Project New Directions, created 1994, was a for-credit professional development program for arts educators from Rhode Island schools attended week long summer academies and single day workshops with the objectives to develop and support arts education in Rhode Island, created and hosted by TLAD. Funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) and the Health & Education Leadership for Providence (HELP) Coalition. National and state level advisors, including artists and arts educators, supported RISD’s administrative staff of Paul Sproll (Project Director), John Chamberlin (Associate Project Director), Carole Villucci (Assistant Director), and Barbara Pichette (Project Coordinator).