Arts Education Network News December 2003

In this Issue:

Sustaining Excellence
Panels & TAP Identify Valuable Trends
The first round of SAP grants have just been reviewed by our state representatives at panel and inevitably they followed this sequence of emotions:

1. Shock   from the daunting mountain of applications they must review
2. Panic when they begin to do the math and understand the percentage of programs that they can and cannot support
3. Determination that they will leave this experience and take more ownership of capacity building with their colleagues
4. Respect for their peers and for all that is accomplished each and every day with minimal resources and maximum commitment

The PAE panelists represent only a few of the hundreds of arts in education experts across New York State engaged in the exhilarating and humbling responsibility of reviewing the work of their peers. While the strength of this “democracy in action” relies on this valuable (under- or unpaid) contribution, it was clear to these panelists: there are too many perfect proposals.

The panel unanimously agreed that there are many factors that contribute to this abundance:
~ Leadership from New York State Council on the Arts.
~ Sustained commitment from Empire State Partnerships.
~ Validation from NYS Standards for Learning and brain-based research.
~ Collective networking of veteran and new practitioners in the field.
~ Regional nurturing by the Local Capacity Building sites and Arts Education Roundtables.
~ Increased opportunity for panel participation to expand ownership of our funding.

Now, we have created a ‘hungry monster’ of brilliantly planned partnerships in and through the arts…and we are struggling to feed it. The expertise of this field is so very high that we must create new methods for sustaining the degree of learning that we have attained.

So, while we should be celebrating the coming of age of a mature arts in education community, we realize (as many mad scientists do) that our hunger to learn and grow may never be satisfied.

PAE is committing research toward our Technical Assistance Program in 2004. While this may not mean more money right away, it may provide new avenues for partnerships to maximize on existing resources. The field does not need to make more cuts or overextend limited dollars. Yet, we cannot squeeze water from the very dry rock of public funding in this economy. Stay in touch as we publish information that will make your financial homework less difficult.

Funding
Congratulations to SAP Grant Recipients!
PAE is delighted to announce that 18 School Arts Partnership Grants have been awarded across the state, for a total of $113,028.50. We were thrilled with the high quality of the proposals, but this made the process of deciding which ones to fund particularly difficult, given the relative scarcity of funds that were available to award. There were 61 applications for partnerships, totaling over $424,000. Under the circumstances, there were, unfortunately, worthy proposals which could not be funded. But don’t despair – as the Red Sox always say, Wait ‘til next year! This process has only strengthened our conviction that there are so very many exciting ideas for ways to challenge, inspire, and nurture our students through the arts, and our determination to find ways to make those ideas a reality.

Remember, the deadline for applications for next year’s SAP Grants is June 7, 2004. We are always happy to help with any questions you have about the grant process.

Technical Assistance
TAP Grant deadline
Technical Assistance Program grants are awarded in amounts up to $1000 to improve arts education programs for students. The funds may be applied to professional development, consultants, or travel for teachers, teaching artists, or cultural organizations in New York State.

The next TAP deadline is February 15. Please note that it has been moved up from the original March 1 date. This has been done to accommodate applicants who may be interested in applying for TAP funds to attend Common Ground. Funds for Common Ground are available for amounts up to $300, and may cover travel, registration fees, hotel, and substitute teacher pay. Watch for a special TAP application for Common Ground funding, coming in January.

Please call (315 234 9911) or email us if you have any questions about the TAP Grant.

Save the Date!
CommonGround 2004, the NYS Conference for Arts in Education
April 1, 2, 3 at the Wyndham Hotel in Syracuse.

Teachers, artists, cultural leaders, and community folks that want to expand the effectiveness of their arts in education partnerships gather each year at this professional conference.

Look for special registration rates and scholarship information at www.arts4ed.org in early January.

You can check out the Wyndham Hotel’s marvelous facility at http://www.wyndhamnewyorkhotels.com/properties/syracuse/index.html .
The Common Ground room rate is a LOW $87 per person per night if you register before March 12!

CG04 is hosted by Partners for Arts Education in partnership with NYSCA, NYSAAE, ATA, ESP, NYFA, and NYSED.

Arts Action Day in Albany
Join your colleagues and celebrities in Albany on Tuesday, March 9, 2004 to gain support for the New York State Arts Council budget. Your participation will make a difference. Arts Day is the grassroots groundswell of constituents endorsing public funding for the arts in New York State and it's vital that your voice is heard.
Come to Albany to speak out on behalf of the arts. Meet with your legislators. Attend the rally where celebrities echo our message by speaking out on behalf of increased support to the arts.

For more information, go to the Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations page at http://www.artsactionforny.org/artsday_030904.html

Resources
Submitting Local News
As the state-wide networking organization for arts-in-education, providing a place for the field to share news of interest with the community is a priority. But we don’t want to have a 25-page newsletter. As we move over the next couple of months to a web-based format, we will include links to LCB’s and Roundtables around the state. (RLN representatives may also submit news.) If you have news you want to share, please send us a one sentence headline and a link to connie@arts4ed.org . We look forward to hearing from you!

Website of the Month
Cincinnati Educational Television (CET) supports a range of learning services, including an extensive Arts Initiative program, including professional development in integrating the arts into the curriculum, an artist directory, lesson planning resources, research and much more.
http://www.cetconnect.org/learning/artsinitiatives.asp

_____________________________________

Our staff is always available to help you!

Partners for Arts Education ~ Delevan Studio 221 ~ 501 West Fayette Street ~ Syracuse ~ NY ~ 13204

Partners for Arts Education inspires learning and leadership for arts-in-education in Central New York and throughout New York State. We provide funding and support to deepen and enrich educational experiences in and through the arts for students, teachers and artists.

The Arts Education Network News is a free service of Partners for Arts Education. All of our programs are made possible with public funds from the NYS Council on the Arts and individual sponsors.

  State of the Arts

NYSCA