Each year, PAEA hosts an annual exhibit for NAHS/NJAHS/PA Art Club chapters to showcase exemplary works of art representing their chapter. This year, the NAHS exhibit will be on display first in the Honors Suite Gallery of the PA Department of Education Building, 333 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA during the month of September, and then move on to a separate venue for an exhibition that will be on display in the Safeguard Scientifics Building on the campus of Penn State Great Valley during the annual PAEA conference. We are pleased to invite active chapters to exhibit works of art in the 2009 exhibition.

We look forward to you being part of this ongoing tradition, and are pleased to announce that PAEA will sponsor two separate awards, one a “Best in Show’ work, which will be selected by an outside judge, and a “People’s Choice Award’, where visitors may vote on their favorite work of art. Awards will be selected at the conclusion of the exhibit.  Please submit work to Wendy Sweigart, PDE Building, 333 Market Street, 8th Floor, Harrisburg, PA by August 21, 2009. 

Congratulations to Bridget Mayak of Somerset Area School District and Heidi Sheetz of Hempfield Area School District, who are recipients of the PAEA 2008 Outstanding Elementary Art Educator award.  Both of these women exhibit a passion for sharing the importance of art education with the community.  Bridget has served as the studio manager for the Touchstone Center for Crafts, has been the art department coordinator for her district, has mentored new teachers, and has coordinated artist in residence programs.  Heidi has applied for and received grant money to allow her students to participate in art experiences not covered by the regular school budget.  She has hosted artist in residence programs and has taken her fourth grade students to the Greensburg Museum of Art. She has presented numerous workshops for PAEA and is the Advocacy Task Force Co-Chair and Region One Co-Chair.

Please consider nominating someone for the 2009 Outstanding Elementary Art Educator. Nomination materials can be located on the PAEA home page near the top.  Nominations should be sent to Jackie Thomas, Awards Chair, 1200 Hillsdale Drive, Williamsport, PA 17701.

PAEA members are invited to sponsor a chapter of the Pennsylvania Art Club in their school or schools.  Club chapters function as elementary versions of the National Art Honor society, except that academic excellence is not required for participation in PAC chapters.  In addition, clubs must include a service component.  To register a chapter, please  email me ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ) your name, your school name,  your school address, Your school district, your PAEA  member number, and the name of your head of school or superintendent.