2021 MAEA Keynote Announcement – Cindy Meyers Foley

We are so happy to announce that Cindy Meyers Foley is our Sunday keynote for the virtual MAEA Conference happening this November. MAEA members can register today at the early bird rate! We do also offer non-member and student/retired rates. Learn more and register by visiting our conference registration page.

Cindy Meyers Foley is the Executive Deputy Director for Learning and Experience at the Columbus Museum of Art. She envisioned and led the charge to open the 18,000 sq. ft. Center for Creativity in 2011. In 2013, the museum received the National Medal for Museums in recognition of this work. Foley co-authored a chapter for The Manual for Museum Learning, 2015 as well as guest edited and wrote chapters for Intentionality and the Twenty-First-Century Museum, for the 2014 Journal of Museum Education. Foley has been on the faculty of the Harvard Project Zero Classroom Summer Institute and regularly keynotes a variety of Museum, Art, and Education Conferences. In November 2014, she was a TEDX Columbus Speaker presenting Teaching Art or Teaching to Think like an Artist and in 2016, she was asked to again take the TEDX Stage to present The Benefits of Boredom. Foley received the 2018 Ohio Distinguished Educator for Art Education award.

October 11, 2021 Melissa Mastrolia 0

2021 MAEA Keynote Announcement – Chanel Thervil

We are so happy to announce that Chanel Thervil is our Saturday keynote for the virtual MAEA Conference happening this November. MAEA members can register today at the early bird rate! We do also offer non-member and student/retired rates. Learn more and register by visiting our conference registration page.

Chanel Thervil is a Haitian American artist and educator that uses varying combinations of abstraction and portraiture to convene communal dialogue around culture, social issues, and existential questions. At the core of her practice lies a desire to empower and inspire tenderness and healing among communities of color through the arts. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Pace University and a Master’s Degree in Art Education from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She’s been making a splash in Boston via her educational collaborations, public art, and residencies with institutions like The Museum of Fine Arts, The Boston Children’s Museum, The DeCordova Museum, The Harvard Ed Portal, and Google. Her work has been featured by PBS Kids, The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, The Bay State Banner, WBUR’s ARTery, WGBH, and Hyperallergic. Find out more by visiting her website www.chanelthervil.com

October 9, 2021 Melissa Mastrolia 0

Congratulations Alexandra Gelles Etscovitz

The Arts|Learning Distinguished Arts Educator Advocate Award recognizes arts educators in music, dance, theater, and the visual arts who demonstrate leadership and excellence in teaching and the development of model arts programs and partnerships. These outstanding educators use the arts and cultural resources to support opportunities for multicultural learning and interdisciplinary planning, and to further the role of the arts in education.

LYNN S. FELDMAN DISTINGUISHED VISUAL ART EDUCATOR ADVOCATE

The Feldman Award is being given to two educators this year. The second art educator we are celebrating is Alexandra Gelles Etscovitz.

Alexandra loves being an art teacher. Alexandra has been teaching visual art for 18 years at Memorial Spaulding Elementary School in Newton, Massachusetts. Her passion for allowing children to express themselves, interpret, reflect and understand the world around them through creative expression has driven her to both teach art and act as an arts integration champion for all content areas and best practices. Alexandra instructs visual art in Needham with her after-school business
Art4YourChild, along with being an adjunct professor at her alma mater Brandeis University, teaching creativity in the masters of education program for classroom teachers. Alexandra was named the Massachusetts Elementary Art Educator of Year in 2019.
Alexandra appreciates teaching children during such a formative time in life, where possibilities are endless. Her goal is to infuse art and creativity in every area of learning and growth. Her experience with children has led her to a strong core philosophy that the world needs creativity as a means to understand the ever-changing world around us. The studio habits of the arts allow children to grow into thinkers, creators and changemakers that the world needs. With this knowledge, Alexandra hopes to cultivate a love for the arts with all students for a deeper connection to themselves, their community and the world.
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 2, 2021 Melissa Mastrolia 0

Congratulations to Diana Adams Woodruff

The Arts|Learning Distinguished Arts Educator Advocate Award recognizes arts educators in music, dance, theater, and the visual arts who demonstrate leadership and excellence in teaching and the development of model arts programs and partnerships. These outstanding educators use the arts and cultural resources to support opportunities for multicultural learning and interdisciplinary planning, and to further the role of the arts in education.

LYNN S. FELDMAN DISTINGUISHED VISUAL ART EDUCATOR ADVOCATE

The Feldman Award is being given to two educators this year. The first we are celebrating is Diana Adams Woodruff.

Diana was the K-12 Visual Arts Director for the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District for 22 years. She is presently a Program Supervisor for Teacher Candidates at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

Diana was a member of the NAEA Visual Arts Standards Committee that developed the Model Cornerstone Assessments and was a reviewer for the recently revised Massachusetts Visual Arts Standards. She serves on the board of the Massachusetts Art Education Association, presently as Chair of the Recognitions Committee, developing and piloting that juried exhibit for high school students. Diana also serves on the Art All-State Steering Committee and served on the Massachusetts Scholastics Advisory Board.

