The Advocacy Update is where you can find current national and state news concerning arts advocacy and arts education
EdTA NEWS
Democracyworks Essay Competition Accepting Entries: The Educational Theatre Association’s eighth annual Democracyworks essay competition is now accepting entries. The winner will receive $1,500 toward expenses to attend Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. March 7-8 2016, plus $250 cash. The winning essay will also be published in Dramatics. This year’s prompt seeks to explore the student perspective on the value of diversity in theatre and other arts education.
NATIONAL NEWS
Young Audiences Arts for Learning Accepting Conference Proposals: Young Audiences is pleased to announce their annual national-arts-in-education conference, Growing up with the Arts, to be held April 14-16 2016 in Miami. The importance of creating and sustaining programs that transform communities and engage youth in the arts will serve as the main theme. Collaboration with partners in the arts, the importance for implementing and utilizing STEAM, and creating and growing community arts programs will also be discussed. (Young Audiences)
American Education Week: November 16-20, 2015 presents all Americans with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate public education and honor individuals who are making a difference in ensuring that every child receives a quality education. The theme of this year’s American Education Week is “Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility” and will be reflected in special observances throughout the week (National Education Association)
STATE NEWS
Got state theatre and other arts education news you want to share? Send it to Anna at amarsala@schooltheatre.org
Arizona: Arts Education is Making a Comeback in Metro Phoenix Schools (Arizona Central)
California: When Schools Can’t Provide Arts Education, Nonprofit Groups Step In (Los Angeles Times)
North County Arts Network Seeking a Voice (The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Florida: Florida Studio Theatre’s Education Endowment Reaches $1M (Your Observer)
Illinois: Dance Studio Teaches Steps to Life Success in Galewood (Chicago Tribune)
Take a Bow: Theater Arts Show Successful Team Model (Herald & Review)
Indiana: State Board Delays Changes to High School Diploma (Indianapolis Star)
Maine: Maine Arts Commission Calls for More Funding (Portland Press Herald)
Missouri: $30,000 in Grants Awarded through Maritz Arts and Education Fund for Teachers (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
New Jersey: Creative Placemaking, Arts Funding Helps New Jersey Cities (Next City)
New York: Report Says Education in New York City Public Schools Paying Off (New York Daily News)
Ohio: Cuyahoga Cigarette Tax for the Arts Passes By Three-to-One Margin (ideastream)
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Arts Council and Oklahoma Department of Veteran Affairs Launch Veteran Workshop (Americans for the Arts)
South Carolina: Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities President Shares Students’ Talent (The Columbia Star)
Vermont: Governor Honors Luminaries of the Vermont Arts Scene (Times Argus)
WORTH READING
Creative Arts Therapy a Useful Tool for Military Patients: The National Endowment for the Arts announced on November 12 the expansion of the NEA Military Healing Arts Partnership, a collaboration with the Department of Defense that supports music, writing, and visual art therapy at military care facilities. The NEA Military Healing Arts Partnership supports the integrated healthcare model, in which creative arts therapists collaborate closely with a diverse team of healthcare professionals to share information and advance patient healing (National Endowment for the Arts)
The Correlation Between Arts and Crafts and a Nobel Prize: Is it good for engineers and scientists to have artistic pursuits? It turns out that even for individuals, the interaction between science and art is actually pretty complicated. It seems avocational creativity discoveries of professional scientists go hand in hand: the more accomplished a scientist is, the more likely they are to have an artistic hobby. (Priceonomics)
Are Productions Like “Hamilton” the Cure for What Ails Arts Education?: No one prepared us for the phenomenon that is Hamilton. The smash musical is best described as a hip-hop-infused exploration of America’s revolutionary era. The Rockefeller Foundation and the show’s producers have agreed to an arrangement where 20,000 NYC 11th graders from low income families can see and contextualize the show through developed educational materials. (Inside Philanthropy)