Artists-in-Schools
Winter Wonderland

Brr! The cold snap has finally hit! But don't worry - we've got some fun winter activities to help you and your students stay warm this January.
 
Storyteller  Michelle Cornell offers snowy stories from around the world.
 
Musician and storyteller Zak Morgan will have your students singing for a snow day.
 
We're getting into the chilly heart of winter here, but it's summertime in the southern hemisphere! Australian Seona McDowell brings a bit of the Land Down Under with her wherever she goes.
Artist News

This fall Cleveland's weekday arts & culture radio program  The Sound of Applause invited Hal Walker to discuss music education and the science of sound. The show was recorded before a live studio audience of fifth graders! Students were fascinated by the unique array of instruments Hal brought to the show. The archived recording is available online. Listen now.
Amazing mosaics! In a residency program this fall,  Delaware Mosaics  work ed  with teachers and students at a Hilliard middle school to create unique tiled panels to enliven a common area on school grounds. The school shared, "S tudents were able to witness what it is to be a working artist, how art can continue to be part of your life even outside of school, and become part of a project bigger than themselves." WOSU TV's Broad and High documented the experience. Watch now.

Hank Fincken will be a part of this year's TechFest in Dayton, February 13-14. TechFest is a fun family event featuring the STEM fields: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. There will be lots of activities for kids of all ages to enjoy. The weekend includes hands-on experiences, exhibits, demonstrations and games. Hank will add the arts to the mix as he brings industrialists Thomas Alva Edison and Henry Ford to life through his theatrical presentations. Learn more.

We've Known Rivers returns to the Ohio Statehouse for a series of lunchtime presentations this February.  We've Known Rivers aims to enhance and encourage the culture awareness of youth and adults, especially as it relates to African-American History.  The group includes two members of OAAE's Artists-in-Schools roster: Anthony Gibbs and Annette Jefferson

The schedule is as follows:
 
February 2 - Anthony Gibbs as John Parker
February 9 - Annette Jefferson as Mahalia Jackson
February 16 - Sandra Quick on "The Right to Vote" a collection of 3 vignettes.
February 23 - Dr. Carren Moham as Marion Anderson  
Opportunities
Take Action!

The State Board of Education has started the search for Ohio's next State Superintendent of Public Instruction. As part of this process, educators and the public are invited to complete a brief survey about what qualities are desired in the next superintendent. 

Although the survey provides set responses, there is space to make additional recommendations. Following the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education Advocacy Agenda the OAAE recommends that Ohio's next superintendent support the following: 

  • Student access to a complete curriculum that includes the arts in every public school 
  • Well-supported teachers qualified in the subjects they are teaching 
  • Adequate state funding for public schools Equitable distribution of state resources for public schools 
  • A fair and realistic accountability system for schools, teachers, and students. 

You can complete the survey online. The deadline to participate is January 27, 2016.
Ohio History Day Button Design Contest

Buttons are a long-standing National History Day tradition, and last year Ohio History Day started a new tradition! The Ohio History Connection invites students to design this year's feature Ohio History Day button. The button contest is open to all students, whether they are creating a History Day project or not. The winning design will be chosen by award winning artist and educator Ron Anderson.

Contest rules:
  • Button design will need to fit a 1.25" button.
  • Design should be appropriate for all ages. Designs that highlight Ohio and this year's NHD theme 'Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History' will have a competitive edge.
  • Designs can be hand drawn or produced digitally, but all designs must be submitted as a 300 dpi 5MB (or less) JPEG file via email to historyday@ohiohistory.org subject line "Button." You will receive an email reply to confirm your submission was received.
  • Three design submissions per person.
  • Submissions are due by midnight March 14, 2016.

The top three designs will be recognized at the State Competition on April 30, 2016 and will receive a free limited edition run of their button to share with family and friends. The winning design will be produced as the feature button for Ohio at the State and National competitions. 
Winter Workshops from Arts Alive

Arts Alive, a member of the Partners in Education Program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will offer two workshops for educators this winter.
 
Engaging Early Readers through the Arts
January 26, 2016
4 - 7 p.m.
For teachers of pre-K through 3rd grade
 
Learn the foundations of arts integration and useful strategies for combining children's literature with dynamic visual art and drama activities. Take home a copy of a classic Margaret Wise Brown book and immediate ideas to use with your students. This workshop presents pre- and post-lesson ideas for the Clark State Performing Arts Center Good Night Moon and Run Away Bunny, on Tuesday, Feb 9, but these learning strategies will apply throughout your school year!
 
Analytical Action: The Math-Arts Connection
February 9, 2016
4:30 - 7:30 p.m.
For teachers of 2nd-8th grade
 
Get your students up and moving as they brainstorm, design, and present mathematical concepts with project based learning activities. Harness the power of music and visual art to apply mathematical concepts. This workshop presents pre- and post-lesson ideas for the Springfield Museum of Art Art & Math exhibit, Nov 2015-Sept 2016, and the Clark State Performing Arts Center Students in the Symphony Concert on Feb 26, 2016. These learning strategies will apply throughout your school year!
 
Registration is online. Graduate credit and CEU's are available.
 
Arts Alive partners include Clark State Community College, the Springfield City School District, the Springfield Museum of Art, Wittenberg University, and the Springfield Arts Council.
Dance Integration Workshop for Educators

Mansfield-area educators interested in honing their arts integration skills are invited to take part in a professional development workshop in January. The program is offered through the Mansfield Partners in Education Program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Geometry in Motion
January 26, 2016
4:30 - 7:30 p.m.

The workshop will be led by Tom Evert, founder of the internationally acclaimed company DANCEVERT, Evert is a member of the Ohio Arts Council's Arts Learning Artist Directory, and is the 2015 of the Ohio Dance Award.

