12th Annual Connections: Tennessee Art Education Association Member Exhibition

It’s that time of year again! Our students are stir crazy from the cold and wet weather. Teachers are counting down the weeks until Spring Break. And TAEA is gearing up for the 12th Annual “Connections” Exhibition.

Connections: Tennessee Art Education Association Member Exhibition will celebrate its 12th anniversary in 2023. The exhibition, which premiered in 2011, will feature artwork created by Tennessee art educators, offering teachers the opportunity to display their talents and to be honored for their accomplishments in a professional environment. The art educator exhibition also provides an excellent venue to place in full display the relationship or “Connection” that exists between exemplary student art, the work that Tennessee’s talented art instructors create, and the high-quality programming that the Tennessee Arts Academy provides in its summer enrichment experiences.

Connections: Tennessee Art Education Association Member Exhibition is a juried show open to all current 2022-2023 TAEA members. No more than two (2) entries per member may be entered and must be in the form of high-resolution JPGs (minimum 300 dpi). Please crop to show artwork only (crop out mat, etc.). *Please label each image with the full name of the artist, title, medium and size of the piece. For example: John Smith_Sunrise_painting_30x40. Upload your images below. All entries must be received by March 31, 2023. 􏰁􏰃􏰁􏰂.

Anti-Racist Art Teachers' Book Club

By Kelly Hatton
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Chair

This month, TAEA will join Anti-Racist Art Teachers' book club. In honor of Women's History Month, we'll be reading We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Register here and join us on Thursday, March 24 at 7CST.

Anti-Racist Art Teachers invites Black, Indigenous, and Art Educators of Color to come together for an evening of conversation, collaboration, and community. The Resilience Circle meets bi-monthly to support and amplify BIPOC voices in the field of art education. Register here for the next meeting on Wednesday, March 30 at 7CST.

Subscribe to the Anti-Racist Art Teachers Newsletter for monthly updates, ED&I resources, and more.

NAEA Southeastern Region Leadership Conference

By Melody Weintraub

I recently attended the NAEA Southeastern Region Leadership Conference in Richmond, Virginia (June 23-26, 2021) led and coordinated by our current NAEA Southeastern Region Vice-President Catherine Campbell and Vice-President-Elect, Cheryl Maney. It was sponsored by the Virginia Art Education Association (VAEA), Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), NAEA, Blick Art Materials, NASCO and Davis Publications. There were around 30 state leaders from all across the southeast who also attended. The focus of the conference was “Cultural Competence.” Our keynote was NAEA President-Elect, Wanda Knight, who shared the updated NAEA Strategic Vision and Goals for ED&I. She also highlighted elements of her research on Racial Inequities and explained in simple terms how we can better understand the need for achieving a more equitable and diverse organization. We also heard from the NAEA Cultural Competency Committee, led by Mary Conage and which also includes TAEA’s Past-Past President, Janis Nunnally and Evan Thomas of New Jersey who is the president of NAEA’s Independent School Art Educators. Our pre-conference cultural day featured a walking tour and bus tour of some of Richmond’s most impactful murals including those which grew in response to bettering racial understanding with the “We Need to Talk” series. We also visited the historical, “Hollywood Cemetery,” where several US Presidents are buried including Presidents Monroe and Tyler. The bus tour in Richmond was narrated by VAEA Past-President, Linda Conti. Our tour of VMFA began with seeing Kehinde Wiley’s monument, “Rumors of War.” We learned that he designed it in response to the (since-removed) Confederate Statue of J.E.B. Stuart. We were also able to view the permanent collection as well as the visiting exhibition, “Dirty South,” through the generosity of VMFA who issued vouchers, presented lectures and provided space for our meetings.

