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

(Re)building International Connections

It is easy to find different societies that share similar philosophies, and this is true with the United States Society for Education through Art (USSEA) and the International Society for Education through Art (InSEA), which have been affiliated for many years. With the condition of our shared global responsibilities, it is mandatory that we work toward uniting the two societies and increasing our visibility on both a national and international landscape. We recognize increasingly serious global situations like the reduction or elimination of art education resources, environmental degradation, loss of sociocultural identity, underresourced child welfare, increasing poverty, political upheavals, and local and global violence. We believe that as societies, through our educational practices, we must focus on the support needed to reduce or remove these challenging situations for students, teachers, parents, and communities. As a region of InSEA, Canada, the United States, and Mexico must encourage strong bonds and rebuild educational, social, and economic bridges to support all people. The InSEA North American region has supported many webinars and distributed information across our three countries, but this must be strengthened and supported. As USSEA and InSEA rebuild bridges, their work also brings attention to partnerships between Canada, (CSEA), the United States (NAEA), and the societies in Mexico. This is possible and must be done. Together we have a voice. Together we have strength. Together we can protect and empower all people.

Below are excerpts from each society’s philosophy. It is clear we share much, and together we can be strengthened and enhanced.

From USSEA:

As forward-thinking and equitable educators, the USSEA members will use art education pedagogies and resources to advocate for social justice and address diversity concerns and problems. We engage our students and community members in an inclusive, equitable, and diverse art education. Recognizing the power of art and visual culture, we believe our work is critically essential to help current and future generations enjoy the right of being treated fairly and equally in all circumstances. (USSEA, n.d., sec. 2, para. 2)

From the InSEA Manifesto:

We believe that:

All learners, regardless of age, nationality or background, should have entitlement and access to visual art education.
Education through art inspires knowledge, appreciation and creation of culture.
Culture is a basic human right. Culture promotes social justice and participation in contemporary societies. A strong democracy is an inclusive society. And, an inclusive society is a strong democracy.
All learners are entitled to an art education that deeply connects them to their world, to their cultural history. It creates openings and horizons for them to new ways of seeing, thinking, doing and being.
Educational programmes and curriculum models should prepare citizens with confident flexible intelligence, and creative verbal and non-verbal communication skills. (InSEA, n.d., paras. 1–6)

That model is visualized here at home with the upcoming USSEA/InSEA Endorsed Conference, summer 2024…

USSEA 2024 Conference Planning Update

Every other year, USSEA holds a regional conference. The pandemic knocked us slightly off our face-to-face schedule, but our axis is in the process of being righted! The next USSEA/InSEA Endorsed Regional Conference is scheduled for June 13–15, 2024, in entrancing Santa Fe, New Mexico, with the riveting theme of Responding to Cultural Crises: Action, Creativity, and Empowerment!

The planning team is looking forward to hosting you—our amazing artists, educators, museum specialists, and students—on the gorgeous Turquoise Trail, and the planning is getting huge! The conference will be held at the Hilton Santa Fe, where we already have various keynote panels scheduled, including an artist keynote panel and a museum education/curation keynote panel followed by speaker workshops. We are also working on scheduling local cultural dancers, a New Mexico Indigenous American–inspired meal prepared by Chef Joshua Ortiz, and a lunch catered by Santa Fe YouthWorks Social Justice Kitchen (https://santafeyouthworks.org)! Finally, we are planning a juried digital art exhibition in which art pieces will be projected on a dedicated monitor at the conference location.

A call for session proposals and digital artworks from USSEA and InSEA members will be released in the next few weeks, with an anticipated deadline of October 1 and acceptance notifications by the 1st week in November.

References

International Society for Education Through Art. (n.d.). The InSEA manifesto. https://www.insea.org/our-manifesto

United States Society for Education Through Art. (n.d.). About us. https://www.ussea.net

(Re)building International Connections contributed by:

Steve Willis, Professor of Art Education, Missouri State University
USSEA National Consultant
SteveWillis@MissouriState.edu

Allan Richards, Professor of Visual Arts Education, University of Kentucky
USSEA Vice President, InSEA North America World Councilor
allan.richards@uky.edu

Amanda Alexander, Chair and Professor Department of Art, Miami University of Ohio
USSEA Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education Co-Editor, InSEA North America World Councilor
alexan65@miamioh.edu

USSEA 2024 Conference Planning Update contributed by:

Mara Pierce, Associate Professor of Art Education, Montana State University Billings
USSEA President
ussea2023@gmail.com

Column by:

Mara Pierce, USSEA President