An Important Message from MAEA Advocacy Liaison, Alice Gentili

Hello friends and colleagues! 

I’m reaching out to you today to introduce you to a new national campaign in support of arts education for all students. The Arts Are Education campaign addresses three timely concerns during the current season of budget creation in a most unusual time when Massachusetts schools are facing:

– Budget shortfalls due to state and local budget deficits caused by the pandemic recession.

– A focus on remediation for pandemic learning loss, potentially leading to limited access to arts education for students who are behind. 

– A continued need for personal protective and sanitization equipment unique to the visual art classroom to mitigate viral spread.

Here‘s what you can do today:

March 3, 2021 Melissa Mastrolia 0

MAEA News – Spring 2021 Edition Out Now!

The spring 2021 edition of the MAEA News is out now. In this issue you’ll find the President’s Message from Melissa Mastrolia, as well as articles and updates from Editor Jane McKeag, Elizabeth Buck, Ralph Caouette, Billy Claire, Lydia Gruner, Doug Johnson, John Nordell, Margaurita Spear, and Cathy Weisman Topal. Check it out today.

A huge thanks to everyone who submitted articles/updates to this edition of the MAEA News.

Articles and submissions for the next edition of the MAEA News are due June 25, 2021. Learn more about submitting an article.

February 28, 2021 Melissa Mastrolia 0

Seeking Volunteers for Research Study

MAEA Supervision/Administration Division Director Patty Klibansky is seeking volunteers to take part in a research study focused on the lived experiences of elementary, itinerant art teachers, in the Boston, Massachusetts area. Please see below for more information about the study. If you wish to participate, please contact Patty at Klibansky.P@northeastern.edu to set a date and time (conducted online) that works for you for this interview.

This study is part of my Doctor of Education program at Northeastern University and is being conducted with oversight of Northeastern University’s Institutional Review Board. Though I am an Arts Curriculum Director, locally, this is my student research.

The purpose of this qualitative narrative study is to collect the thoughts of itinerant art teachers to learn about their perceptions of connectedness and professional learning. Your feedback will allow me to identify ways in which we can maximize communications and build social capital in the field of art education through a framework of communities of practice.

I am seeking Massachusetts licensed (preferable), elementary art educators working as an itinerant art teacher in any of the PreK-5 grade levels in the last 3 years. Itinerant is defined as traveling during the school day, in the situation as an art on a cart teacher and/or teaching across school buildings and/or classrooms. If you volunteer to take part of this study, you will be asked to participate in an online, interview with me. For safety reasons, in-person interviews are not permitted at this time. The interview will be one hour long (maximum of 90 minutes total). I will ask questions about your experiences and feelings about connectedness and professional learning through a framework of communities of practice. Participation is entirely voluntary.

February 26, 2021 Melissa Mastrolia 0

Join the Board – Open Positions – Join a Committee

We are looking to fill the positions of National Art Honor Society Representative, Retired Representative, Preservice Division Director, Awards Committee Chair, Exhibitions Committee Chair, and Webmaster.
The MAEA Board of Directors holds monthly meetings online via Zoom which make it accessible for members across the state. Interested candidates should submit their resume or CV/letter of intent to secretary@massarted.com. Learn more here.
Interested in becoming more involved, but aren’t ready to take the plunge into an official board position? Consider joining one of our active committees like awards, conference, youth art month, public relations, student recognitions, exhibitions, or professional development. Committees typically meet monthly via Zoom.
February 20, 2021 Melissa Mastrolia 0

Welcome and Thank You!

The MAEA Board of Directors is excited to welcome our new board members and a number of returning board members. Thank you to everyone for your commitment to MAEA. View the entire Board of Directors .

Newly Re-elected Board Members
Helen Downey – Treasurer
Jaimee Taborda – Secretary

Newly Appointed Board Members
Jessica Howard – Youth Art Month Committee Co-Chair
Sohee Koo – Higher Education Division Director
Sarah Tomkins – Middle Level Division Director

Continuing Board Members
Melissa Mastrolia – President
Jacob Ginga – President-Elect
Laura Marotta – Past President
Billy Claire – Independent Schools Representative
Lydia Gruner – Special Needs Representative
Margaurita Spear – Early Childhood Representative & PD Committee Chair
Laura Evonne Steinman – Community Arts Representative
Alyssa Taranto – Media Arts Representative
Elizabeth Buck – Museum Education Division Director
Patty Klibansky – Supervision/Administration Division Director
Rebecca Kostich – Secondary Division Director
Katie McEwan – Elementary Division Director
Shannon Carey – Conference Committee Chair
Eleena Rioux – Youth Art Month Committee Co-Chair
Diana Adams Woodruff – Student Recognitions Committee Chair
Alice Gentili – Advocacy Liaison
Jane McKeag – Publications Editor

Special thanks to Kay Furst, who recently stepped down from her role as Higher Education Division Director. We wish her well and know she will continue to support the mission of MAEA!