On the first day of the conference, state leaders shared a state report. I was so proud to share all that our organization has accomplished in the last year; the establishment of our ED&I board position under the leadership of James Wells including our recent board training and organizational audit provided by Libya Doman, our successful YAM activities under the leadership of Melanie Anderson, the Art of Outreach Podcast initiated by Mike Mitchell, our new STARS Elementary Art Exhibition coordinated by our new Exhibitions Chair, Virginia Nix, our visibility improvements initiated by David Reynolds’ new social media campaign, the celebrity-delivered Awards Night creatively-coordinated by President-Elect Dr. David Meade, our meaningful and impactful state and regional conferences as well as our plans for our upcoming conference coordinated by Kathy Dumlao and our conference planning team. The SE Regional Leadership Conference agenda also included time for us to examine, discuss and make comments regarding NAEA position statements which are now under consideration and revision.

These leadership conference meetings always provide rich and meaningful content, which can be shared and implemented to help our own state organizations become more vibrant, but equally meaningful and impactful are the informal conversations which continue as we meet together for dinner and establish on-going conversations virtually in the days ahead.

Connections: Tennessee Art Education Association Member Exhibition

Connections: Tennessee Art Education Association Member Exhibition will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2021. The exhibition, which premiered in 2011, will feature artwork created by Tennessee art educators, offering teachers the opportunity to display their talents and to be honored for their accomplishments in a professional environment. The art educator exhibition also provides an excellent venue to place in full display the relationship or “Connection” that exists between exemplary student art, the work that Tennessee’s talented art instructors create, and the high-quality programming that the TAA provides in its summer enrichment experiences.

Connections: Tennessee Art Education Association Member Exhibition is a juried show open to all current 2020-2021 TAEA members. No more than two (2) entries per member may be entered and must be in the form of high-resolution JPGs (minimum 300 dpi). Please crop to show artwork only (crop out mat, etc.). Please label each image with the full name of the artist, title, medium, and size of the piece. For example: John Smith -“Sunrise”-painting-30x40. E-mail images to: artzylibby@gmail.com. Please include your cell phone number and mailing address with your email submission! All entries must be received by March 31, 2021.

The first-place winner will receive a cash award of $200 and the artwork will be published in the TAEA Newsletter, on the TAA website, and in a special TAA virtual exhibition video. Cash awards for second and third place and honorable mentions will also be awarded. For questions please call Libby Lynch at 731-695-3127 or e-mail artzylibby@gmail.com. You may also contact the TAA office by phone (615-460-5451) or email (taa@belmont.edu).


The Best of the Best and Connections exhibitions are co-sponsored by the Tennessee Arts Academy and the Tennessee Art Education Association. Special thanks to Jim Dodson, the 2021 TAA Best of the Best coordinator and the founder and creator of the Best of the Best and Connections exhibitions. Additional thanks to TAA’s Visual Art Director Libby Lynch and TAEA’s Virginia Nix who serves as the 2021 coordinators of the Connections exhibition.

Youth Art Month - It's Time!

Teachers…It’s time to get your students excited about creating!

Submit up to 10 entries per school per category:

Elementary (Grades K-5)
Middle School (Grades 6-8)
High School (Grades 9-12)

 

The theme for the banner contest this year is

Art Connects Us

 

Deadline for entry is January 15, 2021

Winners announced January 29, 2021

 

Please email artwork and the attached forms to Melanie Anderson: melanie.anderson@acsk-12.org

 

See attached packet for full details about the TAEA Yam Challenge and Banner Contest

 

New sponsors include Blick Art Materials, The Art of Education University,

Royal & Langnickel, KolorMondo and Plaza Artist Materials and Picture Framing.

 

 


 


           

 

  

 

TAEA President’s Message 2020

Dear TAEA Members and Friends,

As we close out on the year 2020, I wanted to remind you how much you are appreciated and valued by our organization. Many of you have faced difficulties not only in learning new media and technology platforms this year, but you have also faced new challenges teaching in person. Some of you have done this while also helping your own children at home to keep up virtually with their lessons. Thank you for always looking for creative ways to make your lessons more engaging while maintaining the integrity of your curriculum. It matters. You are making a difference in the lives of your students even now—especially now. No one deserves this winter break more than you!

 

At TAEA, our membership has fluctuated a little, but we are closing out 2020 with an increase in our membership! Welcome new and renewed members! Please know that we want you to play an active role in the future of TAEA. If you would like to become more involved, here are some committees and interest groups where you might find a place to serve.

