“The Arts Connect” Conference Continues: Part V
October 13, 2009Census Report Released
Dennie Wolf sharing the reports findings
Two years ago at the “At the Creative Center Statewide Arts Education Conference” the work was started on conducting a statewide arts education census. The Maine Alliance for Arts Education collaborated with the Maine Department of Education and a Design Team under the direction of researcher Dennie Wolf to create a survey that many of you completed.
The promise two years ago was to create a report that arts educators could access to influence the work done at the local level in arts education. At The Arts Connect! conference during a general session participants heard some of the results. The statewide census looked at arts education opportunities and conditions.
Funding was provided by The Betterment Fund, the John F. Kennedy Center, and the Maine Arts Commission. Over a third of the arts teachers in Maine, 44% of the schools, responded to a survey about their programs and their working lives as educators.
The Executive Summary and the full 287 page report are posted on the Department of Education website and can be accessed by clicking here (as of 10-13). Please read the summary to learn more.
At the conference on October 9th, participants worked in their regions to create maps that show the opportunities to learn in the arts in schools, and the school communities, and the connections between the opportunities. The next step in the process is to identify “imagination-intensive” communities and profiles will be created of them.
It is important that arts educators share the major results with policy makers, funders, and leaders in the field. It is up to each of us to disseminate this information.
me arts ed 
Portland Ovations would love to be one of the core centers for performing arts opportunities with the southern Maine region.
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the meeting because we were hosting a master class in choreographing with Pilobolus dancers at Portland Arts and Technology High School. There’s so much we have to offer in schools and at performance venues such as Merrill Auditorium and USM Hannaford Hall in Portland.
Argy – I would love to be part of the process of connecting school arts opportunities with community arts opportunities! I teach at Brunswick Junior High, and it has been a goal of mine lately to do that exact thing! With all of the visual and performing arts organizations in Brunswick, it would be an amazing experience to connect them with the opportunities in the public schools.
I am glad to hear that Portland Ovations would like to be a part of ongoing opportunities in the arts for students! Thanks Barri Lynn for all you and the work of Portland Ovations for young people.
Great to hear this Cory! Please tell me more about your work by emailing directly or here in this public forum. The more opportunities we can provide students in arts education the richer their lives will become.