There are lots of different programs that combine art and science in educational outreach programs. One example (meaning the one that I stumbled upon first in my notes) is Galaxy Goo based in San Francisco, CA. Their focus is a collaboration of scientists, educators, and artists to promote science literacy.
These types of outreach programs are important not only because they expose students to new information, they put the information (and the students) in a different context, outside of the classroom, and often in more applied settings that students can more easily wrap their brains around.
Other similar programs include:
The Optics Institute of Southern California (you may have seen these guys at SPIE conferences in wizard costumes).
The Exploratorium, also in San Francisco, has lots of different programs.
I encourage anyone who is interested to check out these programs and see how you might get involved, even as a student.
