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From Diane Wilkin, PAEA Secondary Division Director
Why the Arts?
That’s the question to answer visibly every day in our schools.
The Arts are ubiquitous. Stop. Take a deep breath. Look around you. The Arts are imbedded in our world. For myself, I am holding a colorful pen fitted for a hand, leaning on a ‘modern’ metal desk covered in colorful magazines and books, looking at the patterned curtain fabric and paintings on the wall, listening to music, and watching the variety of vehicles passing my window. There’s an artist in the design process for everything I see. My hope for young artists is that they recognize that nothing can be taken for granted, and the Arts have impact everywhere. The Arts illustrate connections in our world. The Arts enrich our understanding of ALL subjects. Historians look to made artifacts, such as pottery and jewelry, and photographs to answer questions about the past. Scientists use molecular models and three dimensional drawings to facilitate understanding. Physicians use drawings and photos to communicate with both patients and professionals. Manufacturers provide drawn diagrams for customers to assemble products. The arts connect all manner of person, product and interest throughout the world.
For example: The Harry S Truman Art Department in the Bristol Township School District joined the Varsity Club in sponsoring an Empty Bowls service project. The project involved making ceramic bowls which are then sold to the public at a soup luncheon. The bowl is taken home to remind all who attended that there are always empty bowls somewhere in the world. The funds are given to a local food pantry organization.
(www.emptybowls.com) Check it out.
Service is a great way to make the arts visible.
 Truman’s Empty Bowls Service project made BIG Connections between the community, faculty and students, local businesses, principals, the superintendent, board members, Girl Scout troops, and even involved the Kindness Club from William Penn Middle school in the neighboring Pennsbury School District. We can do events like these, provide murals and signs in our schools, and more. Send your ideas for service projects. I’d love to begin sharing your projects and ideas across the State. Please send your information to me at
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Act 48 Information
The Pennsylvania Department of Education offers a wealth of information on its website, www.pde.state.pa.us. Take some time to visit the site and really look at the resources it holds. Check out the online courses, the standards documents, the newsroom updates and even grant information. While you are there, if you are a teacher in PA, check your Act 48 status, as the clock is ticking to earn 180 hours by June, 2010. Don't get caught short.
Governor's Institute (APPLY NOW) www.papde.ws
The 2008 Governor's Institute for Arts Educators is scheduled for July 13 to 18 at the National Christian Conference Center in Valley Forge. The theme for both last year and this year is Japanese arts and culture. Participants from all over the state of Pennsylvania will learn iPod technology techniques, develop rich tasks in the arts for students of all ages, and network with colleagues who have a passion for offering high quality arts education to their students. To learn more about this year's Institute or see the results of previous institutes, visit the website www.keyarts.ws.
(I attended the 2006 and 2007 summer Institutes. The program is intensive and exhausting and totally worthwhile. These two weeks have provided the groundwork and inspiration for much of what I have accomplished in the past two years. I’d be happy to answer any questions I can:
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PAEA ConferencePlan to attend the conference this year in October. Be thinking about what you could contribute. Conference presentations last year ranged from special joint projects with community colleges, hands-on clay whistle making, how math can be integrated into the arts, clay printmaking, and… Lots more. Rejuvenating, invigorating and connecting. Keep checking this web site for details, and contact me with ANY idea you might have for making a presentation. (
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TARP - Teachers as Artist in Residence Program
This is an opportunity you don't want to miss. You and a teacher in a different school can write a grant for one of you to spend from three to ten days in the 'other' school. This is NOT a swap. Rather, the visiting art teacher sets up a studio space and acts as an artist in the classroom, spending only 50% of the time teaching and the rest as a practicing artist role modeling studio concentration and strategies. Just click on the Teacher as Artist in Residence Program ICON at the bottom of this page for more information - or, of course, e-mail me at
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National Art Honors Society 
Check the information out with the link at the bottom of this page. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to help with answers and facilitate you connecting with others running active NAH Societies.
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The Philadelphia Museum of Art - Check out the new Perlman Center - There's a dedicated library of resources for Arts Educators. www.philamuseum.org
Check out the Philadelphia Art Museum web site - click on education and then educator profiles.
Try Educator Profiles - Phila. Museum at http://www.philamuseum.org/education/profiles/2007/2.html . You'll find more about our art program at Truman High School and how we are incorporating math into the arts crossing the curriculum into other areas. As a school previously not meeting AYP, the faculty and students of Truman HS have worked hard to improve achievement levels.
Invitation: Recommend Reading & Viewing
Perhaps you've read a great book recently or seen a fabulous movie. No matter if it was for pleasure, enlightenment, edification, enrichment or advancement, if you read a book that you think would be beneficial for other art educators to know about, drop me a line or two with the title, author, publisher and year. Then include a brief summary of the book and its application to art education.
the Dragon Cant - by James Dongweckand illustrated by Joe Baker. Under $20.00 this is an excellent picture book for all ages. I read this out loud to my high school students at the beginning of the year, AND again when needed. When a student starts complaining about how they "can't" do something, the class calls out to get the Dragon off their shoulder... (I've even had a student borrow the book to read to a younger sibling.)
CHALK. This movie will touch the lives of all educators, art and non-art alike. A mockumentary about a high school staff, this movie offered some great opportunities for my husband to say ‘that’s just like you talk about’, and me saying, ‘yup, but the drumming and rapping doesn’t EVER stop.’ Reality – not exactly, but certainly enjoyable.
Daniel Pink's book titled A Whole New Mind. He explains the value of the arts and indicates that the new MBA is now the MFA!!! Hooray for the arts. I gave this to my principal.
Jasper Fforde's The Big Over Easy where characters of nursery rhyme fame take on real-life personae. It's a fun read creating well rounded character portrayals of Jack Sprat, Humpty Dumpty and more. A great book where you might even find yourself laughing out loud.
Secondary Division Membership
Encourage others to join. Currently there are about 184 members. Membership in PAEA costs only a little more than $70 per year or about 19 cents a day, very reasonable to have access to the best in art education resources and contacts in Pennsylvania. AND- PAEA membership is also membership in the National Art Education Association (NAEA) - the fee covers both memberships. Check out membership at www.naea-reston.org
Thanks for all you do!
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