me arts ed

LGBTQIA+ Interest Group

The state visual arts professional organization, Maine Art Education Association (MAEA), is offering an interest group called MAEA LGBTQIA+.

At the end of the 2022-23 school year MAEA president Cory Bucknam provided several book titles for independent reading during the summer. At the next LGBTQIA+ meeting on Monday, September 11th at 5:00 over Zoom the participants will discuss these two books.

• Fiction: Small Joys, Elvin James Mensah
• Non-fiction: Pageboy: A Memoir, Elliot Page

The MAEA LGBTQIA+ Interest Group was Inspired by the National Art Education Association’s (NAEA) LGBTQ+ Interest Group. A few passionate MAEA members wanted to create a version of that in Maine. Not all MAEA members are NAEA members, and the organization wanted to give teachers access to a group that supports those who identify as LGBTQIA+ and also help all teachers to support their LGBTQIA+ students and coworkers.

The LGBTQIA+ Interest Group will meet monthly, with virtual meetings to prevent excluding members because of geography, and possibly a few in-person meetings throughout the state for fostering connections and socializing. The LGBTQIA+ Interest Group has three main goals group:

1. Continue developing a vision and mission for the group
2. Learning for ourselves (example: the summer reading group)
3. Sharing learning with others (example: creating a resource page on the MAEA website)

Below, a list of books MAEA provided members.

While we’re on the topic, the state professional organization representing music educators, Maine Music Educators Association (MMEA), created this Pride statement:

As Pride Month draws to a close, MMEA shines a light on LGBTQ+ artists and music educators and all their contributions within our classrooms. While Pride is the focus during the month of June, our LGBTQ+ colleagues, students, families, and community members value representation and affirmation within the education community all year long. Thank you for continuing to create an inclusive music classroom where all individuals feel welcome.

MMEA Pride Statement (written and adopted 2021)