Here We Go!

Here we go!

It's January 5^th, 2011, and I’m continuing my irregularly scheduled interview with Teaching Artist Anthem Salgado, here in San Francisco.

Q: Anthem, the question of the day is “Can you make a living as a Teaching Artist?" Most people, according to Nick Rabkin's Teaching Artist Research Project, are making $17,000 a year on average as a TA, which, of course, is not sustainable. But we’re still doing it! So, do you think people can actually make a living doing this work?

Anthem: (laughs) I would have to say you can make a living probably as a new or emerging Teaching Artist, because it would be satisfactory for you to be earning that much early in your career, but there’s no real upward mobility in the field, so, in that respect, you cannot make a living as a Teaching Artist in the long term. A lot of Teaching Artists I know are multiple freelancers. So Teaching Artist is just one among many titles that they carry throughout the course of the week just to be able to put together some decent money.

Q: We call ourselves professionals. Is that something we should just accept? How are we professional if there’s no way to make an actual living in the field? Are we then not professionals?

A: I guess most people define professional as getting paid. So if you’re getting paid you’re a professional. If you’re going to define professional by some sort of expertise...I guess in that respect you can be a professional. You can be specialized as a Teaching Artist. But if you compare it to other career choices where other individuals call themselves professional, probably it wouldn’t carry the same kind of weight. And I would go so far as to say that artists and Teaching Artists alike have this misnomer that we call career, because there isn’t a straight ahead career path for artists and Teaching Artists the same way  there might be in other fields…in business or medicine or law. So, in that respect, there’s not really a full on career. We’re basically like eternal freelancers. I’d love to see that change, but, right now, that’s just the case.

Q: For people who are in education programs getting their MAs or MFAs , or just working as artists trying to cobble together this kind of career, what is your advice? Should they really be pursuing it?

A: I would say…if I was going to be blunt? I would say no. (laughs) But that’s not advice, that’s just an opinion. The advice I would really give is interview as many mentors and leaders in the field as possible to find out what you’re really getting  into. Because so many people have an image of themselves within the work, but they don’t have an image of themselves within the field. So a lot of us are up for rude awakenings, because we haven’t mentally prepared ourselves for the actual reality of working in the field...because we haven’t asked those kind of career questions of our mentors.

Next on ATA Blog: Anthem suggests the essential questions every emerging TA should ask.

The Meaning of ATA

What does the Association of Teaching Artists mean to our field?

A few years ago my colleagues and I were in the midst of a sensitive and somewhat drawn-out negotiation of a teaching artist union contract. I needed some outside perspective, and when I came upon the Association of Teaching Artists, I called Dale Davis. We had a long conversation about issues surrounding intellectual property, similar situations that other teaching artists had faced, and ramifications of parallel contracts in higher education contexts. We didn't necessarily nail down the answers, but Dale took the time to help me ask the right questions. And if there's one thing that we as teaching artists are called to do – in our ongoing quest to find balance in art-making and educating – it's ask the right questions. 

I am grateful that I could make that call, and like other colleagues who have written this week, I am thankful that ATA provides a mechanism for sharing best practices – for encouraging emerging teaching artists – and for asking the right questions that continue to deepen the professionalism of our field. 

Please consider joining me in donating today!

You can make a check payable to ATA and mailed to:The Association of Teaching Artists155 South Main Street Fairport, New York 14450-2517

Or online, at:  http://www.teachingartists.com/membershippay.htm

Sonya RobinsonDirector, Artist Corps New Orleans

ATA Provides A Forum

This is my first year as an ATA Board Member. When asked to join the ATA Board, I said "yes" for several reasons. I have been a teaching artist, continue to work with teaching artists and have the greatest respect for the profession and the myriad of creative skills that teaching artists share with the students they work with.

ATA provides a forum to share information and advocate for the profession. Especially in these difficult economic times, we need a place where our voices can come together. Because I want to make that voice a little stronger, I will be contributing to the ATA appeal and encourage you to do the same.

Sharon Vatsky, ATA Board Member

Who Speaks For Teaching Artists?

Who speaks for teaching artists?

Artists don't generally have a problem expressing themselves. After all, art is about the expression of an idea.

Teaching artists generally don't have a problem communicating, since teaching is one of the most fundamental forms of communication.