The Mansfield Partners in Education team includes the Mansfield Art Center, the Renaissance Performing Arts Association, and Mansfield City Schools.
Professional Development for Cleveland-area Educators

Insightful advice! This unique session, hosted by the Cleveland Arts Education Consortium, will highlight today's funding needs, trends, and priorities throughout Cleveland and surrounding communities as seen through the lens of area funders and funding institutions.

The cost is only $15 for CAEC members, or $30 for non-members

Today's Funding Priorities
January 28, 2016 
8:30 - 10:30 am
CSU Parker Hannifin Hall Rooms 104-105

Panelists include: Jennifer Coleman (George Gund Foundation), Kathleen Hallissey (The Cleveland Foundation), Daniel Keenan (Martha Holden Jennings Foundation), and Jill Paulson (Cuyahoga Arts and Culture)

Call For Student Advocates

Arts Day 2016 is coming up and the Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation is seeking high school students to participate! The annual Student Advocates program gives students the unique opportunity to advocate for the arts while learning about the public policy process.
  
Several Ohio high schools will be cho sen to send a team of students to Columbus to serve as student advocates. Students will participate in a range of activities highlighting the importance of the arts and arts education. This is a valuable opportunity for students to participate in the public policy process in a meaningful way.

The application deadline is January 22, 2016. Contact linda@ohiocitizensforthearts.org for a copy of the application.
Measuring Student Growth in the Arts

High-quality assessments are an integral part of measuring and monitoring student growth and informing classroom instruction. Arts educators are often left on their own to develop assessments and identify student growth measures, often without adequate assessment literacy.  Research indicates that a large percentage of arts teachers do not believe they've been adequately prepared to develop arts assessments, feel they do not have time to revise and improve their assessments, and typically work in isolation to find or create whatever assessments they do use.

To address these needs, The Ohio Arts Assessment Collaborative, a consortium of Hamilton Local School District, West Muskingum Local School District, Cincinnati Public Schools, the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education, Battelle For Kids, and the Ohio State University, has created an innovative suite of authentic, performance-based arts assessments to measure student growth for K-12 dance, drama/theatre, music, and visual arts.

OhioDance Dance Education Award

OhioDance is now accepting nominations for Outstanding Contributions to the Advancement of Dance Education (this award recognizes dance educators dedicated to teaching dance and dance history as well as new, innovative dance techniques). The OhioDance awards are given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of dance in Ohio.

The OhioDance Award was established in 1979 in honor of Gerald Ketelaar, the first president of the OhioDance Board of Trustees, to recognize outstanding contributions to dance in Ohio. In 2000, two categories were established to recognize contributions to the dance artform, (to acknowledge choreographers and dance artists), and to dance education (to acknowledge those teaching the art of dance).

Please include a bio or resume of the person you are nominating and a paragraph considering the importance of recognizing this person. Special consideration will be given to nominees that have been a long standing member of OhioDance.

If you are a member of OhioDance and would like to nominate someone in Ohio for one or both of these categories please email your nominations to jane@ohiodance.org.

All nominations need to be received by Wednesday, January 27, 2016.
Grants Available to Schools

Franklin County schools are eligible to apply for the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education's  Franklin County Neighborhood Arts  grant. Awards of up to $2,000 support community-based arts projects of any artistic discipline. S chool-based projects must provide students with a unique arts-based experience that extends beyond the reach of traditional in-school instruction. Projects must include some component that is accessible to the general public beyond the school community, and strong preference will be given to projects that are designed as school-community partnerships. The next application deadline is February 29, 2016.    Visit OAAE's website for the full eligibility guidelines.
The NEA Foundation's Student Achievement Grants are intended to improve the academic achievement of students in U.S. public schools and public higher education institutions in any subject area(s). The proposed work should engage students in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen their knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students' habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection.  Application deadlines are February 1, June 1, and October 15. Learn more.
The NEA Foundation's Learning & Leadership Grants support high-quality professional development experiences, such as summer institutes, conferences, or action research for individual educators, and also awards grants to groups fund collegial study, including study groups, action research, lesson plan development, or mentoring experiences for faculty or staff. Application deadlines are February 1, June 1, and October 15. Learn more.
The Ohio Arts Council's Artist in Residence program brings schools and community organizations together with artists to share in-depth, engaging, personal and sustained arts learning experiences. Using experienced artists listed in the Arts Learning Artist Directory, the Artist in Residence program offers opportunities for learners of all ages to participate in the creative process, bridge cultural differences and cultivate fresh ways of seeing, responding to and learning through the arts. The next deadline is February 1, 2016. Learn more.
The Ohio Arts Council's Artist Express program allows schools and community organizations to collaborate with an artist for a short one- to three-day residency. Awards allow schools new to the artist residency experience the chance to explore an arts discipline through an accessible application process, a minimal time commitment, and a modest monetary investment. The Artist Express program also lays the foundation for a more in-depth residency in the future. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Visit OAC's website for more information.
The Ohio Arts Council's Big Yellow School Bus program provides up to $500 to cover travel expenses to transport students to and from an arts and cultural field trip destination. Applications are taken on a rolling basis, with applications due no later than eight weeks prior to the date of the proposed event. Learn more.
The Voya Unsung Heroes award supports educators with innovative classroom projects that will challenge students creatively.  The program awards almost $250,000 annually, with awards distributed across all 50 states. The next application deadline is April 30, 2016. Learn more.
About Artists-in-Schools

The Artists-in-Schools program connects students with professional teaching artists in the visual and performing arts. Roster artists offer high quality workshops, residencies and assembly programs designed to supplement and enhance schools' academic curricula.

To learn more about our teaching artists, visit www.oaae.net.