ARTS NEWSLETTER # 13- 17 July 2007

GREETINGS FROM ARGY’S CUBBY with a view of the STATE HOUSE DOME at the Maine Department of Education

ARTS NEWS

I hope you’re having a WONDERFUL summer! WHOOOOOO HOOOOO!!!

This past Spring I had the honor of meeting Beth Cornell, the visual and performing arts specialist from Pennsylvania. Sadly Beth retired a month ago but not before she planned and carried out an incredible week of professional development opportunities for 100 Pennsylvania educators (and 1 Maine educator). This was the 11th Governor’s Arts Education Institute Beth has organized and after being there I can understand why the other PA governor’s institutes have been modeled after the arts one. Beth is an enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and passionate arts educator who brings soooooo much expertise to the field. After a short conversation with Beth in May she invited me to attend the week-long session. I was excited to hear that she was using a model that I am interested in and was eager to see and learn about the work being created. The main focus was on Japanese culture and aesthetics. The first day ended at a Japanese restaurant followed by a Kabuki performance at Villanova University. Each teacher was given an ipod and the arts education learning was intertwined with technology, literacy and math. Teachers worked from 7:00 AM until 10:00 PM with little time off during the day. They collaborated on teams of 4 and 5 to create rich tasks around essential learning while aligning the unit with their state standards. Each day their work was uploaded and feedback was given from the faculty comprised of a wide variety of arts educators. Some of the staff had been participants from past institutes (aaahh, teachers teaching teachers!). Dr. Donna Kay Beattie, author of Assessment in Art Education, and professor at Brigham Young University, was present to guide the participants’ work. (If you google Donna Kay Beattie you will find an interview with her that is very informative on arts education). To see the work and learn more about this years institute and the past ones please go to: http://www.keyarts.ws/ and click on “Governor’s Institutes”.

NEWSLETTER

This newsletter is now being mailed electronically to 474 educators. If you are interested in reviewing back issues of the newsletter click on: http://mailman.informe.org/pipermail/doe-arts/
If you know of others that wish to receive the newsletter please ask them to email me argy.nestor@maine.gov

STATE-WIDE ARTS CONFERENCE-OCT. 5, 6, 2007-REGISTRATION INFORMATION………
AT THE CREATIVECENTER

THE ARTS IN MAINE SCHOOLS

The conference planning committee met on July 13th to continue with plans for a fabulous professional development opportunity for educators. The state-wide arts conference is being sponsored by the Maine Department of Education (MDOE), The Maine Alliance for Arts Education (MAAE) and the Maine Arts Commission (MAC) partnering with Maine Art Education Association (MAEA), Maine Music Educators Association (MMEA), Maine Drama Council (MDC) Dance Education in Maine Schools (DEMS) and VSA arts of Maine (VSA). On Wednesday, August 8th, we plan to have the registration information on line for you to make arrangements to attend. You should go to the Maine Alliance for Arts Education site at: http://www.maineallforartsed.org/

Please feel free to email me argy.nestor@maine.gov or call 624-6825 with any questions that are not answered on the website. This conference has opportunities to learn for arts, classroom, special education teachers and administrators.

MAINE LEARNING RESULTS UPDATE

You can find a Maine Learning Results informational letter attached from Anita Bernhardt. Please click on this link to see an UPDATED VERSION of the Visual and Performing Arts standards: http://www.maine.gov/education/lres/review/peigr.html

NEWS FROM THE MAINE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

The Department of Education has a newsletter as well. If you’d like to read what other state employees are up to please go to this link to read the back issues:
http://inet.state.me.us/education/newsletters/index.html

REORGANIZATION OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS

To learn more about the reorganization of school districts PLEASE go to:
http://www.maine.gov/education/supportingschools/index.html

You can read a summary of the law, get answers to your questions and learn more about the details of the reorganization. Please stay informed on this topic so you can better serve your students!

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

The International Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY) is looking for an administrative director. The Farnsworth Art Museum is seeking an educator director. If you would like more information on either of these positions please see the attachments.

BEST BUY AWARDS

To learn more about the Best Buy Teacher awards please click on this link:
https://bestbuyteach.scholarshipamerica.org/ Recognize the good work teachers are doing and nominate them for this award.

SCHOODIC ARTS FOR ALL

Schoodic Arts for All is a proud sponsor of the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium. Sculptors from 5 countries will come together to produce large sculptures from native stone for public art. Sculpture Related Events;
Dates of importance:

July 25 through September 10, 2007: Come to watch the artists at work, talk with them and learn about them and their art
July 5 - August 12: Art show and exhibit at Hammond Hall
August 2, 7:00: Schoodic Arts Festival performance; Meet the Artists.

Jesse Salisbury, coordinator of the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium, will present the artists and their portfolio (on the big screen), followed by an artists reception

August 19, 5:00: Sculpture Symposium community reception and Pot Luck with kids from area schools singing folk songs honoring the countries represented, at Hammond Hall.
September 10, 1:00: closing reception at Schoodic Education and

Research Center

To learn more, please click on this link: http://schoodicarts.org/

MACY’S DAY PARADE

Here is a wonderful opportunity for a band member from you school. The band that leads the Macy’s Day parade on Thanksgiving in New York City is comprised of students from every state. As of yet, no one from Maine has applied. To learn more, please click on this link: http://mainearts.maine.gov/news/release.asp?ID=7663

WEAVER

I had the opportunity of presenting with weaver, Sarah Haskell at the Widening the Circle conference in June at Wells Elementary School. She is an artist/educator that brings her passion into schools. To learn more about Sarah and her work, please click on: www.sarahhaskell.com

UNION OF MAINE VISUAL ARTISTS

On July 24, 6:30pm, The Union of Maine Visual Artists presents Naushon Hale, who will speak on his work at the Camden Public Library. Hale studies Furniture at the Rhode Island School of Design. He is currently a summer assistant at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport. Hale's work explores furniture in wood, metal, and found
materials including paper. He will discuss the processes through which he discovers his work.

QUOTE OF THE NEWSLETTER

Many creative people initially are seen as troublemakers, simply because their vigorous and uncompromising analysis exposes problems that previously had been ignored.

Rober Grudin, the Grace of Great Things: Creativity and Innovation

Visual and Performing Arts Information

contact information:

Learning results Information

ARTS NEWSLETTER # 13- 17 July 2007