Asian Art & Culture Interest Group (AACIG) Column: Fall 2023

President’s Welcome and New AACIG Initiatives

Hello AACIG members and friends,

In April 2023, I started my role as the new Chair of AACIG. This Interest Group has been at the center of my heart, having served as one of AACIG’s founding members. The idea for forming AACIG started in 2006 when I shared the need for forming an Asian art interest group with fellow Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) art educators to represent the research and pedagogy of Asian American, immigrant, and Pacific Islander art educators and students. At that time, accessible communication platforms did not exist; we all used email as our main communication tool. I contacted active Asian American art educators and doctoral students in North America with the intent of developing an interest group for NAEA. Given our efforts, our email list grew, and we identified more than 30 educators who were interested in creating AACIG.

After a couple of years of connection, communication, and planning, we formally submitted our interest group proposal to NAEA. AACIG was approved with strong support from NAEA’s leadership. Maria Lim played a key role in this process and served as AACIG’s first Chair. Art educators from Asia, America-born Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and AAPI allies witnessed the announcement of this Interest Group’s formation with pride. After serving as a founding member, I served as conference chair along with other roles within AACIG. We have enjoyed more than 6 years of productive time helping our group become known to NAEA members, state organizations, and in our communities.

Based on AACIG’s growth and NAEA membership’s needs, I believe it is timely and necessary to expand and extend our role and missions in NAEA and the field of art education. In particular, I am happy to share three new project initiatives.

Mentoring Groups

First, we are forming two mentoring groups—one is for AAPI graduate students, and the second is for AAPI art teachers. Creating these two groups is central to our mission, as many art teachers, museum educators, preservice teachers, and graduate students have not had AAPI mentors. This is due to mentors being thinly spread nationwide, resulting in the lack of opportunities to develop a network or affinity group. Luckily, we have organized a wonderful group of volunteers who are leading these mentoring groups. We anticipate that new teachers, museum educators, and higher education faculty members will greatly benefit from these future mentoring sessions.

Professional Development and Engagement

Second, we have recognized how AACIG members need support from our group in terms of professional development and engagement. Based on these needs, we have created three new board positions: (1) Outreach Coordinator (Meera Ramanathan and Sangmin Lee for AACIG social media, Edwin Lim for the AACIG website), (2) Student Division Representative (Xiaoxiao Bao), and (3) Professional Development Coordinator (Borim Song). Each of these divisions will play central roles in enhancing the mission of AACIG. Through their diligent work efforts, all members will gain more information and opportunities for professional development, such as grant writing, inclusive teaching practices, and publication opportunities.

Planning the First AACIG Virtual Conference

Third, AACIG has been growing exponentially. Many educators have joined our group and networked with each other. At this point in AACIG’s development, I believe it is timely to have all researchers and practitioners meet and share our knowledge, research, and pedagogical projects. Therefore, we are planning to hold the first AACIG virtual conference in May 2024 to celebrate and share our knowledge and experiences. The month of May is important to our group, as it is designated as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Moving forward, our virtual conference will become an important venue to celebrate AAPIs art, culture, and education.

In closing, I welcome everyone to participate in and grow the existing and newly proposed missions and projects of AACIG. Our collaborative efforts will make our Interest Group, AAPI educators, students, and artists, and future generations more visible in schools and society. Joining AACIG and renewing your membership serves as the central hub of scholarly and pedagogical identity, allyship, and practices. AACIG is your voice and resource for AAPI art, culture, and pedagogy.

[[image #### "AACIG members met and shared ideas at the 2023 NAEA Convention in San Antonio."]]

Column by:

Ryan Shin, AACIG Chair
Email: ryanshin3002@gmail.com