ADVOCACY!

“Go and Walk the Talk”Debi West, Ed.S, NBCT

ADVOCACY"We celebrate the creativity of America's young people

and the willingness of our cultural community to invest in making every child's life a work of art."

- First Lady Laura Bush, Honorary Chair, President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities

So…What EXACTLY does Advocacy

mean?

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According to Webster:Noun1. advocacy - active support; especially the act of pleading or arguing for something support - aiding the cause or policy or interests of; "the president no longer had the support of his own party"; "they developed a scheme of mutual support"urging - the act of earnestly supporting or encouraging

According to Debi West:To EDUCATE; To Communicate;To WALK the TALK!

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Art Advocacy…Educating the public about the importance and significance of a visual art education! How do we as art educators go about this difficult task? Through the act of communication! We must tell our story, we must educate, we must promote and we must do it now…for our children’s sake!

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It’s not about us and our jobs…its about our children and the future of this nation!

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In teaching, I use what I like to call: CPR

CommitmentPassionReflection

I have found that this CPR also works for resuscitating Art Educators in reminding

them that they must be the advocates for ART

Education!

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It is important that as much as we know the power of visual art when it is taught well, we must acknowledge that it is a life long challenge to learn how to teach art well. Graduate study, National Board Certification and continuing participation in national and state associations conferences are important because we all need to get better.

We cannot be complacent with our skills. Our commitment to make ourselves better has to be a part of our advocacy for the place of art. If we do not attend to our own improvement, then we are making a lot of empty promises. We cannot let ourselves slip into that.

-Personal Communication with Dr. Richard Siegesmund, UGA, 2007

ADVOCACYBeing here today shows that you possess CPR…you are committed, passionate and reflective educators! Congratulations, now how do you use this to ADVOCATE for quality art education for all learners?

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First of all…let’s figure out who the ultimate decision makers are!

Legislators…check √Superintendents…check √Administrators…check √

but who are the ULTIMATE DECISION MAKERS?

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PARENTS!Double Check…√√

We have to tap into our local PTA’s and network with our student’s parents, educating them as to WHY the arts are so important for their children!

ADVOCACYTools to Use for Quality Arts

Advocacy:

Youth Art MonthState Student Exhibits; Local Student ExhibitsCommunity Art Projects; Statewide Billboards

National Media CoverageArts Publications…

And Educational Publications!

ADVOCACYWhat is Youth Art Month?

Youth Art Month is an annual observance each March to emphasize the value of art education for all children and to encourage support for quality school art programs. Youth Art Month was created in 1961 by ACMI, a non-profit association of art and craft materials manufacturers, in cooperation with the NAEA.  In 1984, ACMI created CFAE to administer the national Youth Art Month program and encourage funding for the program. 

Current members of the Council include: ACMI, which provides all administrative support and the majority of funding for national Youth Art Month;  NAEA, whose members carry out local Youth Art Month activities and whose state affiliates help fund state Youth Art Month programs;  The SHIP, a group of art materials exhibitors at the annual NAEA Convention.

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I have seen a large majority of our state leaders initially get involved in their state organization through the use of this event. YAM is our nation’s #1 art education advocacy tool…but is it being used as well as it can be?

How can we use this event nationwide?Statewide? Locally?

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How Do I Get Involved in Youth Art Month in My Community?

Anyone can start an observance.  In most states and local areas, art educators organize observances and seek the support and help of others in their schools and community, including businesspeople, other art teachers, parents, librarians, youth organization leaders, and others who have a genuine concern for quality art programs and who are willing to work with others in the school system or community.

To find out what is happening in your state, contact your state's Chairperson.  To obtain the name and address of your state YAM Chairperson, contact the Council for Art Education.  You could also call the art departments of schools in your area to see if they already have events planned for Youth Art Month and to see how you can help. Or, if you have an idea for an event, let them know your ideas.

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GREAT YAM States to Learn From:New Jersey, Oregon, North Carolina,

Oklahoma, Georgia, Arizona, Louisiana, Virginia, etc!

These are several states that have proven over the years that they continually use YAM as their advocacy tool…and it

works!

ADVOCACYWe must stop preaching to each other

and begin to educate EDUCATION world!

Communicate, Communicate,and have I mentioned

Communicate!

ADVOCACYThoughts to use when “advocating”

“Our job is to make school districts, principals, and parents

appreciate that the arts are not time off from academics but accelerators to learning. When children are engaged and enthusiastic they learn more.

The arts help children want to learn, and the lessons they can learn within the arts are profound.”

-Dr. Richard Siegesmund

ADVOCACYElliot Eisner, professor of education and art at Stanford University, says that education is "the process of learning to recreate ourselves" (2002). This requires teaching children to aspire, dream, and think of a world that is new and innovative. On the most basic level, art is made to be shared in relationship with others. Art creates community. Teaching should be concerned with helping children imagine the contributions they can make to their class, school, home, or society.

ADVOCACYThis is where theme-based, yearlong visual art curricula comes into play! By using a theme, students and the community “get” the message of the arts…it makes sense to them!

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"One of the first things the arts develop is a sense of relationship… that nothing stands alone....every aspect of the work affects every other aspect....the arts teach the ability to engage the imagination as a source of content....they are among the most powerful ways we become human, and that is reason enough to earn them a place in our schools."

-Elliot Eisner, January 1997

ADVOCACY“Writers start with a vision and end with words… readers start with words and end with a vision. Exposure to an arts education makes this process possible at both ends.”

-Eisner, 2005

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Websites:(to learn to “talk” the “walk”)

http://www.naea-reston.org/research_advocacy.htmlhttp://www.keepartsinschools.org/ http://ww3.artsusa.org/get_involved/advocacy/advocacy_004.asphttp://www.menc.org/information/advocate/sat.htmlwww.acminet.org/youth_art_month.htm

See the list of great sites and resources in your Hand-Out

ADVOCACYMuch of art education advocacy has yet to be said

and certainly, yet to be done!It is still very much, “unwritten”. When we, as the art educators look at the faces of our children, our students, our future, we see the lights on, we see the learning taking place and we are privy to the wonderful world of art…who better to Advocate,

than us!

We teach children first and foremost, we use the arts as our vehicle!

ADVOCACYNow we will discuss ways in which we currently advocate in our state and ways in which we can improve…

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Now…go back to your state and WALK our TALK!

Be the art education advocate that really and truly MAKES A DIFFERENCE!