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FY 08 American/Alaskan Masterpieces Grants now available.

The Alaska State Council on the Arts is soliciting letters of intent from organizations interested in applying for funds through the American Masterpieces Grant program.

Background:
The National Endowment for the Arts recently launched a major new initiative entitled “American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius”.  This program is designed to honor American master artists and masterworks and to acquaint Americans with the best of their cultural and artistic legacy.  This initiative highlights the very best of American or Alaskan artists, exhibits or productions.  The Alaska State Council on the Arts will launch an American Masterpieces grant program available to organizations for FY 08 and FY 09. The state fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30.

Theme of American Masterpieces:
Grants will to be awarded to organizations that present or produce events, residencies or exhibits that honor the theme of American or Alaskan masterworks or master artists.  Some example projects:

• A tour of American jazz masterworks;
• A production by a legendary Alaskan composer, choreographer or playwright;
• An exhibit demonstrating the cultural tradition of Alaska Native basketry;
• An arts education awareness program featuring Alaskan artists;
• An exhibit of a well known American or Alaskan contemporary artist;
• A month long residency in a community with a recognized master artist;

Eligibility Requirements:
Alaska non-profit, tax exempt organizations, tribal entities, schools, universities and local governments.  Organizations in Alaska currently receiving annual operating support or project grants from ASCA are eligible to apply for this special grant category.

Eligible Projects:
Performances, exhibitions, festivals, tours and educational programs across all art forms. For FY 08, funds may be used for additional outreach activities to a scheduled production or presentation.  For example, if a presenter is planning to present a legendary jazz artist, the organization could apply for additional funds to support outreach to an underserved community or add educational opportunities.

Grant Award Amounts:
Total amount in this grant category is $30,000.  Grants will be awarded in amounts up to that cap.  There will only be one grant awarded for the maximum amount.

Deadline for Letter of Intent:
FY 2008: May 1, 2007 for projects between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008

FY 2009:  October 1, 2007 (Round 1) and June 1, 2008 (Round 2), for projects between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009. Please note: If grant funds are expended in Round 1, then no applications will be accepted for Round 2.

More details in pdf and/or E-mail charlotte_fox@eed.state.ak.us

Free Art Teaching Resources

ARTstor is a not-for-profit initiative, founded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with a mission to use digital technology to enhance scholarship, teaching and learning in the arts and associated fields. The ARTstor Digital Library Charter Collection is a repository of hundreds of thousands of digital images and related data and the tools to actively use those images. http://www.artstor.org

U.S. Department of Ed Summer Workshop

Anchorage will be the site of one of the free U.S. Dept. of Ed. workshops this year, and the dates are Thursday, August 9, 2007 to Friday, August 10, 2007.  The workshops in Anchorage will focus on Reading, Math, Science, History, and Art for grades K-12.  Other workshops around the country, which will occur from May through August, will focus on these and other disciplines such as science, foreign languages, and early childhood. Just click on the link for “Schedule” to see the locations, dates, and focus of all 22 workshops. Registration for all of the Summer Workshops will open April 8, 2007.  You will be able to register at http://www.t2tweb.us/Workshops/Registration.asp.  These workshops are FREE! 
For more information see http://www.t2tweb.us/Workshops/About.asp

Learning Brain Expo, January 2007, San Francisco

Report by Jeanne Kitayama, AAEC Vice-Chair

The message throughout all of the sessions at the Expo was loud and clear – the arts are key to brain compatible learning and teaching!

