programming and Education team at the Art Gallery of Hamilton(AGH) in 2018. At the AGH, Sara has developed and managed AGH: In-Class, AGH: Virtual and cultivated additional programming partnerships across the city.

In 2020, Sara co-created the Art of Creation (AoC) Project in collaboration with McMaster University and the Sloboda Lab. This arts-based science translation initiative and public exhibition project uses art to communicate the importance of health before and during pregnancy to the public, policymakers, and healthcare providers. The AoC Exhibition debuted at the Art Gallery of Hamilton in 2023 and is set to be exhibited at McMaster University in March 2025, followed by Charité University in Berlin in September 2025.

Sara Dickinson will be speaking at the Museums & Schools Summit 2025 :

The Arts as a Tool for Learning, Collaboration and Community

Join Sara as she shares her journey of designing innovative arts education programs with a dynamic team of artist educators. In collaboration with school boards, superintendents, consultants, teachers, and funders, these programs creatively engage and inspire students to explore subjects like math, social studies, science, and language arts.
Through visual art, creative movement, drama, film, spoken word, and music, students learn to collaborate, think critically, problem-solve, and challenge one another. This approach fosters a deeper understanding of themselves, their communities, and the world, making learning a vibrant and transformative experience.