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Message From Bonnie B. Rushlow, EdD, President
When was the last time you had another art teacher ask you: “Why should I join the National Art Education Association?” As a board member for more years than I care to admit, I have heard this question asked over and over again. “What can NAEA do for me?” Seems like a simple question, doesn’t it?
So, why should you encourage others to join the National Art Education Association? With No Child Left Behind and standardized testing impacting our schools—and more importantly, art programs across the nation—we can no longer sit back and allow others to influence the future of our programs. It is the responsibility of every art teacher to step up and provide the leadership necessary to move the visual arts to the forefront in their schools and communities.
We interact daily with a wide range of critical audiences, including school administrators, education policymakers, legislators, and other key decision-makers. Each of these stakeholders needs to understand how and why visual arts education is vital in developing the human potential of our nation’s youngest citizens.
Every day we contribute to the development of our students and witness their growing interests, enthusiasm, abilities, and experiences that prepare them for the bright futures we know await them, given the right opportunities. It is our job to make sure these opportunities happen for our students—and to ensure that decision-makers understand the critical role that art education plays in preparing young people to assume these 21st-century roles where competency, creativity, and innovation will be at a premium.
This was the reasoning behind the Aspen Summit. In a nutshell, the purpose of the Summit was to bring together leading experts—both inside and outside the arts community—to grapple with how we can advocate for the visual arts in a way that the general public hears—not as self-promoting, but as authentic. To learn more about the outcome, I encourage you to read about the Aspen Summit on the front page of this edition of the NAEA News. You will have ample opportunities to participate in this ongoing conversation about the future of our field.
As the world’s largest organization committed exclusively to serving art educators, NAEA represents the authentic voices of those who share their belief in the power of the visual arts in developing human potential.
In August, I was privileged to represent NAEA at the World Congress for the International Society of Education through Art (InSEA), which was held in Osaka, Japan. Many of our members are also members of InSEA and it was great to see some friendly faces, as well as meet new colleagues who share our vision. Special thanks to
Dr. Michael Day who helped make this trip possible. Thanks to Mickey’s efforts, I had an opportunity to present a keynote speech, as well as address the World Congress to express NAEA’s desire to work with them as together we promote quality visual arts programs for children and youth throughout the world.
From the vantage point of a rich 60-year legacy that honors our core values, NAEA is in the midst of organizational transformation that will better serve the 21st-century needs of visual arts educators. While adapting to better meet the rigor and demands placed upon its members and reaching out to partner with other associations that have similar beliefs, NAEA remains true to its mission:
The mission of the National Art Education Association is to promote art education through professional development, service, advancement of knowledge, and leadership.
NAEA stands ready to further develop the leadership skills and knowledge—as well as provide the support—you need to impact understanding of the critical role of the arts in your school and community. Through the development of a new Web 2.0 virtual community of practice, the national convention and other learning institutes, research journals, and timely publications, NAEA provides its members with resources and opportunities that impact teaching—helping students to become “the most competent, most creative,
and most innovative” students in the world.
I am very excited about our new website, which will be launched this fall. It definitely surpasses what I expected! Just think, now you can have your very own portfolio—that you OWN—thanks to our partnership with Digication. Our 24/7 virtual community of practice website will give you instant access to people who share your values about the visual arts. It will also be a valuable tool in locating the information you need to become a leader in your school and community. I hope you’ll check it out.
NAEA’s annual convention is the largest professional development opportunity in the world devoted exclusively to art educators. Our 2009 Convention Coordinator, Kathy Grundei, and the local committee in Minneapolis are already planning our 2009 convention, Visual Arts Education: A Landscape for 21st Century Learning, scheduled for April 17-21.
Whether it’s through the new NAEA website, through the face-to-face gathering during the annual convention, or through its many publications and other resources, NAEA is creating multiple opportunities for you to network with others who share your same passion and commitment to the field of art education.
As the largest professional visual arts education association in the world, it is important that we, the members of NAEA, connect with other groups that share a common vision regarding the importance of art education in schools throughout the world. As Thomas Friedman tells us in The World is Flat, our world continues to get smaller and smaller—thanks to the unparalleled progress that has been made in technology—and it is now much easier for all of us to communicate with friends around the world.
Our professional association is undergoing its own exhilarating period of growth and development. I invite you to join us and be a vital part of this exciting venture—our professional community! So … the next time another art teacher asks you why they should become involved in NAEA, direct them to our new website: www.arteducators.org …Oh, and don’t forget to invite them to the 2009 NAEA Convention in Minneapolis! April will be here before we know it, so I hope you have marked your calendar and are planning to attend!
(Portions of this column were taken from an article I wrote for the March 2008 edition of School Arts magazine. —B. Rushlow)
Bonnie Rushlow
President
brushlow@mtsu.edu
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