However, when teaching artists gather and share tales of charming students, grateful parents and helpful administrators, eventually other stories emerge: the frustrations of legal limitations, poor pay rates, and absent medical benefits. A collective sigh is often heard, "Can't someone do something about this? Who can we talk to, who might know what to do?"

Does anyone hear these lamentations? Do these notes from a bitter song find an audience? Who listens to teaching artists?

ATA does.

But who shares these stories, both the charming ones and the frustrating ones? Who lets teaching artists know that they are not, in fact, alone?

ATA does.

How does ATA do it? Despite being a tiny organization with a miniscule budget (with our entire budget, we couldn't afford to buy even half of a 2004 Toyota Prius) ATA is dedicated to helping teaching artists communicate with one another, with potential employers, and with the world at large.

Our website, our listserve, our Facebook page, and our blog are all devoted to presenting the many points of view teaching artists possess. And in 2011, we're engaging in our most ambitious project yet: a Teaching Artists Congress, which will gather key figures from across the nation to address the state of teaching artistry, and hopefully, generate some momentum that will empower teaching artists and strengthen their positions within organizations and community groups.

ATA needs your help to maintain its current projects and to take things forward. Yes, the recession makes donating even more difficult-- but financial challenges are something teaching artists contend with, even during a stable economy. Please consider contributing to the advancement of teaching artists by supporting ATA, with whatever amount you can.

Who speaks for teaching artists?

ATA does.

In everything we do, we try to give a voice to those talented people who help others find expression in their lives.

Who helps ATA?

Now that's a question only YOU can answer

Sincerely,

Phil Alexander
Board Chair, Association of Teaching Artists

Enough About Me

For the past two years or so, ATA blog has been, for me, a sort of diary. Sometimes I get serious and write about the hows and whys and ways in which we teach and my favorite books. Often, I just post links to my favorite music videos and complain about how hard it is to make a dollar and a dream.   The issues I write about arise from my experience as a community-oriented teaching artist, and from my strong belief that art is probably the answer, no matter the question. This blog is advocacy, but it’s also kind of an ongoing art project.

I usually begin by acknowledging the truth, which is hardly ever easy, at least in the beginning. The current reality, for many of us, is that we have full artistic lives, we teach part-time, we probably have inadequate training as teachers (at least in the beginning), and we are, generally, poorly compensated.[1]

We arrive in the classroom through many different doorways, some of us by necessity, some of us because we feel we are called to teach.[2]

We do our work in a variety of contexts—schools, church basements—and, although many of us have advanced degrees in education or art, many of us don’t. Many of us learned, or are learning, how to teach on the job. In a supposedly professional field, this reality raises big questions:

Is the professional artist with no advanced degree, certification or background in education really qualified to teach?

What are the qualities of effective teaching and what basic skills, competencies and understandings should a professional teaching artist possess?

This blog addresses these questions over and over and over again because the terrain keeps presenting new challenges. As Dale Davis, ATA's Executive Director often requests, please contribute to ATA, and email your thoughts, comments and links to things that TAs might use. Your input helps make ATA a resource for teaching artists who, "qualified" or not, are out there doing the work.

Go Teach!


Also: The Trammps - Disco Inferno

[1] Teaching Artist Research Project http://www.nea.gov/research/Workforce-Forum/PDF/Rabkin.pdf

[2] Teaching Artists and their Work http://www.teachingartists.com/Association%20of%20Teaching%20Artists%20Survey%20Results.pdf

The End

Sometimes, the good news is the same as the bad news. This is preamble to the announcement that I have to quit writing this blog. Happily, I have recently accepted a gig in San Francisco, and, since there are only so many hours in the day, sadly, I am out of here.

I have enjoyed keeping this teaching artist blog for the Association of Teaching Artists, and I hope it has been of some use, or, at least, diverting.

Dear professional Teaching Artist: I appreciate you, and I hope you keep in touch by email. If you are a teaching artist who would like to keep a regular blog for other teaching artists, please contact Dale Davis and she'll give you the hook  up!

If you miss me, I can still be found here and here.

As usual, I will close with some rambling essential truths, a couple of slogans and a few random calls to action:

1. ATA's Executive Director, Dale Davis, is a hero and a visionary! The Association of Teaching Artists would not exist without her. This organization belongs to you, the working TA, and with your commitment and contributions it has the potential to be a national organizing body for professional teaching artists. Do something!

