me arts ed

Great opportunity this summer

The Farnsworth Art Museum is teaming with the Maine Department of Education, University of Maine, Orono, The Strand Theater, Rockland and the Lincoln Center Institute of New York City to provide a professional development opportunity for K-12 educators. The Farnsworth is becoming one of eight sites world-wide to host the one-week Institute’s International Educator Workshop.

The International Educator Workshop is for educators and arts administrators who are interested in learning about imaginative teaching and learning through aesthetic education. The workshop will address what makes artworks an effective focus of study. A dynamic balance between philosophy and practice, activity and reflection, personal and group inquiries will authentically model the way aesthetic education practices can be adapted in many learning settings.

The learning opportunity will take place July 26-30th. Contact hours and graduate credits are available. A $100 deposit is required at the time of registration which will be refunded at the completion of the workshop. A $500 stipend will be paid to teachers who complete an implementation plan in their classrooms during the following school year.

Deposit checks should be mailed to the Farnsworth Art Museum, 16 Museum St., Rockland, ME 04841 Attn: Denise Mitchell.

Worth Sharing

Many of the meartsed readers send me items that an art teacher recently termed “quirky news”. I like that and sometimes I am not sure where to post them so others who like “quirky things” wouldn’t miss them. So here are some….

New set of stamps coming soon to your neighborhood post office. There’s even a stamp now with a beautiful monarch butterfly for the over sized letters and packages. You can view and learn about them by clicking here. Thank you Stephanie for sharing this with me!

Looking back and how I am today. How many times have you come across an old picture that immediately took you back to that moment? That is one of the reasons I love to take pictures. Here’s a website that highlights those pictures of folks at a younger age and retaken in a similar place and time. This would be cooool to do with students. You can get to the site called Young Me/Now Me by clicking here. Thank you Bob for sharing this with me!

During the depression how did the arts fare? “I was reading a book about Ashley Bryan, given to me by a close friend who has also met him. The book is a sort of “biography.”  He mentioned that during the depression, through the WPA arts classes were offered for free!.  In this time when our budget problems seem to lead the “powers that be” to consider cutting arts out of our schools to save money, I thought it was so interesting to come upon this information.  Might be interesting to do a little more research on the WPA’s program, and reasoning behind their offering these classes???! Thank you Cathy for sharing your thoughts!

Music and the Mind by Jane Christmas, McMaster University, Daily News, Sept. 06 This is an interesting article and the only thing that makes it quirky is the photo that is included of a young person with a sensor net over their head while she has her mind read. The article is very interesting. The research found an “improvement in musical tasks AND a greater improvement on non-musical memory tasks as well”. Please click here to read the article.  Thank you Sally for sharing the article!

I know that I will get other quirky items to post so don’t be surprised if other blog posts are titled “quirky things” in the future.

Speaking of quirky, this was created in PhotoBooth

Bangor Public Library

Paintings by Annette Sohn

Paintings! Prints! Photographs! Assemblages, fabric and more! The Art in the Heart Art Educators exhibit is being held at the Bangor Public Library, in the Lecture Hall. Twenty two area art educators have work on display. The exhibit is varied and colorful and reveals a great deal about the teachers participating. The exhibit will be on display for the month of March and will be part of the downtown Bangor Art Walk on March 19. On that evening, the public can view the exhibit as well as artist studios and galleries in downtown Bangor. Refreshments will be served at various locations during the 5:00 – 9:00 PM event.

Hundreds attend opening at Portland Museum of Art

Tanner, Gr 2, Young School, Saco, Art Teacher Diane Noble

For the 16th year the Maine Art Education Association has sponsored the state Youth Art Month exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art. The opening was well attended with kids and parents and many others who appreciate and value student art work.

Congratulations to Manon Lewis, Tory Tyler-Millar from MAEA and to Stacy Rodenberger from the Portland Museum of Art. The staff of the PMA and MAEA members deserve a great big thank you for the work each person does in helping to create an outstanding event and exhibit. This year the students from MECA also assisted under the leadership of Michelle Zelkowitz.

Art Teachers: Allison Price, Brunswick HS & MAEA art teacher Shalimar Poulin Gardiner HS

It is a wonderful opportunity for art teachers to connect, see old friends, and to celebrate the art work of their students. Each student was recognized by being invited to the stage to receive a pin and certificate. A wonderful addition to this years event was the looping pictures of the student art work on the big screen. I understand this was Stacy’s idea and a good one it was!

Shalimar Poulin, this years Maine Art Educator of the Year, gave a lively presentation reaching out to each young artist with a slide show and stories of her childhood art making memories. She gave out bracelets with “Create” on them to remind us all of the importance and pure joy of making art.

The exhibit remains throughout March so if you missed the opening on Saturday, there is plenty of time for you to get there during the month.

Maine 2011 Teacher of the Year Nominees

On Friday Bill, Leavitt High School music teacher, was honored at the State House with 12 other nominees to be considered to represent all Maine teachers. I am proud that Bill represents his school as well as all Maine arts educators. Please join me in wishing Bill the BEST OF LUCK as he starts his journey in the process.

Below is the press release and a couple pictures of Bill at the ceremony.

Bill with students

Augusta – Governor John Baldacci and First Lady Karen Baldacci joined state education officials in honoring the 13 teachers nominated for the 2011 Maine Teacher of the Year program at a State House ceremony Friday. The teachers were nominated by parents, colleagues and administrators at their local schools.

“Our teachers are among our most treasured resources in Maine,” said Governor Baldacci.  “You have an awesome responsibility.  You work hard all year-round, fulfilling the important role of preparing our youngsters to be good citizens and workers.”

Bill with Governor Baldacci

The 2011 Maine Teacher of the Year will be the 45th educator to receive the honor. Madeline Linscott of Winthrop, a retired elementary school teacher and principal, was the first to be named Maine Teacher of the Year in 1966. Kevin Grover, a second-grade teacher at D.W. Lunt School in Falmouth, is the 2010 Maine Teacher of the Year.

The nominees will undergo an intensive selection process consisting of a school visit, a professional portfolio review, an oral presentation, and a final interview before the 2011 Maine Teacher of the Year is selected. The selection committee includes past Teachers of the Year, principals, teachers, Department of Education staff, and members of the state’s professional educator associations and of the business community. The 2011 Maine Teacher of the Year will be announced at a surprise all-school assembly in September.

Hannaford Supermarkets generously underwrites the cost of the Maine Teacher of the Year program.

The 2011 nominees are:

• Alice Barr, Yarmouth High School
• William Buzza, Leavitt Area High School, Turner
• Jim Fratini, Hermon Middle School
• Kate Gardoqui, Noble High School, North Berwick
• Tracy Gendron-Turner, Montello Elementary School, Lewiston
• Amy Hediger, Poland Community School
• Nancy Kane, Sanford High School
• Walter LeBlanc, Westbrook High School
• Shelly Moody, Williams Elementary School, Oakland
• Eddy Naples, Region 9 School of Applied Technology, Mexico
• Cynthia Shepley, Abraham Lincoln School, Bangor
• Sandra Swan, Woodland Consolidated School
• Jason Tremblay, Massabesic High School, Waterboro

For more information on the Maine Teacher of the Year program, please click here.