Huey
Film maker and teaching artist Huey has several screenings and broadcasts coming up this summer. Huey is one of the teaching artists on the Maine Arts Commission Teaching Artist roster. Check out the information below.

Huey
Film maker and teaching artist Huey has several screenings and broadcasts coming up this summer. Huey is one of the teaching artists on the Maine Arts Commission Teaching Artist roster. Check out the information below.

7 new artists
Seven Maine Artists Added to Arts Commission’s Teaching Roster
Maine Arts Commission’s roster provides additional resources for teachers and schools
AUGUSTA, ME, February 8, 2018—The Maine Arts Commission is pleased to announce the addition of seven new artists to its online Teaching Artist Roster. Selected by the Arts Commission through an application process, teaching artists provide greater access for teachers, schools, and community groups to area artists who are trained and knowledgeable in classroom requirements throughout Maine. The following teaching artists have been recently listed on the roster:
Nicole Cardano, an actress who teaches elementary and middle school improvisational skills as well as theatre productions and show choir. She lives in Seal Cove.
Kal Elmore, a printmaker who collaborates with teachers to develop lessons that help students experience a new media, a new technique, and/or a different way of thinking about visual art. She is from Old Town.
Tom Luther, a musician who teaches piano and multimedia art. Tom applies traditional composition, improvisation, generative, and interactive techniques in his teaching, drawing freely from his experiences in numerous musical forms. Tom is from Union.
“We are really proud of the learning opportunities that each artist on the roster provides to our schools and communities in Maine,” said Argy Nestor, Director of Arts Education at the Arts Commission.
In addition to overseeing the teaching artist roster along with many other arts education programs and services offered by the Arts
Commission, Argy organizes the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative (MALI) Mega-Regional Conferences. Maine educators from PK-higher education are invited to participate in this year’s professional development opportunity at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in South Paris, Friday, March 23 at 8:30 – 3:15 p.m. The workshop facilitators are Maine arts educators who will have dynamic ideas to share.
Since 2011, MALI has provided opportunities for hundreds of educators with inspirational workshops, presentations, and webinars at the school, district, regional, state, and national level. More information and event registration for the 2018 MALI Mega Regional is available here.
The Maine Arts Commission currently administers the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative as part of one of its five priorities, fostering PK-12 lifelong arts education programs, in its five-year cultural plan, Fortifying Maine’s Creativity & Culture. To learn more about any of the Maine Arts Commission’s arts education funding opportunities or programs, please contact Argy Nestor, Director of Arts Education at argy.nestor@maine.gov or 207/287-2713.
The Maine Arts Commission supports artists, art organizations, educators, policy makers, and community developers in advancing the arts in Maine. For more than 50 years the Commission has encouraged and stimulated public interest and participation in the cultural heritage and cultural programs of our state; has worked to expand the state’s cultural resources; and encouraged and assisted freedom of artistic expression for the well-being of the arts, to meet the needs and aspirations of persons in all parts of the state. Additional information is available at mainearts.com.
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MACs Teaching Artist roster in the news
In the Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel Central Maine newspaper an article posted yesterday on the Maine Arts Commission Teaching Artist roster. Please check it out by CLICKING HERE.

Cornville Regional Charter School
Each Wednesday Teaching Artist Shirleyanne Ratajczak has been teaching Clay Art to the students at Cornville Regional Charter School. Justin Belanger, President of the school, found Shirleyanne from the PK-12 Teaching Artist Roster on the Maine Arts Commission website. The roster was created for those seeking the expertise of a Teaching Artist. To date there are 47 artists on the roster. (The next call for Teaching Artist will go out this Spring).
Shirleyanne decided to work with the students at Cornville because they could dig clay from a local area called Belanger Pit. This intrigued Shirleyanne and she thought that it would be an excellent learning opportunity for the students.

Shirleyanne Ratajczak
The students took the raw clay harvested from the pit and processed it. They made several different objects culminating with the creation of a bowl. Some students started a Clay Club where they made bowls out of the Belanger Pit Clay for the Harvest Dinner/Concert which they sold as a fund raiser. The soup at the dinner was also made by the students using vegetables that they harvested.
This Spring, the Clay Club is planning to make flower pots out of the Belanger Pit Clay and sell them for a fund raiser at the Science Fair. They are also planning to start a plant in the pot, one Clay Club member suggested using Maple Syrup to stimulate the roots and make the plant grow bigger. Shirleyanne’s experience and knowledge as a potter is expanding the learning opportunities for students in an engaging way.