2. Teaching Artists of the world, unite! Demand a living wage, healthcare and some sort of a pension plan. They will never give us what we need unless we push for it, and even then, probably not, because paying people what they need to survive is not cost efficient.

3. We do the work.

Also: Got To Get You Into My Life - Earth, Wind & Fire

A Message From Dale Davis

July 21st, 2010


A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR


Members of the ATA Listserv,

ATA thanks Board Chair Glenn McClure for his years of service on the Board. Thank you Glenn for your commitment and all the expertise you brought to the ATA Board.

And ATA thanks Georgia Popoff for the dedication she brought to ATA. Georgia's experience and insight as a Teaching Artists and her advocacy for those in the profession are unparalleled.

ATA thanks you Glenn and Georgia!

This is the beginning of ATA's twelfth year and more than ever your financial contributions are important to us. We need your help.http://www.teachingartists.com/membershippay.htm

And here we are in midsummer!

Dale Davis
Executive Director
The Association of Teaching Artists

Too Hot, Two Hot

The Association of Teaching Artists (ATA) is a not for profit professional organization whose mission is to strengthen and serve Teaching Artists from all disciplines in New York State and beyond.

Connect. Get jobs.  Go Teach!*

*There are two job listings below. My favorite is the second one-where they say they would like to hire an artist with a Master's Degree, years of experience, and the ability to speak Mandarin. It pays $20/hr, plus health benefits.  Good luck everybody! You're going to need it.

JULY JOB LISTINGS

1. PROGRAM COORDINATOR – URBAN ARTS PARTNERSHIP
Urban Arts Partnership is seeking a team-oriented, enthusiastic Program Coordinator to join its full-time staff.  Urban Arts Partnership advances the intellectual, social and artistic development of underserved public school students through arts-integrated education programs to close the achievement gap.  Currently, Urban Arts is providing over 60 New York City schools with in-school and after-school arts programs.
The primary responsibilities are facilitating the development of an arts based literacy curricula targeting the improvement of literacy and fluency skills in English Language Learners; overseeing the implementation of quality arts education programs in Urban Arts' portfolio of schools; collaboratively working with the program department staff to coordinate special events and workshops, and providing support for teaching artists. The Program Coordinator reports to the Director of Programs.

Responsibilities:

Works with the Program Department to develop and implement comprehensive arts programming for a wide range New York City Public schools.

Works closely with a staff of 70+ teaching artists to help them develop their curricula, evaluate their    programs and maintain the organization's high standard of arts education.

Develops and maintains proactive relationships with school administration and partner organizations. Develops, coordinates and presents professional development workshops to staff and teaching artists. Prepares quarterly and end of year programmatic reports.

Skills and Experience:

2+ years of experience in arts administration or non-profit administration.  Comprehensive experience developing and implementing programs.  Experience with ELL/ESL literacy curricula and development of ELL/ESL programs. Familiarity with the arts education community of New York and the non-profit sector. Background and interest in the arts . A creative and innovative approach to program development . Exceptional writing, editorial, and verbal communication skills. Ability to multi-task and trouble-shoot . A dedicated team player who is able to take initiative and work independently . Ability to deliver effective public presentations .  Excels in a fast-paced, open office environment.  Proficiency in Microsoft Office. Experience working with NYC DOE classroom teachers a plus.
To apply: Send a cover letter, resume and three references to jobs@urbanarts.org

2. TEACHING ARTIST

Salary: $20.00/hour + Benefits (medical, dental, paid vacation, holidays and sick days
Education: Bachelor (BA, BS, etc.)
Location: Elmhurst, New York, 11373, United States
Posted by: Arts & Literacy Afterschool Program

Last day to apply: August 31, 2010
Last updated: July 2, 2010


Description:
Innovative after school and summer program seeks teaching artist for elementary schools serving children ages 5-12 in Elmhurst, Queens. The teaching artist teaches her/his discipline to a group of twenty students incorporating literacy in the widest sense of the word. Our teachers work 21 hours per week (Monday -Thursday from 2:15pm-6pm and Fridays 12pm-6pm).

