Connecting children in Biddeford and Iraq
In today’s Portland paper there is an article about an artist who painted two murals – one in Biddeford and one in Iraq with a person of connecting children in both countries. The Biddeford one includes a boy on the phone and the one in Iraq a girl on the phone. Read the article HERE.
Biddeford Middle School’s John Gatchalian
Art teacher Liz Ames is very excited but I’m sure that John Gatchalian and his family are more thrilled! At an assembly at John’s school, Biddeford Middle, the 7th grade artist was recognized for his art work by Google and named the winner for Maine in the Doodle 4 Google contest. Liz said: “He is a fantastic art student that has shown through his actions that perseverance & creativity pays off”.
Walking down memory lane
What a joy it has been during the last few weeks to reflect at the 43 years of my educational pathway. I am fortunate to have selected a career that has provided learning experiences that have expanded my thinking and understanding of how individual learners learn and how we are part of a world of learning connections. I have met and worked (and played) with amazing educators from Maine and around the world.
NEXT STEPS
So, where am I headed next? I have many ideas of what I want to do but I’m going to start by building on the natural next steps.
I will continue to blog through the summer on this blog and communicate with the Maine arts education list-serv about the progress of my work. Please communicate with me at meartsed@gmail.com or through the Maine Arts Education blog below.
WHERE I’VE BEEN
Like anyone in education we know the paychecks aren’t huge but my life has been rich with opportunities. From the ‘ah-ha’ moments of an individual student’s accomplishment to the excitement of a teacher connecting with other educators and everything in between. When I was teaching every day one thing became clear – hanging out in a middle school art classroom was a continuous learning opportunity and I loved it. My students and colleagues taught me and helped grow my skills and passions as a human being. I received so much than I gave. Being part of an interdisciplinary teaching team where visual art was valued by others as much as I valued it was amazing! When I was recognized in 1995 as the Maine Teacher of the Year I realized how fortunate I was to be honored for such humbling work.
When I left my art room after 30 years it wasn’t easy, teaching was what I knew and loved. But the challenge helped me see more clearly that my mission as an educator was taking a turn. My own son said to me: “Mom, your classroom is just going to get a little larger.” And he was ‘spot on’ (as Rob Westerberg says) about that. Once I fully committed to the work at the state I realized that my “teacher lens” was to guide me. I knew what I needed and wanted as a teacher so I honored that and moved forward collaborating with others to make that happen. Visiting hundreds of arts classrooms in schools across the state was an incredible learning opportunity. The visits led to the 1200 member list-serv and daily communication on this blog.
I AM GRATEFUL
Along the way others continued to collaborate and provide support. I am soooo grateful for the many connections, some of which I mention below.
Carol Trimble
Carol Trimble who was the executive director of Maine Alliance for Arts Education (MAAE) was supportive from day one when I arrived at DOE. Together we brought back the state wide arts education conference and I helped with the first state wide arts education census and other MAAE projects. Carol was and continues to be an incredible mentor with a clear mind who can articulate ideas like no one I know.
Many of you remember David Patterson who sadly passed away from cancer in July 2014 at the age of 50. His wisdom and encouragement taught me to believe in the power of communication to form the community. He pushed, questioned, taught and encouraged me every step of the way. This blog wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for him.
Anne Kofler was the elementary art teacher who taught ‘downstairs’ while I taught middle school ‘upstairs’. She inspired me to go the extra mile and made me a better person in so many ways. She continued to support me, after I left the classroom, to take on the ‘big challenges’ and ‘lean in’. All the while herself, taking on cancer, which eventually took her away in May 2016. Her love for using her travels to inspire her students continues to impact me.
Catherine, myself, Rob
Catherine Ring and Rob Westerberg took a chance when I invited them to travel to NH in the summer of 2010 for the New England Institute on Assessment. I am so grateful that they did – I continue to learn from both of them! Together we created the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative (MAAI) by listening to the needs of the field, reviewing the research, brainstorming and planning. The first MAAI leadership team represented PreK-higher education and helped launch the idea without funding in place. There were tears in my eyes when I heard Jeff Beaudry say “we can sleep on the floor and eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches if we have to, there’s no turning back now.” And, launch we did with 18 amazing teacher leaders at Maine College of Art for the 4-day summer institute. At the end of the institute the teacher leaders made it clear that we weren’t moving into Phase 2 without a place for them.
