Celebrating the Drawing Act – Updated Exhibit Information

150 years ago, on May 16, 1870, Massachusetts passed An Act relating to free instruction in drawing , which has become known as the Drawing Act of 1870 . This was the first law in the nation requiring drawing to be taught in public schools and communities, passed by our own Massachusetts legislature!

Drawing at School: 1870-2020 – Exhibit Dates to be Determined

MAEA would like to celebrate the progress art education has made over those 150 years.

Please note we have had to make adjustments to this exhibit. It was previously planned to be installed during April vacation. We are hoping to run the exhibit during the summer, but with most schools not currently in session, the exact dates of this exhibit are to be determined. We will update the details for this exhibit as soon as we have more information.

When details are finalized for this exhibit we invite all teachers to submit up to 6 student drawings and 1 personal drawing for the show. All students are welcome from early childhood through college.

Questions? Email exhibitions@massarted.com

Drawing Act 150 – A Great Opportunity for Remote Learning

Help celebrate the 150th year of the Drawing Act by asking your students, their families, and your colleagues, friends and family to create a small drawing of something seen every day.

The Drawing Act Coalition* invites everyone to contribute original drawings to celebrate this anniversary.  Drawings could be a tree outside your window, your keys, a parking meter, or a family member’s face. One of the possible public displays includes a community art installation at the Massachusetts State House this May.  See the attached flyer for all the details!

Who can participate in Drawing Act 150?

Everyone! We welcome submissions from anyone across Massachusetts. Please note, The Drawing Act Coalition is requesting that submissions be sent in digitally (photograph of the work or digital drawing) instead of mailed in.

Deadline and More Information

The submission deadline for drawings is currently April 29. See the attached flyer for more information.

Questions? Email DrawingAct@MassArt.edu

Upcoming Exhibit Opportunities for Art Educators

MAEA is excited to share that there are a number of exhibit opportunities for art educators across the state. The Davis Art Gallery in Worcester and Montserrat Galleries in Beverly have recently put out a call for entry. Please check the exhibit opportunities page on the MAEA website for all the  details.

If you know of an exhibit opportunity for art educators please share this opportunity with webmaster@massarted.com to post.

Youth Art Month Regional Exhibit Cancellations

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak there have been a number of closings and cancellations. Please check in with institutions directly before visiting for updated information.

Youth Art Month 2020: Central MA Regional Exhibition

The exhibit has been extended until April 13. If you need to get student work back sooner, please contact Amanda Bastien, Youth Art Month Committee Chair for the Central MA Regional Exhibition
The Family reception scheduled for March 22 has been cancelled. Please visit the Worcester Art Museum website for updated information.
View the Youth Art Month exhibit virtually here.

Cape Cod – Cape Code Museum of Art – Through Young Eyes

The reception scheduled for March 19 has been cancelled. 

Cape Cod – Cape Cod Art Center – Beginnings
The high school exhibit scheduled for March 16-20 and the reception scheduled for March 20 have been cancelled. 

New Issue Out Now – The MAEA News

Check out the most recent edition of the MAEA News, out now! The conference edition of the MAEA News includes the President’s Message from Melissa Mastrolia, as well as articles and updates from Editor Jane McKeag, Peter Dunn, Kate Egnaczak, Kay Furst, Jacob Ginga, Lydia Gruner, Heidi Hurley, Patty Klibansky, John Nordell, Christine O’Donnell, Amy Sallen, Maureen Senn McNally, Margaurita Spear, and Laura Evonne Steinman. Check it out today.

Resources for Remote Learning

With many art educators across the state planning for distance learning or online learning for at least the next three weeks, through April 6, the MAEA Board of Directors wanted to share a collection of resources we’ve put together ourselves or have seen shared online.

Each school and/or district are approaching this differently, so please check with your appropriate administrator before implementing any of these resources.

If you have additional items to add to this resource list, please feel free to email webmaster@massarted.com with additional materials.

Governor Announces Emergency Actions to Address COVID-19

March 15, the Baker-Polito Administration announced a three-week suspension of school operations for educational purposes at all public and private elementary and secondary (K-12) schools in the Commonwealth beginning Tuesday, March 17, and a series of new guidance and legislation in response to COVID-19.

“Our administration is taking these rapid steps to protect the health and safety of our residents to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We know that a lot of the measures we are putting into place, including mandatory school closures and prohibiting gatherings of 25 people or more, will cause disruption in people’s day to day lives. With the steps we are taking today, we can ensure residents can still access key state services while taking necessary precautions to limit the spread of COVID-19.”

“The legislation our administration is filing will help ease burdens on cities and towns regarding municipal governance as they work to keep their residents safe,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “We look forward to working with the Legislature to swiftly enact these bills to help provide our cities and towns with relief.”

The bills and guidance that Governor Baker outlined today include the following:

Schools in the Commonwealth

Elementary and Secondary Schools: suspend educational operations from March 17 until April 6. Full order available here.

Given the evolving data regarding cases of COVID-19 and out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of children and school staff, the Governor is ordering a 3-week suspension of school operations for educational purposes at all public and private elementary and secondary (K-12) schools in the Commonwealth (not including residential and day schools for special needs students), beginning Tuesday, March 17 and continuing until Monday, April 6. The suspension of educational programming would not necessarily affect the availability of school buildings for the provision of food or other essential non-educational services. As April 6 approaches, the administration will provide additional guidance.

During this period it is critical that students and their families, as well as school staff, stay home as much as possible. If an individual needs to leave home, it is essential to strictly follow social distancing guidelines by avoiding crowds, canceling social gatherings, and maintaining a safe separation of at least 6 feet from others. Restricting access to school buildings will have little impact on public health if these best practices are not followed in good faith.

Although schools must suspend in-person educational operations, staff should be planning for how best to equitably provide alternative access to student learning opportunities during this period and potentially beyond. Equally important, school personnel should develop plans for ensuring to the greatest extent possible that families have access to essential non-academic services for their children – especially involving special education and food services for students who are most vulnerable.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will work in partnership with schools and districts to develop strategies and resources to sustain learning and vital services throughout this closure period. Already, DESE has received a partial waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture providing greater flexibility regarding food service in certain districts with higher concentrations of low-income students and is actively pursuing additional waivers for the remaining schools and districts.

Early Education and Care:  follow EEC/DPH guidance regarding closure based on actual cases

The suspension of educational operations at K-12 schools will inevitably affect the provision of pre-school and childcare services. Although we are not ordering the closure of childcare programs at this time, we are strongly urging childcare providers to strictly observe guidelines that are being issued by the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) and the Department of Public Health (DPH), which call for temporary closures based on actual direct or indirect exposures to individuals with COVID-19.

At the same time, EEC will prioritize the maintenance and expansion of childcare capacity serving front-line healthcare workers and first-responders across the state.

Higher Education: continue to move towards remote learning

With regard to higher education, the Department of Higher Education and DPH strongly recommend that colleges and universities, both public and private, continue to pursue strategies to reduce the need for students to be on campus, including suspending in-person classes and implementing institution-wide programs to shift to remote learning, technology enabled solutions, and other tools to allow students to successfully complete course and degree requirements. Institutions should also pursue strategies to reduce the need for faculty and staff to be on campus by maximizing remote work opportunities, while maintaining essential on-campus services, especially for residential students who cannot safely return home.  Additional guidance will be forthcoming.

The Administration will continue to update the public on further developments and individuals are encouraged to consult both the Department of Public Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websites for the most up to date information.

The latest information and guidance regarding COVID-19 is always available at mass.gov/COVID19.

DESE COVID-19 Information & Resources

As many schools are choosing to close for the next week or longer, we want to share more information from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has shared more information about the 180 School Day Requirement.

Message from DESE – Read full message here.

In light of concerns about possible school closings for public health reasons, I have updated DESE’s guidance about the requirement for 180 days of school to provide relief to districts. (Note: The Department will continue to revisit this guidance if the situation warrants it.):

  1. All days lost to health, weather, or safety emergencies between the first day of the school year and March 15 must be made up by rescheduling full school days to ensure a 180-day school year.
  2. All days lost to health, weather, or safety emergencies between March 16 and June 1 must be made up to ensure a 180-day school year or until the district has reached its previously-scheduled 185th day, whichever comes first. If all five snow days have been used prior to this point, the district is not required to scheduled additional school days.
  3. Districts will not be expected to make up any days lost to health, weather, or safety emergencies that occur after June 1.

This change means that if you have already canceled school for five days before March 15, you do not need to schedule additional make-up days for any days that school is closed after March 15. The longest that any school district will be required to go is its scheduled 185th day. No schools will be required to be in session after June 30. This policy applies to the current (2019-20) school year only. Anyone who feels that they have special circumstances should contact Associate Commissioner Helene Bettencourt at Helene.H.Bettencourt@mass.gov  or 781-338-3120.

 

Institute on Leadership in Arts Integration Mar 13-14 – POSTPONED 

Message from Arts|Learning and Lesley University –
In an abundance of caution (there is a phrase we are getting used to hearing) and having consulted with our partners, we have decided to POSTPONE  the Institute on Leadership in Arts Integration. Our hope is to reschedule later this spring. Once new dates have been set, we will let you know and hope that you can attend at that time.
Any registration fees will be refunded in the next few days.
While we are disappointed that we had to make this decision, everyone’s health and safety are more important.
Questions? Contact – madams@lesley.edu
Looking forward to seeing you later in the spring,
Nancy Moses
Arts|Learning

Upcoming Exhibit Opportunities – Celebrating the Drawing Act

MAEA is happy to partner with the Massachusetts Cultural Council, MassCreative, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Massachusetts Legislature to bring you two exhibit opportunities to celebrate the 150 anniversary of the Drawing Act of 1870.

150 years ago, on May 16, 1870, Massachusetts passed An Act relating to free instruction in drawing, which has become known as the Drawing Act of 1870. This was the first law in the nation requiring drawing to be taught in public schools and communities, passed by our own Massachusetts legislature!

There are two exhibit opportunities to celebrate the 150 Anniversary of the Drawing Act – see below for all the details! 

Drawing at School: 1870-2020 – Exhibit at the Second Floor Atrium Gallery at the State Transportation Building, Boston. Sponsored by MAEA. Deadline to register April 10, 2020. Learn more.

Drawing Act 150 – Exhibit at the Massachusetts State House sponsored by the Drawing Act Coalition. Drawings must be received by 5pm on April 29,
2020. Learn more.