We are looking for versatile teachers who are open to feedback and are excited to be a part of a creative team. We are also open to interdisciplinary artists who can create dynamic curriculums merging two art forms i.e. Yoga and storytelling. The teaching artists are responsible for creating their own lesson plans, communicating with parents and day-time teachers, providing homework help, and creating final projects with the students. We are interested in teachers who focus in any of the following art forms: dance, music, drama, visual arts, yoga, martial arts, photography and video.

Additional Qualifications:
Masters Preferred, BA required. EXPERIENCED TEACHING ARTISTS ONLY. Bilingual Mandarin Required.
How to Apply:
Please email your cover letter and resume to Erica Mena at emena@hispanicfamilyservicesny.org.

Also: I'm Not Your Superwoman  - Karyn White

The Other Side

As you may have noticed, blogging may be light because I am out of town co-teaching a seminar at Stanford University in the Center to Support Excellence in Teaching. Dreams do come true.

Teaching artists in New York may be shocked to learn, as I was, that secondary public School  classrooms in San Francisco may have a class size of 40 students. Still, the weather is fine here, which must be some consolation.

Also: Please visit ATA on Facebook, and join the ATA forum on Yahoo.

Only the Good

CommonGround, the annual gathering of New York State Arts Educators, is wrapping up today in Albany. David Steiner was there, giving a speech which I heard like music from another room. Afterward,  there was talk among the group I was in about how we as arts educators need to start assessing our work the same way the teachers over in the math department do, which sounds perfectly reasonable, until you realize it's impossible. We all decided that the assessment tools we use are going to look different than the ones used over in the math department, and I think everyone agrees that we're going to need a few more minutes to talk about it.

I took a terrific workshop on planning with John Bertles of Bash the Trash, and chatted with Kaya Chwals of Urban Arts Partnership, and with Laura Reeder of Teaching Artist Journal. I felt lucky to be there. Presenting with colleague Annie Montgomery,  I had productive conversations with fellow Teaching Artists from across the state, and some of my takeaways are below. 

I think, perhaps:

• Teaching Artists need to be trained in assessment, and we need to start making the process of creating assessment tools a more routine part of the job;

• Teaching Artists need to understand the role of the arts administrator, because we can help. Also, many of us are dual role TA/administrators in small organizations with big workloads. Help.

• Providing ongoing professional development and training to TAs is vitally important, and  budget cuts have reduced the amount of TA trainings organizations are able to provide. Are Apprenticeships part of the answer?

Despite what seemed like low attendance overall, teaching artists were there--I saw them--and I think we still have a future in this business.

It's Friday, and ATA is on Facebook with Teaching Artists galore.

Live it up!

Also: Days Go By - D. Vegas

More, Or Less

It is kind of an open secret that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is one of the non-profit sector's most reliable anonymous donors. Through an arrangement with the Carnegie Corporation, the richest man in town annually gives millions of dollars away to arts and cultural organizations across the city--usually without requiring groups to submit huge amounts of onerous paperwork.

A recent New York Times article reveals that some questioned the mayor's altruism all along, and confirms that nothing lasts forever:

"Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, New York City’s richest man and biggest philanthropist, is quietly pulling the plug on an unusual program that has poured nearly $200 million of his fortune into nonprofit groups across the five boroughs."

In Politics: President Barack Obama postpones a Pacific trip, because a Sunday vote on the "health care" legislation is likely, and he wants to be here to take the blame or credit.

Plus: It is Friday and ATA is on Facebook!

Also: Jill Scott - Hate On Me

Useful Things

From ATA Executive Director, Dale Davis:

There are some new resources on the ATA Homepage.

Thanks to ATA Board Member Russell Granet, The Dana Foundation's and VSA arts of Texas' webposium for teaching artists, moderated by Russell Granet, conducted at City Hall in Austin, Texas on Friday, January 29, 2010 is now available on the ATA Homepage. The webposium is a not to be missed opportunity for Teaching Artists to view an online discussion about the challenges and successes of working with students with disabilities.

In response to the many, many inquiries in regard to conferences of interest for Teaching Artists, the ATA Homepage will list Conferences of Interest to Teaching Artists. Your input is needed to build this important resource. Have you attended a conference in the past that was extremely helpful to your work as a Teaching Artist, please let me know ddavis@teachingartists.com and we can post this year's conference.

Also please let me know: (1) What do you look for in a conference; (2) What do you like to come away with from a conference; (3) How far are you willing to travel to attend a conference.

