United States Society for Education Through Art (USSEA) Column: Summer 2023

From the NAEA 2023 Convention

Each year at the NAEA Convention, USSEA has the privilege of awarding those members who have exemplified the mission and values of our national organization/NAEA Interest Group. Following is the list of our 2023 recipients:

International Edwin Ziegfeld Award: Samia Elsheikh

National Edwin Ziegfeld Award: Alice Wexler

Student Dissertation Award: Jasmine Begeske

PK-12 Teacher Award: Carrie Wing

Kenneth Marantz Fellow: Ann Kuo

National Service Award: Yichien Cooper

International Edwin Ziegfeld Award winner Samia Elsheikh, professor at Helwan University in Helwan, Egypt, provided this insight into her international work:

Participating in international projects is always a way to put my students on the road of art and connections with other cultures. They are part of my success!

National Edwin Ziegfeld Award winner Alice Wexler shared the following on her new book about child artists who experienced the Carrolup Native Settlements of Western Australia between 1949 and 1951:

From my position as a non-Indigenous researcher of Indigenous peoples, I advocate for a space in which dialogue can occur. As Linda Tuhiwai Smith (2012) points out, research is a privileged term that has been historically “linked to European imperialism and colonialism” (p. 1).

Incoming President’s Message

In this new chapter of USSEA, I would like to emphasize the importance of embodying equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in supporting creativity, critical thinking, cultural awareness, and—most importantly—advocacy. Through our work, we have the power to inspire the next generation of artists and educators, thus working to create a more just and equitable society.

Looking forward to working collaboratively to advance the goals of USSEA, I would like to hear from our group members regarding your hopes and expectations for our organization. I hope to discover what you would like to take away from your experience as USSEA members. As an affiliate of NAEA and the International Society for Education through Art (InSEA), we serve the national and international art and visual culture education community. Over the years, our vision and mission have shifted, ebbing and flowing with the tides of the field. As they perpetuate, we will continue to reposition ourselves as such representatives, exemplifying educational potentials that undergird art and visual culture engagement. It is my firm belief that our collected voice moves us forward, challenging traditional narratives, and finding continual visual inquiry/solution. Let us continue to champion the power of our field and to build a brighter future for all. Together, we can work to create a society that values all our voices and recognizes the importance of art and visual culture as crucial in building a stronger future.

Walking the Walk

One of our priorities to build and maintain support for membership learning and development is planning. Biannually, this means planning for the USSEA Regional/InSEA Endorsed Conference. This exciting opportunity to meet with artists, in-service and preservice educators, researchers, museum specialists, and cultural practitioners will occur June 13–15, 2024, in intriguing Santa Fe, New Mexico. Our conference planning team has been hard at work securing locations, scheduling cultural learning opportunities, and identifying those speakers who will speak to the conference theme: “Responding to Cultural Crises: Action, Creativity, and Empowerment.” Please save the date, plan your travel, and consider submitting a proposal. We plan to open the proposal portal in the next couple of months, so keep an eye out for that email, as well as the posting on the USSEA website.

The following is for your participation consideration:

• Nominate outstanding USSEA members for the 2024 awards. Submit nominations and materials to Fatih Benzer, Awards Chair, at FBenzer@MissouriState.edu. See our website for details and a list of past awardees.

• Visit our Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education (jCRAE). Access past journals or submit articles through our new website. If you have questions, contact our coeditors, Amanda Alexander and Cala Coats, at jcrae1983@gmail.com.

• Submit artworks for the 2023–2024 USSEA Student Art Exchange and Online Exhibition. Theme: “Conflict Transformation.” Submissions may be sent to Rebecca Shipe, director of the Student Art Exchange and coordinator of the exhibition, at rshipe@ric.edu. Students at all levels (including preservice art educators) are invited to create artworks that reflect on the theme. For more information, please go to our website.

• Submit creative work, stories, and lesson plans to our USSEA newsletter, Voices. Submit works that relate to USSEA’s mission to Voices Editor, Jenny Evans, at jenartaddict@gmail.com.

• Visit our website for more information about USSEA.

Reference

Smith, L. T. (2012). Decolonizing methodologies: Research and Indigenous peoples (2nd ed.). Zed Books.

Column by:

Mara Pierce, USSEA President