MAEA is so excited to announce another PD opportunity for the 2020-2021 academic school year on a topic that we think will benefit the practice of many of our members. MAEA will be facilitating discussions around a series of NAEA online webinars that focus on the theme of ‘Special Populations and Situations in Art Education”. Viewing the full series of selected NAEA webinars and participating in the follow up discussions via zoom will allow educators to earn 10 PDPs. This opportunity is free for MAEA members and participants must be active NAEA/MAEA members to access the webinars for free. If you aren’t currently a member, we encourage you to join or renew today so you can participate in this amazing opportunity.
Category: Board News
Virtual Makers Market – WAEA Conference Partnership
We shared last month how we were happy to share our partnership with the Wisconsin Art Education Association to provide you with a fall virtual conference opportunity. Part of this virtual conference opportunity includes participation in the Virtual Makers Market. Registration for the market closes September 25, 2020. Learn more about this opportunity here.
Supervisors Roundtable Discussion
We hope you will join our Supervisors Roundtable Discussion this coming Tuesday, August 25 to discuss potential topics related to the reopening of schools, curriculum topics, remote/hybrid teaching models, itinerant staff, limited supplies, and/or guiding arts teachers through the 2019 Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for the Arts.
The co-facilitators of this session are Patty Klibansky, Art, Theater, Dance Curriculum Director of the Lynn Public Schools and Alice Gentili, Art Department Chair of the Mendon-Upton Regional School District and visual arts/media arts educator at Miscoe Hill Middle School.
Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Time: 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Who: Directors/Supervisors of Visual Art Educators
Where: On Zoom
When you register please include your question(s) that will assist in guiding this online, group effort. You will receive a confirmation email that confirms your registration and includes the Zoom meeting details from facilitator Patty Klibansky via the email address no-reply@zoom.us. This will be sent to the email address you use to register. If you do not see that email, please check your spam folder.
If you have a topic you would like to discuss with other art educators, please contact info@massarted.com so MAEA can help support these conversations.
MAEA Guidelines for Visual Art Education in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
MAEA has released guidance for PreK-12 schools, administrators, and arts educators as they plan for the 2020-2021 school year, to ensure that we may continue to provide meaningful arts instruction for all students in Massachusetts. Click on the link to view the MAEA Guidelines for Visual Art Education in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic drafted by members of the Massachusetts Art Education Association.
The mission of MAEA is to advance high quality visual arts education for all students by empowering art educators to excel in the practice, instruction, promotion, and celebration of visual art.
WAEA Virtual Conference Partnership
MAEA is happy to share that we are partnering with the Wisconsin Art Education Association to provide you with a fall virtual conference opportunity. 20/20 Vision will be hosted online on October 24, 2020 with a mix of both live events and pre-recorded sessions. All live sessions will also be recorded and added to the library of sessions and you will have access to those sessions until December 31, 2020 so you will be able to view sessions at your own pace. Registration is not open yet. Learn more about this opportunity here.
MAEA Guidelines for Visual Art Education in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
MAEA has released guidance for PreK-12 schools, administrators, and arts educators as they plan for the 2020-2021 school year, to ensure that we may continue to provide meaningful arts instruction for all students in Massachusetts. Click on the link to view the MAEA Guidelines for Visual Art Education in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic drafted by members of the Massachusetts Art Education Association.
The mission of MAEA is to advance high quality visual arts education for all students by empowering art educators to excel in the practice, instruction, promotion, and celebration of visual art.
DESE Guidance on Arts Courses
Commissioner Riley shared DESE guidance for arts and physical education courses on July 24. We encourage arts educators to look over this guidance as they being to prepare for the fall. Please note, this guidance is being released in late July 2020 and may be revised as DESE continues to monitor COVID-19 trends and the latest medical research. On pages 3-4 you will find details regarding shared equipment and on page 7 you will find specific details related to the visual arts.
After you review these recently released guidelines, for those of you teaching in public schools, we also suggest you continue to connect with your education association (locally and at the state level) for continued updates regarding advocating for the safety of children, families AND educators.
Renewal Promo from NAEA & SchoolArts Magazine
Be two steps ahead for back-to-school with a FREE subscription to SchoolArts and a renewed NAEA membership! Act now to make sure you receive the SchoolArts back-to-school issue and the support provided to NAEA members as part of our vibrant professional community.
If you haven’t already taken advantage of this offer, don’t wait! Renew today and connect to thousands of visual arts educators worldwide and all that NAEA membership provides to enhance your career, inspire your creativity, and enrich the educational experience of your learners—in person and from a distance.
Hurry, this offer is only available if you renew online using
this special link or over the phone (make sure
to mention the SchoolArts offer) at 800-299-8321 before July 21, 2020!
MA Arts Guidelines – Drafted by the Massachusetts Arts Coalition
The Massachusetts Arts Coalition* shared the guidance document Arts Education in the Time of a Pandemic: COVID-19 Reopening Guidelines for Massachusetts PreK-12 Arts Programs with Governor Baker and Commissioner Riley on June 30, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, who shared a similar document specific to health, PE, recreation, and dance. This document is meant to serve as guidance for PreK-12 schools, administrators, and arts educators as they plan for the 2020-2021 school year, to ensure that arts educators can continue to provide meaningful arts instruction for all students in Massachusetts. Drafted by the *Massachusetts Arts Coalition: Arts|Learning, Boston Area Kodály Educators, Massachusetts Art Education Association, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, MASSCreative, Massachusetts Dance Education Organization, Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild, Massachusetts Instrumental & Choral Conductors Association, Massachusetts Music Educators Association, and The New England Chapter of American Orff Schulwerk Association.
The Massachusetts Arts Coalition will share discipline specific guidance soon.
Message from the MAEA Board of Directors
On Tuesday, MAEA stood in solidarity with those protesting police brutality and the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and every other black life lost. We paused our advocacy for arts education and helped to amplify those whose voices are silenced by white supremacy.
We also reflected on our own work relating to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Following the direction of NAEA, the MAEA Board of Directors began this work last summer, but we have been working too slowly. The MAEA Board of Directors recognizes that we need to do better. In order to best serve the students and art educators of Massachusetts, we must do better.
In the coming days, MAEA will be updating our website to include resources related to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The MAEA Board of Directors are also in the process of hiring a consultant to help us with the work of making our organization inclusive. In the future we will do trainings around antiracist practices. We will be seeking educators to join us in this work and recognize this work requires labor, consistency and accountability.
I invite you to visit our social media accounts for the work we amplified on Tuesday and most importantly, I invite you to view the tribute in honor of George Floyd and every other black life lost on the Black Lives Matter website.
In Solidarity,
Melissa Mastrolia
MAEA President
On Behalf of the MAEA Board of Directors
Definitions of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Developed & Approved by NAEA Board
Equity: Refers to conditions that support fairness and justness based on individual needs and circumstances whereas all members have opportunities to thrive and realize their best within the NAEA community (adopted December 2017).
Diversity: The term ‘diversity’ describes both observable and non-observable individual differences (life experiences, work context, learning and working styles, personality types among others) and group/social differences (race, gender identity and expression, age, social class, country of origin, ability, beliefs, intellectual and cultural perspectives, among others) that can contribute to organizational vibrancy and a dynamic professional community.
Inclusion: The term ‘inclusion’ describes proactive, intentional, and thoughtful engagement with diversity to the extent that all have the ability to contribute fully and effectively throughout the NAEA community.