Thank you! With resources so tight right now, shared information on conferences is important!

And lastly, the results from the Teaching Artists and Their Work Survey will be posted on  the ATA Homepage in May.

Dale

Dale Davis

Executive Director

The Association of Teaching Artists

Off the Shelf

Reading is fundamental:

bell hooks - Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom

Mike Rose - Why School? 

Marcia L. Tate - Shouting Won't Grow Dendrites: 20 Techniques for Managing a Brain-Compatible Classroom

Finally: It's Friday, and ATA is on Facebook.

Plus: Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - They All Laughed (Gershwin)

Honoring a Teaching Artist

 
From Philip A. Alexander, Ph.D.

Honoring a Teaching Artist
As some of you have learned already, Rochester-based teaching artist Barnetta Carter passed away last Thurday, at age 53, after a battle with diabetes and vascular dementia. She was part of the ESP community for several years, as a theatre teaching artist with Young Audiences of Rochester and as a participant at several Summer Seminars on the Sarah Lawrence campus. Her work demonstrates so much about the powerful influence of a dedicated and thoughtful teaching artist: she was known for inspiring students with her unflagging support, while also pushing herself and her colleagues to do their best. She was one of those people who provided the vital support system for creative kids that Michael Giacchino referred in his Oscar speech.

Barnetta’s experiences outside the classroom also reflect the breadth and depth of what it means to be a teaching artist. Her continued employment as a teaching artist through NYSCA’s ESP program gave Barnetta the financial stability to buy a house. Regrettably, when her health care necessitated a 24-hour facility, Barnetta’s savings were quickly depleted and her family and friends developed a grass roots internet campaign. Many in the arts-in-ed community responded, including the ESP program (which donated proceeds from the sale of Summer Seminar merchandise to the cause, which ultimately raised over $10,000.

Barnetta’s family plans for her internment in Nashville, TN. For updated information, and to share any memories you might have of Barnetta and her remarkable spirit, please log on to: http://www.barnettacarter.net/

And for those who didn’t know Barnetta:

In her honor, I’d like to ask you to find some way to honor and celebrate the contribution of a teaching artist over the next few days. While some sort of financial compensation or health care coverage would be welcome, I’m sure, I think they’d also appreciate any creative ways that you might acknowledge their impact on your life and the lives of people in the schools and the community.

Reminding artists how valuable they are to all of us: “It’s not a waste of time. Do it.”


Cheers,


Philip A. Alexander, Ph.D.
Senior Program Officer
ESP Office of Partnership Support and Research

Listings

Messages on the ATA Digest today include the following items posted by ATA Executive Director, Dale Davis.

Are you on Dale's List?

From the ATA Digest:

• A Call for Teaching Artists With Disabilities Fellowship Program

Application deadline: April 23, 2010

VSA recognizes the positive influence of the arts to advance teaching
and learning in the classroom. Because a skilled teaching artist can
foster creative engagement and help build an inclusive environment,
VSA is seeking outstanding teaching artists with disabilities for the
Teaching Artist Fellows program.

The VSA Teaching Artist Fellowship program seeks to identify, engage,
and support teaching artists with disabilities in the visual and
performing arts.

Find more information on this fellowship @ http://www.vsarts.org/ or email info@vsarts.org

• Announcing the 2010 VSA arts Playwright Discovery Call for Scripts
The VSA arts Playwright Discovery Program invites middle and high
school students to take a closer look at the world around them,
examine how disability affects their lives and the lives of others. 

Find more information on this call for scripts @ http://www.vsarts.org/ or email info@vsarts.org

•Building A Creative Life as a Teaching Artist
Panel Discussion presented by the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation and
Moore College of Art and Design
Friday, March 19, 2010, 6:00-8:00pm
Moore College of Art and Design, 20th Street and the Parkway,
Philadelphia.

Find more information on this event @ http://bartol.org/teaching-artist-programs/workshops/march19/

Learning to Stretch

Sometimes, Teaching Artists have to take a multi-disciplinary approach to the work; moving beyond a specific expertise. It can be challenging. For instance, a playwright working as teaching artist might find the need arises to weave music, dance, or even visual art skills and concepts into a residency.

TAs who are looking to advance their knowledge and understanding of the visual arts, might be interested to know that the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) offers a slew of art history courses, many of which are sold out.

