From the Executive Director
From the Executive Director The power of advocacy—and the crying need, in this moment, to find strength in numbers and raise our level of support for art education. NAEA has given me a community of like-minded professionals. It has given me inspiration to have aspirations. —Danny Mendoza, Art Educator, Mather High School, Chicago, IL
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The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, begins to work its inspirational magic the moment you begin the walk along the path to the museum. The exquisite grounds… the breathtaking exhibitions… the Frank Lloyd Wright house that needs no adjective to elevate its stature and impact. Each July, Crystal Bridges hosts the 5-day intensive retreat that fully launches NAEA’s School for Art Leaders (SAL), a 7-month program that takes 25 NAEA members through an extraordinary journey of personal growth and empowerment. Each SAL class develops a tightly bonded community of art educators, leaders, and advocates who leave as active members of an exponentially expanding network of high-powered arts education leaders. They are the literal embodiment of the concept of “Stronger Together.” As we move deeper into our “Year of Living Uncertainly,” what I personally find most inspiring is how committed members throughout NAEA are to the spirit and promise of community. I find that my NAEA membership is vital to maintaining a vibrant… and dynamic connection. —James Rees, Art Educator, Provo High School, Provo, UT
How many years have I been singing the praises of community? How many columns have I written that waxed lyric and poignant with stories of how community can alter who we are, what changes we can influence, and the impact we have on one other and our learners? In many ways, we have transformed our association to expand community and make it more enabling and supportive of collaboration—across disciplines, across geographies, across age levels. Yet, I feel an urgent need to persuade, entreat, and recruit those art educators who have yet to experience the richness and vibrancy of a community created by members, for members. What has been accomplished through the efforts of successive visionary and committed Boards of Directors and the active and committed members has made a profound difference. Those who serve on the Research Commission, editorial boards for Art Education and Studies in Art Education, and Professional Materials Committee; who serve as Chairs of Interest Groups and leaders of state associations; and who serve on task forces and special committees bring powerful arguments to policy arbiters and decisionmakers at every level.
Deborah B. Reeve, EdD, Executive Director NAEA, 901 Prince St., Alexandria, VA 22314. [email protected]
But imagine what we could do if we brought the full weight and voice of all art educators to our cause—furthering our mission: advancing visual arts education to fulfill human potential and promote global understanding.
Community can alter who we are, what changes we can influence, and the impact we have on one other and our learners.
That is why our NAEA Board of Directors has taken action to (1) appoint a Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion and (2) establish an Advocacy Working Group. Both will bring diversity of thought and perspective, as well as unanimity of commitment, to a community-wide movement toward greater diversity, inclusion, and advocacy. NAEA anchors my professional life—offering friendships, collaborations, research opportunities, and a center. —Read M. Diket, PhD, Professor of Education and Art, William Carey University
At Crystal Bridges, I heard members of the 2017 SAL class continually validate the value of the NAEA professional community—something I hear from members every day. You see, those who are active participants in our community are true believers in the power and vibrancy of our association. But the ripple effect needs to be so much more—and for that, we need more of you: to join the advocacy ranks… to encourage your peers to join the NAEA community… to find even more ways to get involved and to contribute to the continued growth and vibrancy of a community created by members, for members. You see, while membership is growing and is the highest in our history, we find ourselves facing an existential threat—to art education, to public education, to education in its purest and most universal form. We can’t underestimate the urgent need to articulate an ever-stronger voice by inviting all to add their voices to ours and join the movement to forcefully advocate for arts education. In this Year of Living Uncertainly, one thing is certain: we will continue to rise up and advocate for the right and the need for all learners to receive the full benefits of visual arts education. We will not back down. We will not step aside. We will not stand passively by, waiting for others to control the fate of visual arts education and our profession. We will be advocates in full roar for what we believe in and live for: advancing visual arts education to fulfill human potential and promote global understanding.
Vol. 59, No. 5, October/November 2017
NAEA NEWS
5
Downloaded by [68.111.253.225] at 14:54 24 October 2017
The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, begins to work its inspirational magic the moment you begin the walk along the path to the museum. The exquisite grounds… the breathtaking exhibitions… the Frank Lloyd Wright house that needs no adjective to elevate its stature and impact. Each July, Crystal Bridges hosts the 5-day intensive retreat that fully launches NAEA’s School for Art Leaders (SAL), a 7-month program that takes 25 NAEA members through an extraordinary journey of personal growth and empowerment. Each SAL class develops a tightly bonded community of art educators, leaders, and advocates who leave as active members of an exponentially expanding network of high-powered arts education leaders. They are the literal embodiment of the concept of “Stronger Together.” As we move deeper into our “Year of Living Uncertainly,” what I personally find most inspiring is how committed members throughout NAEA are to the spirit and promise of community. I find that my NAEA membership is vital to maintaining a vibrant… and dynamic connection. —James Rees, Art Educator, Provo High School, Provo, UT
How many years have I been singing the praises of community? How many columns have I written that waxed lyric and poignant with stories of how community can alter who we are, what changes we can influence, and the impact we have on one other and our learners? In many ways, we have transformed our association to expand community and make it more enabling and supportive of collaboration—across disciplines, across geographies, across age levels. Yet, I feel an urgent need to persuade, entreat, and recruit those art educators who have yet to experience the richness and vibrancy of a community created by members, for members. What has been accomplished through the efforts of successive visionary and committed Boards of Directors and the active and committed members has made a profound difference. Those who serve on the Research Commission, editorial boards for Art Education and Studies in Art Education, and Professional Materials Committee; who serve as Chairs of Interest Groups and leaders of state associations; and who serve on task forces and special committees bring powerful arguments to policy arbiters and decisionmakers at every level.
Deborah B. Reeve, EdD, Executive Director NAEA, 901 Prince St., Alexandria, VA 22314. [email protected]
But imagine what we could do if we brought the full weight and voice of all art educators to our cause—furthering our mission: advancing visual arts education to fulfill human potential and promote global understanding.
Community can alter who we are, what changes we can influence, and the impact we have on one other and our learners.
That is why our NAEA Board of Directors has taken action to (1) appoint a Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion and (2) establish an Advocacy Working Group. Both will bring diversity of thought and perspective, as well as unanimity of commitment, to a community-wide movement toward greater diversity, inclusion, and advocacy. NAEA anchors my professional life—offering friendships, collaborations, research opportunities, and a center. —Read M. Diket, PhD, Professor of Education and Art, William Carey University
At Crystal Bridges, I heard members of the 2017 SAL class continually validate the value of the NAEA professional community—something I hear from members every day. You see, those who are active participants in our community are true believers in the power and vibrancy of our association. But the ripple effect needs to be so much more—and for that, we need more of you: to join the advocacy ranks… to encourage your peers to join the NAEA community… to find even more ways to get involved and to contribute to the continued growth and vibrancy of a community created by members, for members. You see, while membership is growing and is the highest in our history, we find ourselves facing an existential threat—to art education, to public education, to education in its purest and most universal form. We can’t underestimate the urgent need to articulate an ever-stronger voice by inviting all to add their voices to ours and join the movement to forcefully advocate for arts education. In this Year of Living Uncertainly, one thing is certain: we will continue to rise up and advocate for the right and the need for all learners to receive the full benefits of visual arts education. We will not back down. We will not step aside. We will not stand passively by, waiting for others to control the fate of visual arts education and our profession. We will be advocates in full roar for what we believe in and live for: advancing visual arts education to fulfill human potential and promote global understanding.
Vol. 59, No. 5, October/November 2017
NAEA NEWS
5
