Welcome to the EdTA Advocacy Update
August 30, 2017
The Advocacy Update is where you can find current national and state news concerning arts advocacy and arts education.
NATIONAL NEWS
Americans for the Arts Celebrates the Life, Work, and Impact of Dr. James Catterall
Dr. James Catterall, Professor Emeritus and past Chair of the Faculty at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA), founder of the Centers for Research on Creativity (CRoC), and author of Doing Well and Doing Good by Doing Art: The Effects of Education in the Visual and Performing Arts on the Achievements and Values of Young Adults passed away on Wednesday, August 23, 2017.
Members of White House Presidential Arts Committee Resigning to Protest Trump’s Comments
The remaining members of a presidential arts and humanities panel resigned on Friday in yet another sign of growing national protest of President Trump’s recent comments on the violence in Charlottesville. (Washington Post)
Americans for the Arts Celebrates National Arts in Education Week Sept. 10-16, 2017
National Arts in Education Week is supported by Americans for the Arts on behalf of the field of arts education to bring visibility to the cause, unify stakeholders with a shared message, and provide the tools and resources for local leaders to advance arts education in their communities. (Americans for the Arts)
STATE NEWS
Got state theatre and other arts education news you want to share? Send it to Shea: shaney@schooltheatre.org
Alabama: Athens Arts League Needs Your Help to Turn Empty Building into Opus (The News Courier)
California: Saugus Board to Review Arts Grant (The Santa Clara Valley Signal)
Prescott Circus Theatre Students Headed to National Festival (Hoodline)
Colorado: City May Seek ‘Misappropriated Public Funds’ from Arts Board (Post Independent)
Delaware: Delaware Institute for the Arts in Education Appoints Artistic Director (The News Journal)
Florida: ‘Celebrities’ Raise $8,000 for MKAF Art Education (Walton Sun)
Georgia: Ga.’s Fine Arts Specialist Gives an Arts Education Update (WABE)
Iowa: Metro Arts Alliance to End Operations (The Des Moines Register)
Maryland: Saint James to Start Work on $5-6M Pohanka Arts Center (Herald-Mail Media)
Michigan: Teachers Can Register for ArtsPrize Educations Programs, Travel Grants (Michigan Live Media Group)
Mississippi: Connecting the Dots: Meridian Teachers Aim to Improve Learning through the Arts (Meridian Star)
STEAM Labs and Art Gallery to Share Space in Bettendorf (Quad City Times)
Cook Elementary Celebrates ‘Model School’ Designation (The Commercial Dispatch)
New Jersey: Union County Announce History, Education, and Arts Grants (My Central Jersey)
The Art School Welcomes New Executive Director (Broadway World)
Ohio: Fine Arts Association CEO Retiring After 10 Years (The News-Herald)
Oklahoma: Oklahoma City Public Schools Might Sue State for Underfunding Education (KOSU)
Pennsylvania: Report: New NBC Drama Based on Truman High to Shoot in Levittown (Philly.com)
South Carolina: Schools Earn SC Arts Commission Grants (Bluffton Today)
Tennessee: Widespread Panic Donates $176K Worth of Instruments to Memphis Music Programs (Live for Live Music)
Texas: Heidi Marquez in New Exec at Texas Cultural Trust (Austin 360)
Utah: Ziegfeld Arts Academy Brings Homeschooled Kids Together with Fine Arts Courses (Standard Examiner)
Virginia: Rappahannock Foundation for the Arts Announces Arts for Youth Programs (Rappahannock Record)
PCA Announces it is Closing (Newsplex)
West Virginia: Education Officials: Art Education Impacts Students in More Ways than One (The Exponent Telegram)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
England: The Stage and Art School Announce Investigation into the Impact of Education Changes on Secondary School Drama Teaching (Broadway World)
Canada: Summer Theatre Program Challenges Negative Stereotypes Surrounding Syrian Refugees (The Manitoban)
India: Learning Arts from the Heart (The Hindu)
WORTH READING
Hamilton’s Christopher Jackson Believes in Arts Education
Recently, Junior Players brought Christopher Jackson – star of Broadway’s “Hamilton” – to town. He told me he believes that early exposure to the arts can expand young Dallasites’ possibilities. (Art and Seek)
Behind the Scenes of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities Resignation
When the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities issued its letter of resignation on August 18 in response to the President’s reaction to the violence in Charlottesville, it was the final move in a long chess game to protect and advance the arts under a changing administration. (KCET)
DISCUSSION
Some things are up in the air after the president’s arts and humanities committee resigned a few weeks ago. A twitter user posed an excellent question, “I get this but who will advocate if all of the open-minded people resign from such groups? Does this take us back or move us forward?”
What do you think? Tell us in the comments or tweet us @edtaadvocacy.