Teachers, administrators, public and private staff developers were among the 840 attendees learning about the latest in brain research, during 90 minute sessions in practical and research tracks. There were some tough choices during concurrent sessions, but I chose:

• 8-hour pre-conference: Martha Kaufeldt’s Assessment Strategies to Maximize Brain-Compatible Learning: Helping Students Demonstrate What They KNOW and CAN DO

• Howard Berg’s How to Learn Anything – Faster & Better
• Rich Allen’s The Rock ‘n Roll Classroom
• Kimberli Boyd’s Reaching the Kinesthetic Learner through Creative Movement
• Spence Roger’s Brain Compatible Questioning Techniques
• Larry Stott’s Strategies for Teaching Math the Way the Brain Learns Best
• Porter Elementary Staff’s Putting the Best Practices into Practice – Meeting the Needs of the Whole Child
• Craig Carson’s The 3 Rs Meet the 3 Ms (movement, melody, meter)

            Sessions were active and memorable, as many presenters modeled the teaching practices necessary for ideas to “stick.” Martha Kaufeldt’s dramatic interpretation of the section of the brain called the amygdala stays etched in my mind – in a panicked state she’s bent over flailing her arms to pass incoming information through without any thought. The thalamus continues to take in information, but in a stressed state the amygdala, the brain’s emotional center, kicks into action. In other words, if we want students to think about and remember information, they need to be less stressed and have memorable anchors (associations) to that information.

With her stately grace from professional dancing, Arts Integration Specialist, Kimberli Boyd, modeled how teachers can use movement to engage students in learning and remembering academic concepts.

Keynote speaker and Expo host, Eric Jensen, brought out some of the main ideas in his latest book, Enriching the Brain: How to Maximize Every Learner’s Potential. As educators we can positively influence a student’s potential with skills/exercises, keeping stress minimal by assuring emotional and physical safety, motivating with challenging and novel learning opportunities, providing rest/settling time, and giving regular feedback. Additionally, he sited how giving students hope is such a very powerful influence on their motivation to push themselves to their full potential.

The revolution of brain research applied to education marks the recognition that children of the new millennium are wired differently. Environment, nutrition, and social structure have changed radically since our childhood. Martha Kaufeldt noted that in planning lessons teachers need to realize that children are not coming to school with as many hands-on learning experiences (i.e. digging holes, coloring). She emphasized three key elements for brain-compatible teaching and learning: less stress, real life/multi-sensory experiences, and multiple opportunities to actively process new learning in a variety of ways.

Many thanks to AAEC for paying my tuition for the Learning Brain Expo. I came away with a wealth of information to expand my teaching skills, and the motivation and confidence to put these ideas into practice. Please feel free to contact me for more information, jeannek@aptalaska.net.

Kennedy Center Education Newsletter Update

Read Jan-Feb 2007 newsletter(pdf)

Kennedy Center Alliance now an official member

In September, 2006 the Alaska Arts Education Consortium was officially accepted as a member of the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network. 
            The Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network (KCAAEN), a program of the Kennedy Center Education Department, is a coalition of statewide non-profit Alliances for Arts Education working with the Kennedy Center to support policies, practices and partnerships that ensure that the arts are an essential part of American K-12 education.
            The mission of the KCAAEN is to promote learning in and through the arts for all students.
Objectives of the KCAAEN:

• Build Collaborations:  Develop and support innovative collaborations between schools, community partners and cultural institutions that sustain arts education.
• Position the Arts: Speak out on behalf of arts education to citizens, policy makers, state agencies and others about the value and benefits of arts education.
• Generate Resources: Develop, publish, and/or disseminate resources for arts education leaders and practitioners.
• Provide Professional Development: Implement professional development through educational programs, training and resources.
• Recognize Innovation and Achievement: provide awards and recognition to individuals, organizations and schools that demonstrate outstanding support for arts education.

History of the Alliance in Alaska

            The Alaska Alliance for Arts Education (AAE) was established in or before1980. Over the last 26 years it has at times been active in advocating and promoting art education. It has also been dormant at times, for a variety of reasons including lack of leadership and/or funding.  Most recently Alliance leadership was anchored on the Kenai, with  Lance Petersen and Debbie Harris working to maintain the mission, vision and goals for the national and state Alliances. The chief activity of the Alliance in recent years was a two week arts education academy held in Kenai in June and promoted through the Alaska Staff Development Network.
            In 2005 the Alaskan leaders of the Alliance deemed that the organization did not have the statewide support to continue and, in consultation with the Director of the KCAAEN, registered Alaska’s Alliance as dormant.
            In 2006 Alaska State Council on the Arts Executive Director Charlotte Fox and ASCA Arts Education Director Susan Olson, consulted with the KCAAEN Director about the possibility of re-activating the Alliance under the auspices and leadership of the Alaska Arts Education Consortium (AAEC). In July, 2006 the Kennedy Center directly encouraged the AAEC to assume leadership and pursue membership in the KCAAEN.
            A proposal was prepared, submitted, and accepted by the Kennedy Center in early September. The Board of the AAEC is pleased to have Alaska once again a member of the Alliance Network and looks forward to expanding connections on behalf of arts education for all Alaskan - and American - students.

