The Maryland State Arts Council joined its fellow State Arts Agencies in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia to present the Mid-Atlantic Teaching Artist Retreat August 13-14, 2018. Through this gathering, Teaching Artists become more knowledgeable in their field by convening as a network of peers to share best practices and emerging trends in arts learning.
Approximately 60 teaching artists—10 from each of the six participating Mid-Atlantic states—of all experience levels working in K-12 education settings, this retreat is designed to: ● help teaching artists build their businesses; ● offer inspiration for teaching artists' creative practices; ● introduce big-picture trends in arts education, and help teaching artists adapt them to their practices; ● connect teaching artists with colleagues across the Mid-Atlantic region.
Participants enjoyed sessions--some led by their peers--in residency planning, advocacy, entrepreneurial skills, and marketing; were invited to join the new Teaching Artists of the Mid-Atlantic association and to apply for the Young Audiences Arts for Learning National Residency Teaching Artist Credential; enjoyed arts labs in dance, poetry, drumming, and circle painting; and discussed the profound possibilities that the arts bring to bear on the unique learning needs of students with disabilities, veterans, incarcerated people, or senior citizens with leaders in the field. The keynote was Gina Lyles of Art 180 and So Focused Consulting LLC, a performing and spoken word artist and juvenile justice advocate.
The retreat was sponsored by the Delaware Division of the Arts, Maryland State Arts Council, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Virginia Commission for the Arts and West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, in partnership with the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and with special participation by the National Endowment for the Arts.
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