Hello, Teaching Artists! We are so excited because 2023 is the 25th Anniversary of TAG! That’s right, this organization in all its iterations has been around for 25 years. So save the date! On May 18th, we’ll celebrate both the 25th Anniversary and our Annual Awards by highlighting exceptional work in the field. More details are coming, but we hope each of you will join us whether virtually or in person.
Additionally, if there is a teaching artist doing extraordinary work in the field, please consider nominating them for an award. The nomination form takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete and your nomination will help raise the visibility of great work happening in the field!
If you are in a place to support this work, we’re kicking off our 25th Anniversary Fundraiser, which will go towards supporting teaching artists in our regional networks and those who serve on our National Advisory Committee. Even $20 can go a long way in this organization! Find out more about how important our regional networks are in this article by Co-Executive Director Katie Rainey: “Regional Networks: The Backbone of the Teaching Artists Guild,” and please consider donating to help continue this work!
In this month’s newsletter, we have articles by teaching artists Tova Halpern and Aliyah Campbell as well as a post on our regional networks by Co-Executive Director Katie Rainey. Check it out!
“Right now, TAG staff and National Advisory Committee (NAC) members are gearing up for the Annual TAG Awards on May 18th, 2023. This also just so happens to be the Teaching Artists Guild’s 25th Anniversary. There will be so many things to celebrate in the coming months, but as I’m reflecting on all the great work so many teaching artists have contributed to this organization, I want to highlight one integral structure that makes this community what it is: Our Regional Networks.”
Read “Regional Networks: The Backbone of the Teaching Artists Guild” by TAG Co-Executive Director, Katie Rainey, on the importance of partnerships with our regional partners.
I Have a BA in Theatre Arts! What Now?
“Let me know if this sounds familiar: You are a theatre kid! Everyone knows you as the theatre kid. You star in your school’s plays, you take dance at the local community center, you audition and perform in summer stock each summer, you work at theatre camps, the Tonys are a holiday in your home, and Ben Platt is your idol! Plus, you purchase every broadway soundtrack the minute it comes out… and I mean the minute… it comes out.”
Read this month’s Incite/Insight article by Tova Halpern, Artistic Director and Founder of Fresh Theatre Arts, LLC.
The Art of Creating Counter-Narratives: Redefining the Role of Failure in the Classroom
“As a homegrown artist entering university, I thought I had it all figured out. I had known from the age of two or three, before I could properly write my name, that I would be an artist and so it was written. Over the course of years, with some help from my mother, I taught myself how to draw and took every art elective I could in middle school and high school. Throughout a series of moves and interests picked up along the way, this singular truth never wavered. A true Sagittarian at heart, I knew what I wanted and made the most of the resources available at my disposal in going after it. Little did I know, I was only taking the first step.”
Read another article in this month of Incite/Insight: “The Art of Creating Counter-Narratives: Redefining the Role of Failure in the Classroom” by Teaching Artist Aliyah Campbell.
The Teaching Artists Guild (TAG) seeks nominees for the Annual TAG Awards (formerly the ATA Awards). The Awards aim to increase the visibility of teaching artists working within the arts in education and community arts fields, and celebrate the organizations and institutions where they work as well as honor innovation in teaching artistry.
Nominations will be accepted for:
- Innovation in Teaching Artistry Award: An early to mid-career teaching artist making innovative and powerful contributions to the field of teaching artistry.
- Teaching Artist Ally Award: A professional, who is not a teaching artist themselves but who has demonstrated a commitment to supporting teaching artists. This could be a partner classroom teacher, principal, Arts Council member, arts administrator, or other.
- Distinguished Service to the Field Award: A long-tenured artist educator showcasing a demonstrated history of impact in the field.
Teaching artists of any artistic discipline are eligible for consideration. There is no limit to the number of nominations you can submit, however you cannot submit multiple nominations for the same individual. Nominations close March 23rd, 2023.
Enrich Your Artistry at the University of Florida
The University of Florida knows artistic growth is essential not just to future educators, but to their prospective students as well. That’s why UF built their Master of Arts in Art Education (MAAE) program to develop skills as artists and educators through immersive, hands-on studio experiences, media-rich learning technologies, and a leading-edge comprehensive curriculum. The online Master of Arts in Art Education program offers a suitable work-life balance for full-time artists and educators, who can complete the program in two years.
As always, we could not do this work without your support. Thank you!
With Gratitude,
Katie Rainey & Kerry Warren
TAG Co-Executive Directors
We cannot do the important work of advocating for teaching artists through these various initiatives without funding. Please consider donating to TAG to help support teaching artists through our work. Even $20 can go a long way!