February 19, 2021 Melissa Mastrolia 0

Through Young Eyes – CCIAEA and Cape Cod Museum of Art YAM Exhibit

The Cape Cod Museum of Art and the Cape Cod & Islands Art Educators Association (CCIAEA) is presenting Through Young Eyes from February 11 – April 18. This annual exhibition features the work of Cape Cod students in grades K-12. The artwork of 50 students has been curated into this exhibition by art teachers from across the region. 10 teachers also have their work on display. Mediums include sculpture, painting, printmaking, collage, jewelry making, metal working, drawing, ceramics & multi-media art.

This exhibition raises awareness of Youth Art Month, organized by the Massachusetts Art Education Association, celebrating the value of art education and art participation for all children in Massachusetts during the month of March each year.

More information about the exhibit can be found on the Regional YAM Exhibit page. 

Featured image credit: Nevaeha Melton, “My Thoughts on 2020”, Falmouth High School 

February 16, 2021 Melissa Mastrolia 0

WAM’s Teen Council – Opportunity for individuals aged 13-18

The Worcester Art Museum is happy to announce a new opportunity for teens at WAM! WAM is seeking individuals aged 13-18 who are passionate about arts and culture for our newly formed Teen Council.

WAM’s Teen Council will be comprised of individuals with a wide variety of skills, interests, experiences, and backgrounds; a shared passion for the arts; and a dedication to community building.  This council will be a unique opportunity for up to twelve teens to help shape the Museum’s programming and offerings! Members of the council will be expected to attend a monthly meeting (in-person or remote), and be involved in at least one teen program at the Museum. Council Members are expected to serve a term of at least one year, with the Teen Council Year beginning in July and ending in June.

For more information, please contact Elizabeth Buck (elizabethbuck@worcesterart.org) or Aileen Novick (aileennovick@worcesterart.org) or via teens@worcesterart.org

February 8, 2021 Melissa Mastrolia 0

Youth Art Month: Statewide Virtual Exhibit Registration Now Open

March is Youth Art Month. There are many ways to participate in Youth Art Month 2021.

One way to join in on the Youth Art Month fun is by participating in the Statewide Youth Art Month Virtual exhibit! Join teachers from across the state as they celebrate the amazing work of their students.

All participating teachers for the Statewide Youth Art Month exhibit must register. Registration for the Statewide Youth Art Month Exhibit is free for MAEA members | Non-members pay $7.  Registration closes January 29, 2021.

Find more information and register for the Statewide Youth Art Month exhibit here.

December 31, 2020 Melissa Mastrolia 0

DESE Share-a-thon – Jan 26 – Focus on Discourse Strategies in All Content Areas 

This is an opportunity for teachers of all grade levels and subject areas to learn and share strategies, resources, and best practices for remote/hybrid instruction and learning with a particular focus on discourse strategies to help facilitate students engaging deeply with each other around content.

We will have the chance to experience discourse from a student perspective in the classrooms of two featured teachers from different content areas.  We will also have a chance to join with content-alike colleagues for a broader discussion of discourse strategies within our discipline.

We encourage you to come ready to share your resources and ideas for engaging students with discourse strategies!

January 26, 2021 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Register Here

Questions? Contact: Jenn Sauriol – Jennifer.L.Sauriol@mass.gov

3:00-4:00 Share-a-Thon: We will have the chance to experience discourse from a student perspective in the classrooms of two featured teachers from different content areas.  We will also have the chance to join with content-alike colleagues for a broader discussion of strategies within our discipline. We encourage you to come ready to share your resources and ideas for engaging students with discourse strategies!

4:00-4:30 Bonus Session: Our Educator Effectiveness team will highlight the adapted student feedback surveys that are aligned to the 2020-21 Focus Indicators (and now available in 5 additional languages) to help you elevate student voice in understanding teaching and learning this year, and facilitate a discussion among participants about other ways they are soliciting input from students on their learning environments.

December 31, 2020 Melissa Mastrolia 0

Free Admission to the MFA & Distance Learning

Free Admission to the MFA

The MFA is grateful for all that educators do — especially this year! — to engage and support their students. We are excited to share a new promo code for K-12 educators in New England that grants free general admission to the MFA! Go to https://www.mfa.org/tickets to reserve your tickets. Select a date, select general admission or add a special exhibition $5, and once on the new page you can enter your promo code on the upper right. ​Please be sure to only share this code with your K-12 colleagues!​​

MFA Distance Learning

Connect students to art and the MFA through free 30-minute live interactive programs for students on topics including Ancient Egypt,  Monet, and the exhibition “Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation.”​

December 13, 2020 Melissa Mastrolia 2