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Retired Art Educators Affiliate (RAEA) Column: Fall 2023

NAEA News Fall 2023

RAEA Board Spotlight Fall 2023

Benefiting From Regional Conferences

As I write this, I have just returned after attending the NAEA Southeastern Regional Conference held in Memphis, Tennessee, July 19–22, 2023. Interest Group representatives were invited to attend a regional conference, as they were for last year’s leadership conferences. Melody Weintraub, Cindy Todd, and I were members of RAEA who attended and participated in 3 days of engaging and beneficial camaraderie and leadership professional development. The conference was held at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, a perfect setting for us. What is better than meeting in an art museum?

One of the highlights of the conference was a visit to the Memphis Zoo, a beautiful Egyptian-style setting. We had an early-morning entrance, where we fed their giraffes sweet gum leaves, then photographed and drew them. Back at the museum, we created watercolor postcards from our sketches to donate to the zoo to raise money for giraffe conservation. This Community Service Learning Through Art experience provided a model that others can easily replicate if they have access to a zoo or similar venue.

Keynote Speakers

The trip to the zoo was followed by two engaging speakers: Cindy Todd, NAEA President-Elect, and Greely Myatt, a multitalented local artist.

Cindy Todd presented “Reflections of a Leader,” pointing out that “if you are here, you are a leader!” She shared her personal path to leadership, while stressing our responsibility to encourage others to take on leadership roles, saying, “It’s up to you to start the party.” She emphasized that, as leaders, we should be looking for potential in others to empower, all the while making it fun.

Our afternoon speaker was Memphis artist Greely Myatt, a longtime professor of art at The University of Memphis, widely recognized for his whimsical sculptural objects and monumental installations made from found materials. His lighthearted art incorporates found objects, such as metal scraps, neon lights, and discarded signage. Most intriguing to me as a quilter were his public art “quilts” made from cut metal scraps. You can see his work at https://www.davidluskgallery.com/artists/greely.myatt. This presentation reminded me of NAEA’s thoughtful practice of featuring local or regional artists at National Conventions.

Additional experiences included a bookmaking activity led by Southeastern Region Vice President Cheryl Maney and “Growing Your Membership Through NAHS,” by Josh Drews, Southeastern Region Vice President–Elect. Elise Payne and Reena Moore detailed their “Rising Stars” program, which recruits and supports students who want to become art educators.

As you can see, there was quite a bit of variety in this well-planned conference that can serve as a model for others. If possible, I encourage our RAEA members to attend such conferences for the camaraderie, hands-on and museum experiences, and other benefits offered by NAEA.

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[[image #### "Professional development at the Memphis Zoo."]]

RAEA Emeritus Art Educator of the Year

Nominations for the RAEA Emeritus Art Educator of the Year are due by October 1, 2023. Please consider nominating someone for this award, which is based on the teacher’s accomplishments taking place after retirement. Our RAEA members are already demonstrating their ongoing commitment to art education by continuing to attend and participate in the NAEA National Conventions. You might be amazed at what they do outside of that. The application for this award is available at https://www.arteducators.org/opportunities/naea-awards.


Column by:

Nancy Walkup, RAEA Chair

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