Category: Awards

Awards Update – Rising Star Secondary Student Award

MAEA is proud to announce we’ve revised our requirements for the Rising Star Secondary Student award to cast a broader net and celebrate high school juniors and seniors pursuing higher education in a visual art field. The MAEA Board has also just voted to award the winning Rising Star award winner $500.

Nomination Forms must be submitted by June 1, 2026 and supplemental materials from nominees must be submitted by July 12, 2026 . All nominees will be notified in the fall, and the official awards ceremony will be held in October 2026.

Check out the nomination requirements here for this and all of the other MAEA awards. 

April 23, 2026 Melissa Mastrolia 0

Attend the MAEA Awards Ceremony – Sep 19 at Phillips Academy, Andover

Congratulations to the 2025 MAEA Art Educators of the Year! The MAEA Board of Directors are looking forward to honoring and celebrating the 2025 MAEA Art Educators of the Year at our awards ceremony on September 19, 2025 at 6:00 pm at Phillips Academy, Andover, MA. If you plan to attend, please RSVP here. 

Please visit the award page for more information about each award winner. 

MAEA Lifetime Achievement Award – Helen Downey, Marlborough Public Schools
Massachusetts Art Educator of the Year – Jane Fay Baker, Falmouth Public Schools
Elementary Art Educator of the Year – Lauren Gould Donahue, Acton-Boxborough Regional Schools
Secondary Art Educator of the Year – Mosie (Maureen) Senn-McNally, South Hadley High School
Museum Art Educator of the Year – Dyango Chavez-Cutino, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Supervision/Administration Art Educator of the Year – Allison Wolf Prado, Framingham Public Schools
Community Art Educator of the Year – Beth Bailey, Creative Pathways
Independent Schools Art Educator of the Year – Ian Torney, Milton Academy
Distinguished Service Within the Profession – Marcia Nadeau, Pentucket Regional School District
Distinguished Service Outside the Profession – Sophia Moon, Essem Art Studio
August 17, 2025 Melissa Mastrolia 0
2019 Art Educators of the Year

Join the Awards Committee!

Our interim Awards Committee Chair, Melissa Mastrolia is looking to meet later this month and in November to discuss plans for the 2024 MAEA awards ceremony.

If you are interested in joining this committee, please complete this Doodle Poll to note your availability by October 12, 2023.  You an also email her directly at awards@massarted.com with any questions or comments.

Details about the 2024 award winners will be shared out very soon! Our apologies for the delay.

Looking for other ways to support the work of MAEA. Learn more here.

October 3, 2023 Melissa Mastrolia 0

Call for Art – 2022 MAEA Awards

The MAEA Awards Committee is currently accepting art submissions from artists for the 2023 MAEA awards. These will be awarded to our 2023 MAEA award winners this fall. The selected image will be printed on glass via Fracture for the awards ceremony. The deadline for submission has been extended through October 1, 2022. Learn more here.

July 27, 2022 Melissa Mastrolia 0

Arts Learning 34th Annual Champions of Arts Education Advocacy Awards

The 34th Annual Arts Learning Champions of Arts Education Advocacy Awards are a little more than 3 weeks away. This year’s event will be live AND Live-streamed!

Arts educators and advocates being celebrated are Diana Adams Woodruff, Senator Harriette L. Chandler, Lisa Donovan, Representative Carole Fiola, Alexandra Gelles Etscovitz, Julie Jaron, and Emily Ruddock.

Champions of Arts Education Advocacy Awards Ceremony will take place November 17 at Old Sturbridge Village Visitors Center Theatre.

REGISTER HERE to attend LIVE
REGISTER HERE to attend VIRTUALLY

Proof of vaccinations required.
Masks must be worn indoors.

6:30 p.m. – Reception for guests and honorees
7:30 p.m. – Ceremony

For 34 years we have recognized arts educators, administrators and policy makers who advocate for and support arts education in our Commonwealth.

October 25, 2021 Melissa Mastrolia 0

Congratulations Emily Ruddock

THE GOOD NEIGHBOR AWARD
The Arts|Learning Good Neighbor Award is awarded to organizations or individuals who have gone out of their way to offer logistical, technical, moral, or financial support for arts education to thrive in their community.

As Executive director of MASSCreative, Emily Ruddock brings 15 years of experience in strategic and management positions for non-profit arts organizations. Before joining MASSCreative in 2017, Ms. Ruddock was the first director of the City of Lynn’s Downtown Cultural District, and the artistic producer at Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT)
As director of Lynn’s Downtown Cultural District, Ms. Ruddock was highly regarded by city officials and local arts leaders for her leadership in coordinating arts and cultural organizations for neighborhood revitalization and economic development. Ms.Ruddock worked with elected city and state officials on a range of projects to promote downtown Lynn and the arts community, including drafting legislation establishing the city’s first Public Art Commission. She also organized and executed free public events featuring local arts and community groups.
Ms. Ruddock is a proud member of the Mass Nonprofit Network’s Board of Directors. She is a potter who loves making original ceramic art and functional ware for her home, her family and her friends. She holds a Masters in Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Critical Social Thought from Mount Holyoke College.
We honor Emily Ruddock for her work advocating for a “Commonwealth of Massachusetts where arts, culture, and creativity are an expected, well-funded and valued part of everyday life, recognized for their significant impact on building civic engagement and economically vibrant, equitable communities.”
SAVE THE DATE!

The 34th Annual Champions of Arts Education Advocacy Awards Celebration will be held on November 17th at Old Sturbridge Village, 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge, MA 01566

This year’s event will be live AND livestreamed! Stay tuned for more information about this event.

October 20, 2021 Melissa Mastrolia 0

Congratulations Julie Jaron

KATHY TOSOLINI EXCELLENCE IN SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION
The Arts|Learning  Excellence in School Administration award honors a school administrator for exemplary support for, and commitment to high-quality arts education programs, leadership in promoting arts education and building community support. The recipient is an active advocate for the arts and shows outstanding leadership and rapport with students, teachers, parents, and the community.

Julie Jaron is the Director of Visual and Performing Arts for the Springfield Public Schools. For over thirty-five years Ms. Jaron has dedicated herself to a full spectrum of music and arts programming that supports and promotes the academic achievements of students Pre-K – 12.
Ms. Jaron provides professional support to arts teachers, advocates for and manages budgets and resources for arts programming, serves as an arts-focused liaison between the school district, the Springfield community and beyond, fosters the design and implementation of high-quality curricula benefiting students’ arts education, and facilitates professional development that enhances or develops arts instruction, curricula and assessment.
One of the greatest successes during Ms. Jaron’s tenure as Director of Visual & Performing Arts has been the institution of visual art and music programs at all Springfield Public Schools, K-12. With this resounding achievement, SPS arts curricula continues to evolve so that all students can artistically express who they are, where they come from, and what’s important to them in a supportive academic environment.
At the core of all Julie Jaron’s work is the desire to inspire and create equitable arts education opportunities, provide culturally responsive, relevant, and meaningful arts experiences, and to empower all educators to instill in children the love of learning both in and through the arts.
SAVE THE DATE!

The 34th Annual Champions of Arts Education Advocacy Awards Celebration will be held on November 17th at Old Sturbridge Village, 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge, MA 01566

This year’s event will be live AND livestreamed! Stay tuned for more information about this event.

October 14, 2021 Melissa Mastrolia 0