Posts Tagged ‘Executive Director’

h1

Julie Richard Remarks

April 9, 2014

ARTS EDUCATION DAY 2014

These are the remarks that Executive Director of the Maine Arts Commission, Julie Richard presented at Arts Education Day at the State House, Augusta, April 2, 2014.

Arts Education Day_1869 copy

I have been in Maine for about a year and a half and I feel like I am finally getting settled in. Even though this winter has been endless… Having moved here from Arizona, the transition has been quite something!

Arts education has always been a passion of mine. I am a product of a strong school music program which guided my desire to study voice in college and later arts administration. Without band and chorus every day, I would not have made it through high school. Yes, I had both every day – all through junior high and high school. That is not something most of our schools anywhere in this country can boast.

When I was interviewing for this job, I was asked to provide my vision for the future of the arts in Maine. Providing strong arts education programs in ALL of our schools was at the core of my message. Without the arts in our schools, our students will not have the critical thinking skills, creativity, problem solving abilities or poise to lead the creative economy of the future. Let alone developing musicians that can lead our orchestras, artists that can fill our galleries or dancers that can stretch our imaginations.

When our leaders talk about creating jobs and investing in science and technology – without including the arts – they are leaving out the most critical component – the creativity that drives the ideas and inventions that have built our country.

It is critical that we make STEAM – part of our vernacular. Let’s take STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – and add the A for arts – to ensure that our students are developing all parts of their brains so that Maine’s future economy can thrive.

When I hired Argy Nestor – our new Director of Arts Education – from the Department of Education to lead our arts education initiatives, I made a conscious decision that arts education would be a key and critical component of our future and that we would do whatever we can to strengthen arts education in our schools. From providing professional development for arts educators to make them the best they can be to conducting research like the Arts Education Census to know exactly who the haves and the have nots are in our state. We need to make sure that we work together to be successful.

Last summer, the Maine Arts Commission and the Maine Department of Education finalized a Memorandum of Understanding that ensures that our two departments will work together to achieve our goals. We are committed to doing the best we can for our State’s students and our educators. Thanks for coming today and supporting arts education in our state.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Communication, Creativity, Food for thought, VPA | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

h1

Introducing Peter Alexander

October 14, 2012

Executive Director in place at MAAE

Recently I met with Gail Scott who served as the Interim Director of Maine Alliance for Arts Education (MAAE) and Peter Alexander the new Executive Director of MAAE. I was encouraged to converse with Peter about his ideas and possible directions for the future of MAAE. He kindly answered questions for the readers of the meartsed blog. Below is the interview which will hopefully provide for you information on the future of MAAE.

Please tell the meartsed readers a little bit about your background.

My background in the arts is quite rich and varied, especially in music. I started piano lessons at 4, became a choirboy at the Washington National Cathedral at 8, began classical guitar lessons at 10 and by 18 had started a professional rock band.  I spent all my childhood summers on an island off Cundys Harbor with no electricity, plumbing, phones or cars, and there developed an abiding love of nature and the coast of Maine that has influenced all my artistic undertakings, from watercolors, photography, and writing to my music. I currently serve as the president of the Maine Songwriters Association (mainesongwriters.com) and devote as much time as I can to my own career as a musician (peteralexander.us).  I’m really looking forward to meeting new colleagues at the reception and fundraiser that the MAAE board has organized for October 21 at Slate’s Restaurant in Hallowell (info at maineartsed.org).

 What brings you to the MAAE Executive Directors job?

My new role with MAAE is about as perfect a match as I could imagine for my education, skills and experience: I hold a masters degree from Antioch University with a focus on non-profit advocacy and organizing, and I love taking on big challenges.  MAAE offers plenty of opportunities for both organizational development and creative programs that can build on its long and successful history to serve the needs of Maine’s arts education community.

What skills and background experiences have you had that will be assets in your role at MAAE?

The primary role played by every non-profit director is fundraising, and I’m pretty fearless about asking people and organizations to join me in supporting causes that I believe in.  But just as important is the role of collaborator and facilitator, and my long background in both board and staff roles in a variety of non-profit organizations should be helpful.  Another skillset that is found in every successful organization is the ability to balance strategic thinking (planning) with tactical applications (programs) and continuous evaluation and improvement. As a lifelong entrepreneur in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors I have managed to develop some capacity for this kind of multi-leveled approach to management.

Tell the readers a little about the strategic plan that the MAAE board has created just prior to you coming to the position.

Prior to my arrival MAAE’s board conducted a thorough review of programs and decided to sharpen the organization’s focus into two main areas: advocacy and professional development for arts educators.  How this plays out with actual programs is still up in the air, and I am excited to be working with my new colleagues at the Department of Education, the Maine Arts Commission and other arts education organizations to identify the most pressing areas of need where MAAE can serve the community.  One thing that seems to be percolating to the top is the need for training and resources for arts educators and advocates that can better convey the value of arts education to local decision-makers and stakeholders—especially in communities and school districts where the role of arts education lags far behind traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and athletic programs.

How do you imagine working with the arts education community in Maine?