Diana was a member of the NAEA Research Delegations to India, Myanmar, Finland, Cuba, and Poland. Her artwork has been included in faculty shows at the Worcester Art Museum, exhibits of work by Massachusetts Art Educators at the State Transportation Building in Boston, as well as the Davis Gallery in Worcester, the NAEA Members’ Annual Exhibit in Virginia, the Greek Institute, Cambridge, and Island Center for the Arts, Skopelos, Greece.

Diana won several NASA Teacher Grants to work with other educators to make connections among science and math as well as the arts. A painting with a space fight theme, gifted to Diana by a student in Moscow, was included in the artifacts flown on Atlantis STS-71, the first docking mission with the Russian space station Mir.

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 1, 2021 Melissa Mastrolia 0

NAEA September Member Portrait

The MAEA Board of Directors is excited to share that our very own Margaurita Spear is the September NAEA Member Portrait. Margaurita currently serves on the board in the role of Professional Development Committee Chair and Early Childhood Representative. Margaurita is also a visual arts educator in Beverly, Massachusetts. 

Why NAEA matters to Margaurita: As a member of NAEA, I benefit from automatic membership in my state organization. Through my state organization, I have amassed a supportive network of fellow teachers, my individual experience is valued, and I am provided with numerous opportunities for professional growth and involvement in that organization.

Margaurita’s tip for art education success: A growth mindset is vital for longevity as a visual arts educator. I believe education is a journey for both students and teachers. We must always be willing to learn, expand our perspectives, and consider new methodologies and ideas. I am always learning; my teaching has evolved because of that.

We’d love to see more MAEA members featured. If you are interested in being featured, take a few minutes to share your photo and insights with NAEA.

If you end up being selected as the NAEA Member Portrait, please let us know so we can be sure to share the good news!

September 21, 2021 Melissa Mastrolia 0

October Watch Party Discussion

The October Watch Party Discussion theme is PD = Personal Development: Reflecting on Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion. Don’t miss this great opportunity to connect with colleagues across the state for an engaging discussion. The session will be facilitated by MAEA ED&I Director-Elect Emily Moran and MAEA Secretary Jaimee Taborda.  Find more info & register!

The MAEA Watch Party Discussion Series are ten companion discussions to the monthly NAEA webinars, facilitated by MAEA leaders, members, and selected guests who bring their unique experiences to each month’s topic. Watching the NAEA webinars is not a prerequisite, however doing so will enhance attendees’ general knowledge of the topic. For the 2021 – 2022 Watch Party series, MAEA facilitators will engage participants in open conversation, share helpful resources, and promote a supportive space for all to join in. These discussions will relate back to the theme of the NAEA webinars, but will include stand alone content so that they are not exactly the same.

The companion NAEA webinar is October 6.

September 20, 2021 Melissa Mastrolia 0

Congratulations to Laura Marotta

“For the last 27 years, recipients of the Erskine award have proven, time and time again, just what women leaders are capable of,” stated Executive Director, Deborah Hall. “They’ve blazed trails, shattered glass ceilings, and laid the foundation for future generations of women and people of color to succeed.”

Laura is currently Executive Director and oversees all programming for Creative Hub Worcester, a non-profit focused on using art as a vehicle for healing and social change. Ms. Marotta was an art educator in several different school systems for over seven years. She previously worked at both Diamond Newman Fine Arts as well as Newbury Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts as a fine arts sales consultant. She is currently the Past-President of the Massachusetts Art Education Association, and is a practicing artist working mainly in watercolor and pen and ink. Currently Ms. Marotta oversees all programming for Creative Hub, including childcare, youth arts classes, adult workshops, gallery exhibitions, events, and more. She currently serves on the board for Love Your Labels, an LGBTQ+ youth focused advocacy organization.

Image credits: YWCA Central Massachusetts and Laura Marotta.

September 19, 2021 Melissa Mastrolia 0

Student and Funding Opportunities

You will find many new opportunities highlighted on the MAEA website for both students and teachers. Be sure to visit the opportunities tab for funding opportunities, job listings, student contests, and summer programs for students and teachers.

There are a variety of funding opportunities listed, including the Schacht Tools for School (deadline March 1); Bow Seat Educator Innovation Awards (deadline July 1); and the Mary Lou Anderson Reflections Arts Enhancement Grants (deadline September 21). See all funding opportunities here.

There are new student opportunities, including virtual classes for students in grades 7-12 through MassArt Youth Programs and a variety of art competitions. See all student opportunities here.

If you have an opportunity to share, please email webmaster@massarted.com.

September 8, 2021 Melissa Mastrolia 0