Pacific Region Column: Fall 2023

Pacific Region Summer Leadership 2023 Recap and Highlights

The Pacific Region Summer Leadership and Art Conference was structured with 2 and a half days focused on leadership and 2 and a half days of the conference focused on art. This allowed us to create time and space for doing needed work.

During the leadership-focused half of the conference, state and province leaders were inspired by NAEA Past President James H. Rolling, Jr. We looked at having courageous conversations, implicit biases, and really breaking ED&I apart. We also made space for reviewing position statements and requesting feedback. We brainstormed around the pillars and talked about vision, mission, and values alignment. State and province leaders were given time to look at their own state or province documents, view them through an ED&I lens, and compare them to other states and provinces (kudos, Florida) and NAEA documents. We even played constitution bingo. Then leaders were tasked with creating specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound (SMART) action steps for their state or province associations, and they came away with clear plans for improving their state or province documents and creating more space for actionable ED&I work within their associations. Robyn and Abi also developed vision, mission, and values statements to guide work in the Pacific Region.

During the art-focused half of the conference, regional art educator members joined state and province leaders in the fun and became part of the conversation. We made space for them at the table and engaged in conversations about what it might mean for them to step into leadership in their states or provinces. This half of the conference started off by engaging in critical art-related learning with keynote Wyoming Northern Arapaho–Chicano artist Robert Martinez. Robert also led a workshop related to work with Indigenous art as inspiration, but not appropriation, in a hands-on workshop using ledger art as a starting place for us as participants to tell our own stories. We also led plein air painting at Vedauwoo before coming back to a day of hands-on workshops, where we focused on art integration, trauma-informed best practices, and ways to engage and reach communities with art.

As a result of this conference, the Pacific Region is committed to taking action in the following ways:

• Continuing to develop the Pacific Region podcast, interviewing state and province leaders. The Be Pacific podcast can be found on Spotify and Apple Podcasts at https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/p5CSZnh9qzb
• Providing professional development opportunities and connections related to understanding Research as an NAEA strategic pillar
• Hosting a book study using the BoardSource book, The Source 12
• Continuing to hold open office hours to visit with state and province leaders about their needs and how we can support them in our role at a regional level
• Working to continue a coleading model of leadership for the Pacific Region

[[image #### "Group on stairs above Downtown Laramie."]]

[[image #### "Photo of James with audience behind him."]]

Column by:

Robyn MacNair, Regional Vice President
Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator, Santa Ana, CA. Email: naeapacificvp@gmail.com

Abi Paytoe Gbayee, Regional Vice President–Elect
Middle School Art Educator, Laramie, WY. Email: naeapacificvpelect@gmail.com