I love working with people collaboratively, where everyone’s talents and abilities are put to good use and where people have fun together, enjoy each others’ company, and value each others’ contributions. Although I have a deep history in the arts, I am new to arts education, so I am looking forward to learning a great deal; and I hope that—with my “outsider’s perspective” and newcomer’s enthusiasm—I am able to contribute something that my colleagues find useful.

If MAAE were given $500,000 to do whatever you please, what would it be?

Since I am so new to the organization and to the arts education community in Maine this question lures me into saying something I might later regret!  But I’ll take the bait.  I would dedicate a portion of it to hiring development staff to help ensure that MAAE’s financial future is secure; and I would use some of it to design and conduct research and develop a communications campaign (with resources and tools for arts educators) to firmly establish public opinion and awareness in every community about the essential value of arts education for Maine’s economy and our quality of life. I would use the rest to organize an all-expenses-paid annual celebration for arts educators of all disciplines, where they could step back from the daily grind, enjoy each others’ company, learn new skills, and develop new collaborative, cross-disciplinary relationships and programs.

Thank you to Peter for taking the time to share your thoughts with the meartsed readers. Please join MAAE next Sunday, October 21st, 5:30 to 7:00 PM at Slate’s in Hallowell for a reception welcoming Peter.

Posted in Communication, Community, VPA, YAHOO | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

h1

Maine Alliance for Arts Education Update

June 6, 2012

Strategic plan and executive director search

Augusta, ME, June 2012 –The Maine Alliance for Arts Education announces a new strategic focus for the organization.

Now in its 34th year of serving the arts education community in Maine, the Maine Alliance for Arts Education (MAAE) has just completed an organizational assessment to determine how to best meet its mission to encourage and strengthen educational excellence in visual art, music, theater, and dance in all Maine schools and communities.

With the retirement of long-time Executive Director, Carol Trimble last December, the MAAE Board of Directors has used the transition time before hiring a replacement as an opportunity to assess the needs of the arts education community in Maine and MAAE’s core strengths as an organization. Going forward, MAAE will focus its strategic efforts in two key areas: Advocacy and Professional Development. MAAE acknowledges its many partners throughout Maine for providing invaluable assistance and support during this planning process.

Going forward, MAAE will work in collaboration with established and new partners and networks of educators, parents, arts organizations, communities, and supporters to advance arts education in Maine guided by these two priorities:

1.     Advocacy

Proactively influence arts education policy at the state and national level through monitoring and lobbying legislation that affects arts education, and, over time, developing and supporting advocacy strategies at the local level among schools, parents, community partners, arts organizations, and cultural institutions to sustain and improve arts education.

2.     Professional Development

Support arts educators, classroom teachers, school administrators, and parents to improve and promote arts education in all Maine schools by planning and implementing professional development activities through workshops, conferences, training, distribution of resource information, and other innovative programming.

In order to strengthen its statewide mission, the Board has also decided to phase out, over the next few months, two regional programs: Building Community Through the Arts in the greater Bangor and Penquis areas, under the leadership of Susan Potters, Education Director, and Learning (Arts) in Community (LINC) in Hancock County—as well as the Imagination Intensive Communities (IIC) program.

To meet its new goals MAAE is seeking a new Executive Director to lead the organization into the future. For more information about Maine Alliance for Arts Education or the search for a new Executive Director please visit our website www.maineartsed.org

Executive Director Job Description

Background

The Maine Alliance for Arts Education (MAAE) is a statewide organization affiliated nationally with Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network. Its mission is to encourage and strengthen educational excellence in visual art, music, theater, and dance in all Maine schools and communities.  In May 2012, the MAAE Board decided that the future work of the organization will focus on a statewide level through Advocacy and Professional Development.

Executive Director Position Description

MAAE is seeking an Executive Director to work with the Board of Directors to carry out its new strategic plan. Initially (the first three months at two days a week) the ED will focus primarily on fundraising for financial sustainability and basic organizational management. With the expectation of an expanded work schedule, the ED will then lead the organization in implementation of its two new priorities: Advocacy and Professional Development.

Job Responsibilities

Initial three-month period:

  • Work with the Board to secure funding for MAAE, including but not limited to writing grants and pursuing public and private sector funding
  • Manage the organization, including
    • Communicate with Board of Directors, Alliance members, staff, and the public
    • MAAE’s database, finances, and website

Qualifications

Position requires:

  • Experience and demonstrated success in fundraising and grant writing
  • Ability to work collaboratively with such partners as the Maine Department of Education, Maine Arts Commission, schools, parents, and community and professional arts organizations

Computer skills, including word-processing, database management, and

  • spreadsheets for fiscal reporting
  • Experience in using social media, electronic newsletters, etc. in innovative ways to connect with the public and arts education constituencies
  • Understanding and ability to oversee fiscal responsibilities (monthly balance sheet reports, preparing annual budgets, and budget forecasting)
  • Ability to work independently (office-in-home) on a regular schedule, with Executive Committee

The initial three month contract will be a two-day per week position, at the completion of which the Board expects to expand the ED position to a permanent, long term contract at three to four days per week. The position reports directly to the MAAE Board of Directors.

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, résumé, and two letters of recommendation to the following email address MAAEDIRSEARCH@roadrunner.com by June 30, 2012. The position will remain open until filled.

Posted in Communication, Leadership, Opportunity, VPA | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »