State Arts Council Announces New Education Director

Providence, RI – December 12, 2017 - The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) announced today the appointment of Maggie Anderson as its new Education Director. Anderson, an experienced educator and resident of Providence, will manage the Arts Council's education-based programs and services, with a particular emphasis on working with state and community based partners to ensure that all kids have access to arts education in their schools and communities. She will replace Sherilyn Brown , who will retire from RISCA after thirty-one years of service to the Rhode Island arts and education community.

In announcing the appointment, Randall Rosenbaum, Executive Director of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, said, "We are delighted to have someone with Maggie’s skill and dedication to artists and arts education to lead this important effort." He went on to say that, "the State Arts Council is committed to ensuring that all Rhode Islanders have access to quality arts education, wherever they might live. Maggie has the background and experience to help us in this effort."

Anderson is scheduled to begin her new position on January 22nd.

An Educator with Strong Skills in Leadership and Program Development

Before becoming an arts administrator in 2009, Maggie Anderson was an accomplished classroom teacher. She taught Middle School and High School language, fine arts and art history. Then as Administrator for the Integrated Arts department for a K-12 regional charter district, Maggie wrote all curricula for the Visual Arts/Integrated Health/ Integrated Technology programs in the district. She was also selected to sit on various curriculum councils for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

As Director of Education at the Newport Art Museum, Maggie’s innovative approach to museum education has increased participation and support of the museum and garnered national acclaim. In addition to the more than 30 staff and teaching artists she supervised, Maggie coordinated with over 20 external organizations throughout the region to produce and promote community-based arts outreach programs. In just one year, Maggie led the effort to increase the number of people served by Newport Art Museum grant-funded programs by 1,000 individuals.

Maggie graduated with honors from Pratt Institute with a Master’s degree in Arts and Cultural Management/Arts Administration. She earned her dual Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Political Science from Rhode Island College, where she graduated with honors and a minor in Art History.

"The arts are fundamental to a child's education", Anderson says. "I directly credit my passion for arts and culture to the teachers I had at Edmund W. Flynn, Community Preparatory School and The Wheeler School. Teachers changed my life. In this role, I hope to make meaningful and lasting connections between teaching artists, great organizations and the citizens of Rhode Island - young and old. Every Rhode Islander needs access to the life changing power of the arts. Working on art education at the state level is a professional dream come true, and I look forward to joining the State Arts Council in this role.”

Arts Education Plays a Critical Role at RISCA

We know, from documented research, that students engaged in the arts perform better academically and succeed better in school and in life. The arts provide skills critical to 21st century success, and help kids think and be creative problem-solvers. The arts also help us learn more about life here and around the world. In Rhode Island, the State Board of Education has designated the arts as a core subject matter, on the same level as math and science.

“Arts education is a central part of our work at the State Arts Council”, Rosenbaum explained. “We work with educators and administrators around the state to ensure that they have the training they need to integrate the arts into all learning in their school. We work with teaching artists to engage their work with young people, during the school day and in after-school programming. And we manage special program, like our Give Me 5 media education program, that exists to help young people learn new ways of expression, in this case through the medium of film and video.”

“Our commitment as a state agency is to serve all the people of our state,” Rosenbaum said. “RISCA’s Education Director will, on her own and working with other Arts Council staff and members of the community, help improve our level of engagement and service to all Rhode Islanders.”