Carrie Dahl selected Teacher of the Year in LKSD

2004 Basic Arts participant Carrie Dahl was chosen Teacher of the Year by the Lower Kuskokwim School District. She commented about the Institute, "those two weeks were chock full of wonderful ideas and there was also intense training on how the mind affects children and their learning. Many new ideas were shared about the arts and I came into my classroom with a different perspective. I included more arts in my lesson plans. The Institute helped me incorporate different arts-related activities that enhanced student learning and brought enjoyment to learning. Teacher leaders Lorrie Heagy, Theresa John, Jeff Mann, and Dottie Sanders did a wonderful job teachng us it their areas of expertise."

Federal Support for Arts Education

A September 18 press release announcing the launch of the US Education Department showcase of artwork by Scholastic Art & Writing Award recipients included the following:

“Art adds color to education, and America is fortunate to have such a rich palette of talent in our schools,” said U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings. “Art, dance, music, and theater are as much a part of education as reading, math, and science. They enrich our lives, and research shows they enhance student learning. I am proud to showcase these fine pieces to a much wider audience. These students deserve it.”

A September 19 letter signed by US Education Department Director for Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs Jacquelyn Jackson and Arts Education Partnership Director Dick Deasy was sent to all state Title I directors. The letter highlights the AEP report, Third Space: When Learning Matters, and includes the following quote:

This past July, in a report by the Education Commission of the States on its arts-in-education initiative, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings clarified the role of the arts in NCLB. “They’re an important part of a well-rounded, complete education for every student,” with knowledge and skills that uniquely equip young persons for life, she noted. “What’s more,” she continued, “combining music, art, dance, and drama with subjects such as math, reading, and language can be highly effective, enhancing student engagement and increasing academic achievement.”

NCLB Blue Ribbon Schools in Alaska

Our sincere congratulations go to Main Elementary in Kodiak and Rae Stedman Elementary in Petersburg who were recently awarded 2006 NCLB Blue Ribbon awards. This is a remarkable achievement for both schools. Their principals and staff are to be commended for their dedication and hard work. Kudos to both schools who have participated actively in the Artists in Schools Program.

State Board Gives Art Endorsement

This is from the recent INFO Exchange on the minutes of the recent State
Board Meeting: -- Approved an expansion from grades 7-12 to kindergarten through 12 for a
teacher education program in art education. The program leads to an
endorsement on a teacher's certification in art education.

Alaska Content Standards in the Arts

http://www.eed.state.ak.us/contentstandards/Arts.html

AAEC Summer Basic Arts Institute Ossie Kairaiuak of Chefammute helps Paula McManus, right, of Tununak, with her Yupik drum during a class for 28 teachers from Alaska. The class was held at the University of Alaska Southeast as part of a two-week program to help integrate arts into Alaska classrooms. See July 28, 2006 Juneau Empire.
Alaska State Council on the Arts News about the Governor’s Awards for the Arts, Artist in the Schools and other Alaska art programs can be found at their website: http://www.eed.state.ak.us/aksca/

For more information on the Alaska Arts Education Consortium, contact Cristine Crooks (907-364-2290 • ccrooks@gci.net)

© 2006 Alaska Arts Education Consortium

All education programs through the School of Education at University of Alaska Southeast are accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, a performance-based teacher accrediting body for schools, colleges, and departments of education recognized by the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.