ARTS NEWSLETTER # 17 – 25 September 2007
GREETINGS FROM ARGY’S CUBBY with a view of the STATE HOUSE DOME at the Department of Education
ARTS NEWS
I hope your first month of school has been successful! The past week at the Department of Education has been very busy.
- The specialists have continued with work on the high school graduation requirement. More information will be sent to you in the future on this topic as it becomes available. On Thursday, September 27, a statewide educational summit will be held where Maine leaders will gather to explore how to move forward with designing Maine’s high schools for our children’s futures. A representative from each professional arts education organization will attend the summit.
- Many folks have sent written testimony to Anita Bernhardt on the proposed Visual and Performing Arts segment of the Maine Learning Results. The deadline for that was Monday, September 24th. Thank you to everyone who took the time to send feedback. Anita will be busy writing responses to each of you who sent in comments. The next step is that the proposals and feedback will go to the State Board of Education for final approval. The document is entitled: Learning Results: Parameters for Essential Instruction, MDOE Regulation Chapter 132. I will keep you posted on the progress.
- I spent three wonderful days the weekend before last at Haystack in Stonington for the fall Maine Art Educators conference. If you’ve never been to Haystack take my word that it is a gorgeous location to make art and talk about arts education. It is located on the water with a view of small islands, big sky and beautiful water. We had all kinds of weather including warm and sunny, damp and rainy and chilly. The association had their annual business meeting. And, I had the chance to learn a great deal in the bookmaking session I attended with USM professor and bookmaker Rebecca Goodale http://www.vampandtramp.com/miniature/g/rebecca-goodale.html
Rebecca is working on a series of books on threatened and endangered species of Maine.
- I was happy for the opportunity to touch base with folks face to face at the District III fall music dinner meeting and the Art in the Heart meeting at UMaine. Thank you to both groups!
NEWSLETTER
YAHOOOOOO…. this electronic arts education newsletter is going to 528 readers. This is an increase of 22 from the last newsletter. 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 (especially new teachers) that wish to receive the newsletter please ask them to email me argy.nestor@maine.gov
STATE-WIDE ARTS CONFERENCE-OCT. 5, 6, 2007
AT THE CREATIVECENTER: THE ARTS IN MAINE SCHOOLS
The last planning committee meeting has been held, registration is closed, the final schedule has been printed, and the thousands of last minutes details are being worked on for our state wide arts educators conference being held at the Samoset. If you were unable to get your registration information in by the deadline which was Friday, October 21st WE ARE VERY, VERY, SORRY!!!! We have over 300 educators registered and are planning for a wonderful two day event. Thank you to the sponsoring organizations and volunteers from: 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).
We are still looking for PRESIDERS for the over 50 sessions being offered. If you are interested in helping PLEASE email Mike Davis mdavis@auburnschl.edu
or me at argy.nestor@maine.gov
OTHER CONFERENCES AND OPPORTUNITIES
- New England Conference on Gifted and Talented Education – October 11- 13, Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland. For more information please go to www.necgt.org
- Annual Middle Level Education conference – October 18, 19, Sugarloaf, USA. For more information please go to http://www.mamleonline.org/
- No Citizen Left Behind – November 1 or 2. Social studies and the MLR’s. For more information please go to www.maine.gov/education
- New England Art Educators conference – November 2-4, Four Points – Sheraton Hyannis Resort, Hyannis, MA. For more information please email NEArtEdConf@aol.com
- Maine School Management Association – October 25, 26, Civic Center, Augusta. For more information please go to http://www.msmaweb.com/
- National Art Education Association conference – March 26-30, New Orleans. For more information please go to http://www.naea-reston.org/convention.html
PORTA PORTAL
Interested in looking at a variety of websites on many different arts related topics? Please check out the Porta Portal I put together this summer. It is filled with websites of arts and education resources and continues to be a ‘work in progress’. Please feel free to use it as a guest by going to http://portaportal.com On the right side of the screen under the words “Guest Access” type in: meartsed. I will be adding and changing it around as I have time and new resources so please check it periodically.
EDUCATORS SAVINGS AT BORDERS
September 26 – October 2: “Educator Savings”, educators and support staff are eligible for a 25% discount. For more information please go to www.bordersmedia.com/educators/
LINCOLN ACADEMY PERFORMING ARTS CONCERT SERIES
Celebrating Art for Art's Sake: The Lincoln Academy Performing Arts Club
Proudly Presents - The First Annual 2007 - 2008 Performing Arts Concert
Series. Parker B. Poe Theater in Newcastle. Only 150 season tickets available, reserve by October 4th. For more information please go to http://www.lincoln-academy.pvt.k12.me.us
US MARINE BAND
The US Marine Band is performing in Maine on October 18, 19 and 20 in these three locations: Merrill Auditorium, Ellsworth High School, and the Augusta Civic Center. For more information and to obtain free tickets please go to http://www.marineband.usmc.mil/NATIONAL_TOUR/tour_itinerary/index.htm#me
CONGRATULATIONS
Karen Montanaro www.mimedance.com has received a 2008 Individual Artist Fellowship Grant from the Maine Arts Commission. MAC has put a glimpse of her performance on youtube entitled “The Struggle to Be”. You can view it at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkWAYcmyLBg Karen will be performing at the “At the Creative Center: The Arts in Maine Schools Conference at the Farnsworth Art Museum reception.
NATIONAL ART EDUCATION AWARDS
Nomination materials for the NAEA awards program can be found at http://www.naea-reston.org/awardsprogram.html
LETTERS TO SOLDIERS
Commissioner Gendron received a letter from Susan Laukat, a volunteer and wife of a soldier. She volunteers with Soldiers’ Angel www.soldiersangels.org
and the North Carolina chapter of Blue Star Mothers http://www.bluestarmothersnc.org/ She says in her letter: “I am reaching out to the schools of Maine, as well as all other states, for letters to send to our troops who are deployed overseas, our wounded heroes who have returned home and those who are still being treated abroad”. If you are interested in more information please read her letter in its’ entirety which is attached or email Susan directly at ncsoliersanel@gmail.com
Complete Letter
REORGANIZATION OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS
Please check out the Department of Education website for the latest information, timeline and questions and answers on the reorganization of school districts at
http://www.maine.gov/education/
QUOTE OF THE NEWSLETTER
Had she paints, or clay, or knew the discipline of the dance, or strings; had she anything to engage her tremendous curiosity and her gift for metaphor, she might have exchanged the restlessness and preoccupation with whim for an activity that provided her with all she yearned for. And like any artist with no art form, she became dangerous.
- fromSula by Toni Morrison
ART TEACHER OPENINGS: SELECTED STATES
Circulated as a public service by the NATIONAL ART EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
www.naea-reston.org
