Momentum Magazine | 2025-2026
For 70 years, the University of South Florida has championed bold ideas that shape the future of our communities. One example of that legacy is the Florida Center for Partnerships for Arts-Integrated Teaching (PAInT), headquartered at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus and serving as the state’s official resource for arts-integrated instruction.
Dr. Denise Davis-Cotton
PAInT’s roots run deep in Sarasota-Manatee’s arts-rich culture. Launched in 2012, the center grew from a vision advanced by the USF College of Education and a belief that blending the arts with academic content can transform learning. By 2016, that vision captured the attention of Florida lawmakers, who designated PAInT as the permanent statewide hub for arts-integrated teaching. Today, PAInT’s mission remains clear: empower teachers, ignite creativity in classrooms and strengthen communities across Florida through innovative and arts-based approaches.
Arts-integrated teaching weaves the arts, including music, movement, visual art and drama, into academic lessons to make learning more meaningful. Research shows this approach improves comprehension, increases engagement and supports students’ social and emotional needs. Under the leadership of PAInT Program Director Denise Davis-Cotton, Ed.D., the center continues expanding partnerships with school districts, arts organizations and educators statewide and collecting and disseminating scholarly research on the arts-integrated teaching.
What began as a local initiative has grown into a Florida-wide network. PAInT collaborates with partners including the Circus Arts Conservatory, Florida Alliance for Arts Education, Manatee Arts Education Council, Make Music Count, MasterKids, Inc, The Childrens’ Literacy Initiative, Origami Air, Beeler Bridge Program, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium and Florida Studio Theatre. These partnerships provide hands-on experiences and evidence-based strategies that bring learning to life. PAInT also works with colleges and universities to develop training programs and with USF preservice education students preparing for their own classrooms.
PAInT reflects the university’s longstanding commitment to innovation, excellence and community engagement. Its statewide advisory board, composed of education leaders, arts professionals and community advocates, helps ensure the center’s work remains future-focused and connected to Florida’s evolving educational landscape.
From Manatee County classrooms to districts across the state, PAInT is helping shape the next generation of thinkers, problem-solvers and creative leaders. Its work stands as a testament to USF’s history and its vision for the decades ahead, a Florida where every learner has access to the transformative power of the arts.
