Statement on the 2023 NAEA National Convention in San Antonio, Texas

Our Mission: The National Art Education Association champions creative growth and innovation by equitably advancing the tools and resources for a high-quality visual arts, design, and media arts education throughout diverse populations and communities of practice.

Dear NAEA Community,

On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, our hearts go out to everyone affected by the recent tragedies at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York. Just as we have faced so many shared challenges as a nation over the past few years, please know that we likewise offer our support to you, your families, and your grieving school communities.

Given the heightened attention on Texas currently and the increased inquiries from members about the 2023 NAEA National Convention in San Antonio, we want to provide additional information and context. As you know, annually, we gather our community in-person and online for our National Convention, bringing thousands of visual arts, design, and media arts educators together. Like the environments you create in your art rooms and studios every day, we strive to offer creative, safe, and brave spaces for all who participate in our Convention.

Standing up as an ally, making your voice heard in tandem with others, and engaging directly with the educators, artists, and youth who are already doing the challenging work on the ground in Texas is a powerful way to create change.

Some background: The decision to hold our event in San Antonio was made in early 2019 and was based on the feedback of members and leadership, accessibility and affordability for attendees, facilities that could accommodate our hundreds of sessions, the presence of an arts-rich community for attendees to explore, and evidence of the city of San Antonio being in alignment with our shared values around equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The Board of Directors and staff have been engaged in an open and thoughtful discussion about the state’s recent, polarizing legislation and the association’s values. We’ve spoken to many members and have discussed the complexities we face, including the financial harm that breaking our Convention contract would bring upon the association. We know that no state or community as diverse as Texas can be reduced to one stereotypical descriptor and in our conversations with Texas Art Education Association colleagues, it’s abundantly clear there is a variety of identities and beliefs across the state—including among the nearly 5,000 dedicated art educators in Texas. With challenging legislation popping up across many states, picking and choosing certain states to avoid altogether would be extremely difficult.

We hope to stand by our Texas colleagues and show up in San Antonio to express our support of art educators and their learners everywhere, aligning with NAEA’s mission. While we respect each individual’s decision, we believe that our presence in San Antonio will have a greater impact than our absence. NAEA is working to elevate the voices of those most impacted by inequity and injustice.

Importantly, our vision is for educators across the country to come to San Antonio with an action-oriented mindset that helps move our community towards collective justice and liberation through the arts. Standing up as an ally, making your voice heard in tandem with others, and engaging directly with the educators, artists, and youth who are already doing the challenging work on the ground in Texas is a powerful way to create change.

We hear and understand the concerns that members of our professional community are expressing, and we want to continue a healthy and open dialogue as we consider the voices of all. Therefore, to have a direct conversation with members, we are dedicating our June 14th Town Hall Conversation to this topic; please register here and submit your questions in advance. Additionally, you can reach out to NAEA via email at edi@arteducators.org to share your related thoughts, ideas, or concerns for consideration.

We invite visual arts, design, and media arts educators worldwide to join us next year for the 2023 NAEA National Convention on April 13-15 in San Antonio, Texas, in addition to our upcoming June 14th NAEA Town Hall Conversation next month.

Sincerely,

James Haywood Rolling, Jr., President
Wanda B. Knight, President-Elect
Thom Knab, Past President
Mario R. Rossero, Executive Director

Download the Statement on the 2023 NAEA National Convention