Phase I Teacher Leaders
Since that first summer, the initiative has grown into a strong leadership program, influencing and inspiring, and the shift in assessment practices around the state took hold. When we traveled to Washington, D.C. for the Teach to Lead summit in August 2015 MAAI shifted to the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative (MALI). Teachers with high expectations for themselves and a passion for learning – teaching other teachers has been the foundation of the success. Educators willing to share their ideas, use research, build on their knowledge, and support the network has worked well for Maine. Title II funds helped to support the summer institutes, critical friend days, mega conferences, winter retreats, stipends for participants, and statewide conferences over the next several years. The partnerships and associations with the Maine visual and performing arts organizations and institutions has been an enormous part – too many to name all of them. Thank you all!
In 2013 i moved to the Maine Arts Commission and the work (and play) of MALI expanded to include teaching artists and community arts organizations. They have provided a broader view of arts education. We’ve all been enriched by their participation in MALI. Linking arms with the greater community of arts and arts education is another way to support learners of all ages in their educational paths. I am especially grateful to the 108 teacher leaders and teaching artist leaders who continue to do amazing work in arts education and as artists!
There are so many more individuals and organizations to thank but this blog post could go on for pages. The people I mentioned are ‘giants’ and every day I stand on their shoulders and fortunately continue to learn from them!
BEYOND MAINE
Throughout the 13 years at the state I’ve had many opportunities to connect with and learn from others outside of Maine. Presentations and workshops at regional and national conferences about MALI, serving in leadership roles with the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education and the State Arts Agency Arts Education Directors, and serving on the educational council of the Americans for the Arts have provided me ongoing chances to learn from others.
Mpamila teachers in Malawi
My work in Malawi has been amazing. I originally emailed a former student about her work with Go! Malawi and asked if she could use my skill set. From there the idea developed into creating arts integration workshops. I am forever grateful to Lindsay Pinchbeck who agreed to travel to Malawi in 2016. The collaboration that we’ve formed has influenced all parts of my life. She has definitely made me a better teacher, artist, and person. Spending 10 days providing arts integration workshops for the teachers in Mpamila Village opened my eyes to so much about the world. For the last 3 years we continue to support the teacher workshops and have had 8 educators use their expertise in Malawi. In addition we’ve sewn hundreds of dresses and pants for the children in Mpamila School. This work has taken place with friends, family, and colleagues from all over Maine and in other states across the country. I am so grateful to the many who continue to contribute by sewing and contributing to purchase the materials needed.
Malawi led to HundrED when our Malawi project was selected and Lindsay and I were named Ambassadors for the program. We traveled to Helsinki, Finland last November for the HundrED summit and met people from all over the world doing AMAZING work. The network is expanding and I encourage all of you to check out their site and consider applying to be an Innovator, deadline June 30.
CONTINUE – STAY IN TOUCH
I hope that our paths will continue to cross since my work in arts education will continue. Please feel free to reach out using my gmail address at meartsed@gmail.com. I will be blogging throughout the summer and perhaps beyond. Your work in arts education is critical to continue to make the world a better place. Thank you!
Statewide and local opportunities
The Maine Academy of Modern Music (MAMM) has tons of camp opportunities for learners this summer. The dates, locations and costs are listed below. You can read the details about each of these camps at the MAMM Camps webpage on the MAMM site.
Portland MAMM Camps
June 17 – 21 – Rock Camp (Junior & Teens) $325
June 24 – July 5 – Junior Rock Camp, $550
July 8 – 19 – Ultimate Rock Camp, $600
July 22 – Aug 2 – Songwriting & Recording Camp, $700
August 5 – 9 – Girls Rock Camp, $325
August 5 – 9 – Covers Camp, $325
August 5 – 9 – Strings Camp, $325
August 12 – 23 – Junior Rock Camp, $600
August 26 – 30 – Covers Camp, $325
Statewide Camps
July 22 – July 26 – Augusta Camp, $300
July 8 – July 12 – Bangor Camp (Session 1), $300
August 19 – Aug 23 – Bangor Camp (Session 2), $300
July 28 – Aug 3 – Machias Camp – OVERNIGHT, $900
Maine Country Music Hall of Fame
Stan Keach has written more than 30 bluegrass songs about Maine people, places, history and oddities during the last 35 years. Two weeks ago Mr. Keach was inducted into the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame. His song topics have included L.L. Bean’s boots, the North Pond Hermit, Donn Fendler of “Lost on a Mountain in Maine” fame, local soldiers at Gettysburg, Acadia, Aroostook County and the many Maine towns named for countries or cities around the world.