Among the courses still open for registration:

German Expressionist Prints

Five Mondays, 6:30–8:20 p.m., 3/15, 3/22, 4/5, 4/12, 4/19 (no class on 3/29)
$260; $220 for members
Instructor: Iris Schmeisser

1960s Art in Japan (1954–1974)

Five Mondays, 6:00–7:50 p.m., 3/22, 4/5, 4/12, 4/19, 4/26 (no class on 3/29)
$260; $220 for members
Instructors: Reiko Tomii and Midori Yoshimoto

Conceptual Photography

Eight Thursdays, 7:00–8:50 p.m., 3/11, 3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29
$415; $355 for members
Instructor: Béatrice Gross

Visit MoMA for information and registration.

Also: It's Friday and ATA is on Facebook and Yahoo!

Come hang out.

We Do the Work

On ATA's Yahoo Forum, a member mentions A Teaching Artist at Work by Barbara McKean.

It's a terrific book. For example, in an excerpt posted on ATA's website, the author gives some useful background and context for the term Teaching Artist:

"The term teaching artist first appeared in the 1970s through the work at the Lincoln Center Institute and its arts education programs. I began working in classrooms and in education programs with professional theatres, the term artist-in-residence or artist-teacher was used to set us apart from the arts specialists employed by school districts or artists who did not participate in teaching. Today teaching artist has be come the term to used to describe the wide range of activities for those individuals who both practice their art form and engage in teaching others the knowledge and processes they employ as artists.

Teaching artists are distinguished from those who dedicate most of their time to teaching the arts in schools and are licensed teachers and from master-teachers who share specific knowledge and techniques from their won work in a limited workshop-type environment.

Teaching artists in education are expected to work as artists as well as invest themselves in the creation and implementation of project in collaboration with other teachers or education staff. The modifier—teaching—highlights the pedagogical nature of the work. It helps the individual conceive of teaching as the activity that modifies and drives the education approach of the art form."

From Barbara McKean, A Teaching Artist At Work: Theater with Young People In Educational Settings, Heinemann, 2006.

Finally, it is Friday and ATA is on Facebook. That's 800 teaching artists who have information, knowledge and resources for teaching artists.

Share.

Also: The People In Your Neighborhood - Sesame Street

Adult Education

Teaching Artists who work with adults with developmental disabilities may be interested in joining the ATA Yahoo Forum to find ways to:

(1) network with others who are doing or are interested in similar activities;

(2) facilitate more opportunities for the individuals that they work with to be active creatively in the community;

(3) affect the public's perceptions of people with disabilities;

(4) affect policy makers/voters/legislators whose actions affect the lives of members of the disabled community

If you have an interest in working around these issues with other teaching artists, click through to join the conversation on the ATA Yahoo Forum.

Also: An excerpt from FIRST LOVE a duet by Charles L. Mee. This play is available, along with Mr. Mee's other works, online at the (re)making project. The website invites visitors to "feel free to take the plays from this website and use them freely as a resource for your own work", which is kind of spectacular.

FIRST LOVE by Charles L. Mee

EDITH
Shove up.

HAROLD [awakened from sleeping--still half-asleep, disoriented]
What?

EDITH
Shove up I said shove up.

HAROLD
What what?

EDITH
I want to sit down here.

Click through to continue reading...

Certify My Love

"Hi, I'm trying to figure out how to become a part-time art teacher..."

If only it were that simple.

Join the Association of Teaching Artists Forum on Yahoo to find zillions of questions like the one above, and answers. Subscribers get ATA's daily email newsletter, with notes from Executive Director Dale Davis, FREE.

As you know, today is Monday, and this is Whitney Houston with the anthem - The Greatest Love of All

Lest We Forget

The Association of Teaching Artists (ATA) is a non-profit professional organization whose mission is to strengthen and serve Teaching Artists from all disciplines in New York State. The Association of Teaching Artists strives to create a community of professional Teaching Artists by: Empowering the practice of Teaching Artists' as a profession; Providing a network for communication and the exchange of resources; Shaping the field of Arts in Education; Providing advocacy, training, and professional development; Publicly recognizing distinguished achievement.

Video: Martin Luther King Jr. on Love and Non-Violence

Also: Marvin Gaye - Everybody Needs Love