 

This year we created a new Board Position for Community Outreach. Mike Mitchell was appointed director and immediately began a weekly podcast called, “The Art of Outreach” on Spotify. Each week he interviews an art educator from Tennessee who is able to share what they are doing in their corner of the world to make a difference through art. Contact: Mike Mitchell mmitchell@mauryk12.org

 

This year we also established an interest group for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. James Wells is chairing this group and has already initiated a survey to learn more from our members. As a result, he moderated a panel discussion during our Fall Conference and is looking forward to our membership taking the lead as we learn ways to add diversity to our organization.

Contact: James Wells jwells@crayola.com

 

We are also moving forward in the field of Arts Advocacy with our new director of Advocacy, Amanda Tutor. Amanda is working with Stephen Coleman at ArtsEd Tennessee to educate our members on ways that they can become better equipped to effectively advocate for the arts.

Contact: Amanda Tutor atutor@bartlettschools.org

 

This year we also welcomed a new Chair of Exhibitions. Virginia Nix has brought a new vibrancy to our Board and has engaged a team of members who are thinking up new ways that TAEA can provide new opportunities to highlight impactful student art all across Tennessee. This collaboration is looking at establishing a statewide TAEA Elementary Art Exhibition. You will learn more about this initiative in the days ahead.

Contact: Virginia Nix virginia.nix@wcs.edu

 

Due to the pandemic, the venue for our regional and state conferences has shifted for the time being to a virtual platform. Our three regions collaborated for our first virtual summer studio conference last July. Plans are now underway for a Spring 2021 Combined Regional Conference that will not only be engaging, but interactive. Stay tuned for more information coming out in January! If you are interested in becoming involved in our Fall 2021 Conference Planning, contact Past-President Kathy Dumlao kathy.dumlao@brooksmuseum.org or Awards Chair, President-Elect David Meade meadearts@gmail.com

 

Last March, when a devastating tornado ravaged 100-mile path through Middle and East Tennessee, we wanted our state art educators to know that TAEA cares. So, we developed a TAEA Tornado Task Force to seek out those art teachers whose classrooms were most damaged. In a statewide effort, we gathered and distributed donated supplies. We then set up a GoFund Me page and with the help of NASCO, we were able to supply gift cards for those teachers totaling over $1900.

 

As we look to the days ahead in 2021, we at TAEA want you to know that this is YOUR professional organization. We exist not only to serve you, but also to be made more vibrant by your unique gifts, vision and passion for art education. May 2021 be a happier new year for all of us as we strive together to make a difference in the lives of others through art.

 

Sincerely,

Melody Weintraub

President, Tennessee Art Education Association

melodyweintraub@gmail.com

 

 

TAEA Elections

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You’re probably tired of hearing about elections, aren’t you? As the election season draws closer, we can’t seem to get away from the Election. Even within TAEA, the importance of elections is fundamental to our organizations continued growth. Your voice in elections, guides the future and vision of TAEA. And BONUS! There is no Electoral College to get in the way! Casting your ballot for your TAEA Representatives and Board Positions is direct.

This year, our TAEA Elections center on the Regional Representatives. Each region, East, Middle, and West, have a representative on the board, whose responsibility it is to organize the Regional Conferences and speak up for their region. The Regional Representatives make sure that each area of this long, horizontal state are heard and equal.

Be sure to cast your vote for your choices for East, Middle, and West Tennessee Representatives. You can read all about their experience and vision on our Nomination and Election Page.

West TN Regional Student Art Exhibition

One of TAEA’s jobs is to inform and support art teachers with information about upcoming opportunities to promote the Arts. And what better way to do that than with the Regional Student Art Exhibitions? You get to showcase the amazing artwork that your students are producing to an entire region!

As part of National Arts in Education Week (September 13 - 19), TAEA is spreading the word about these upcoming exhibitions. You may have seen our email with the East TN Regional Student Art Exhibition… Now it is West TN’s turn!

Don’t worry Middle TN! Your turn is coming soon!

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