Read the entire article from the Maine Sunday Telegram at THIS LINK written by Ray Routhier. Also, you can view the video of Stan singing the song about the North Pond Hermit.
Going to the island
Artist: Jennifer Calivas
MONHEGAN—The Monhegan Artists’ Residency Corporation (MARC) has announced their choice of three Maine artists for the 2019 summer residency program on Monhegan Island: Jennifer Calivas, Dozier Bell, and Katherine Cargile. Calivas and Bell will spend five weeks in June and September, respectively, and Cargile was awarded the two-week residency in July, established for artist-teachers who serve the K-12 grade levels in Maine.
A recent MFA graduate of Yale University, Jennifer Calivas is a Maine-native currently living in Brooklyn. Her work uses humor and the uncanny to talk about her personal experiences as a woman and about the broader history of the subjugation of the female body, with a particular interest in the photographic history of female hysteria. She plans to work in the Monhegan landscape to stage photographs and to create a performance that will be based on documentation of female “hysterics” in the 19th century.
Artist: Dozier Bell
Waldoboro resident Dozier Bell is an established painter whose work of the past several years has focused on the natural world as filtered through the lens of her childhood impressions of Maine’s environment and her interest in nature as represented in the art of 15th-16th c. German artists such as Altdorfer and Dürer, and in German Romantic fables, where the landscape itself is a participant in the drama. Bell has never visited Monhegan and is looking forward to having “a more direct and extended experience of the ocean and its atmospheric effects.”
Katherine Cargile is a veteran middle school art teacher from Lewiston, Maine, who is highly interested in literature, history, and visual culture studies, and works in a variety of media, including painting, printmaking, appliqué quilting, and paper-mache sculpture. She explains, “There is a feeling of mystery, timelessness and myth about the island that will contribute to my narrative work as well, as I intend to do some imaginative studies based on my experiences.”
Artist: Katherine Cargile
The three were selected by a jury that included photographer Margo Halverson, chair of the graphic design program of the Maine College of Art; the Portland painter and art instructor John Knight; and Leith MacDonald from Rockland, who is an artist, arts administrator, and author of the recent book, Island Inspiration, Monhegan’s Art Colony, 1895-2000.
Established in 1989, the Monhegan Artists’ Residency program supports the creative growth of dedicated Maine artists by providing them time and space in which to work free of interruption and constraint in the inspiring environment of Monhegan Island. Long a haven for innovative artistic practice, the island offers a dramatic setting and a compelling community of visual artists, fishermen, and gardeners who provide an unusual and distinct perspective on the modern world. For more information about the residency, see monheganartistsresidency.org.
Oceanside High School art club
The Ellis-Beauregard Foundation is pleased to present Entwined, curated by Oceanside High School’s Art Club students. The exhibition is the result of a year-long curatorial collaboration between the Foundation and Oceanside High School. Guided by Ellis-Beauregard Foundation program director Leith MacDonald and Oceanside art teachers, Jared Cowan and Lily Hyde, Art Club students had access to Ellis-Beauregard Foundation’s art collection and worked hands-on with the art and database, developing the skills necessary to bring an art exhibition to life: art handling, establishing a theme, selecting and placing appropriate work, didactics, checklists, registrar methods, framing, wall text, invitations, press release, opening reception. The group also took field trips to Mass MoCA, Clark Art Institute, Portland Museum of Art, Maine College of Art and the University of New England Art Gallery and Library speaking with docents and curators, gaining an inside look at the curatorial process.
“This exhibition explores the connections between John David Ellis’ and Joan Beauregard’s paintings. Entwined is the emerging theme of two souls entwined in concept and color. The exhibition is an exploration in color and how the Oceanside students perceive color combinations. John David Ellis and Joan Beauregard have created pieces with stark color differences. Many of the pieces can be considered abstract; conceptual and changing depending on who is looking at them. Collectively, entwined, the pieces open the possibilities of the human mind – bursting with color and free of the boundaries of rules “ comments Jose Pereira.
An opening reception for Entwined will be at the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation, 11 Knowlton Street, Rockland, June 7, from 4-7 p.m. After the reception the exhibition will be available by appointment only. For more information contact Donna McNeil.
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