Art Educator Awards

Art Educators of Iowa, during their 2011 Fall Conference (Creativity in the City: 21st Century and Beyond) in Des Moines, celebrated the careers of several outstanding art educators at their banquet at the Hotel Savery. 

Dr. Clar Baldus shown with Chair Maggie Parks (left) and President Ronda Sternhagen (right), was named Outstanding Higher Level Art Education Art Educator. Currently, Baldus is the Administrator for Rural Schools, Inventiveness, and Visual Arts Programs at the Belin-Blank Center and the State Coordinator for Invent Iowa, an invention program that serves K-12. She is also dually appointed as Visiting Assistant Professor of Art Education and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Psychological & Quantitative Foundations Division of the College of Education at the University of Iowa. Read more...

Carol Webb (left) was named Middle School Art Educator of the Year. Webb has been the Art teacher at Miller Middle School in Marshalltown for 15 years, and has impressed parents and colleagues while working her way into the hearts of her students. Read more...


Nancy Sojka (center) was named 2011 Art Educator of the Year. Sojka has retired from teaching art at North Winneshiek School, Decorah, but continues to serve art education in the state as a webmaster for IAAE and Art Educators of Iowa and providing communications with arts educators around the state. She was also awarded the Belin-Blank Center's Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan Program in Visual Arts Award of Distinction. Read more...


Becky Sue Johnson (right) of Roosevelt High School received the 2011 Outstanding Secondary Art Educator Award. At Roosevelt she is a member of the Instructional Leadership Team and is the chair of the Fine Arts department. She is on the Art Advisory Committee and the Art Department’s Curriculum Committee for Des Moines Public Schools. She is constantly searching for ways to improve student learning. Read more...

Steve Jobs and Arts Education

"Stay hungry and stay foolish..."
We all owe a huge debt to creative people like Steve Jobs. We mourn his loss as one of our own. The Commencement address delivered by Steve Jobs a few years ago has a message about arts education that we all need to hear again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc&feature=player_embedded

Davenport BASICS Team

Due to cuts in the Federal budget, funding for 2011-12 from the Kennedy Center for the BASICS program was not available. The Davenport BASICS Team has continued with local funding. Here are some highlights of their activities:
On July 21st, the Davenport BASICS Development Team held a reception for Dr. Art Tate, Davenport Community Schools new superintendent.

On August 11, 2011, Davenport Community Schools’ elementary music and elementary and intermediate physical education teachers experienced a dance workshop presented by Dorian Byrd of the Imani Dancers Studio.

"I'm hoping you can help..."

Parents are willing to do anything to help their child in need of arts education. But very often they do not know where to turn or who can help them. If parents knew where to look, there are, actually, many resources out there to help them. Here is a blog about a parent's desire to help and some resources you can share with dedicated parents. The Power and Passion is Apparent.

Ten Things Every Teacher Should Know

From school of education experts to veteran teachers with decades of experience under their belts, eSchool News readers weighed in by the dozens with their best or most useful advice for beginning teachers. Based on these suggestions, here are the top 10 pieces of wisdom for those considering teaching (edited for brevity).
Every teacher of the arts could make additions or site examples... Have a wonderful 2011-12 school year!

JFK Partners in Education Program

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is accepting applications into its Partners in Education program, which facilitates educational partnerships between arts organizations around the nation and their local school systems.

·         Representatives from these organizations work together as Partnership Teams to establish or expand professional development programs in the arts for teachers.
·         Teams consist of one or two representatives from the arts organization and a representative from a local school system, such as a senior-level administrator responsible for professional development.
·         The team participates in an Institute that provides models and planning strategies for professional development programs in the arts for teachers.

·         Beyond the Institute, the program provides follow-up consultation and professional learning to assist teams in their continued development. 

·         The Institute is the beginning of the Partnership Team’s participation in the program and Teams are accepted based on their application.

·         The next Institute will take place April 25 through April 28, 2012 at the Kennedy Center inWashington, D.C.

                                                                                                  

For more information or to apply, please contact John Abodeely, 
202/416.8843 or visit www.kennedy-center.org/education/partners.  

Iowa Model of Excellence

Do you know a new arts educator? Would you be willing to mentor a new arts educator?

As part of the IAAE mentorship program, several great opportunities are available to new teachers during the first year of teaching, including the Fall Symposium for First Year Arts Teachers, to be held in Fort Dodge on October 29, 2011. The Iowa Alliance for Arts Education has developed a mentorship program for first and second-year arts educators in the state of Iowa. Each arts organization has a Mentorship Chair who coordinates the mentorship program.

This program is funded by a grant from the Department of Education to IAAE. As part of this program, active and retired arts educators have volunteered to observe first and second-year arts educators and offer suggestions for improvement. Mentors receive an honorarium for their work.

First-year Teacher
A $250 scholarship for professional conference attendance and/or membership dues.
Fall Symposium, meal and mileage paid. See brochure.
Observation Mentor Program, four visits

Second-year Teacher
Observation Mentor Program, two visits