On August 2020 we lost an important leader, spokesperson, and advocate for the arts and creativity. His name was Sir Ken Robinson. On August 21, 2023 the Department of Public Instruction will host the first annual "Wisconsin Creativity Summit" online at 1:00 pm. The goal of the event will be to inspire educators, administrators, policy makers, business leaders, and community members to consider the role of creativity in our schools. Dr. Peter Gamwell, author of "The Wonder Wall" and close friend of Sir Ken's will start the event off with a chat about creativity and the urgent need for us to cultivate it in our children. The event will also include time for discussion and dialogue by participants.

Registration is FREE and NOW OPEN! Spots are limited, so don't delay.

https://bit.ly/WICreativitySummit

Discomfort lies at the heart of all learning and growth, especially concerning discussing difficult and complex topics such as climate change, slavery, and police brutality. This workshop (and book) presents ways to help teachers become strong facilitators - not endorsers- of continuous conversations to promote a stronger sense of community.

Four themes arise when exploring civil discourse: courage, understanding, belonging, and empathy. Addressing the problem of having politically and emotionally charged conversations in the classroom, this workshop and book guide k-12 educators in facilitating discussion based on fact, intellectual reasoning, and mutual respect.

What: A 4-part series on teaching contentious topics

When: Kickoff: July 11 (online)

In-Person: July 24 (Madison) or July 25 (Stevens Point)

Online: September TBD & October 10 (online)

Who: K-12 educators looking to support productive discussion in their classroom for topics in social studies, science, environmental education, English language arts, and more!

Registration $30 and includes lunch and copy of the book Civil Discourse. If you need an accommodation, please provide details of your need through the registration process. Questions about accommodations should be routed to Kristen.McDaniel@dpi.wi.gov

Learn More and Register Here

Over the course of two days at the end of May, Arts Midwest and the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Indiana Arts Commission, Iowa Arts Council, Michigan Arts and Culture Council, Minnesota State Arts Board, North Dakota Council on the Arts, Ohio Arts Council, South Dakota Arts Council, and Wisconsin Arts Board were inspired by a series of conversations and connections in Washington, D.C., about how we might build new partnerships across federal government.

During their visit, these Midwest arts champions connected with six federal agencies: the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Economic Development Association, and Health and Human Services.

Read More Here

How should a teacher pass on an embodied art form like dance to their students when they are not experts in certain dance styles?

It’s complicated.

On one hand, teachers are professionals at teaching. With proper preparation they can scaffold a lesson or unit on any dance style. That could look like students reflecting on video examples, reading articles, completing research projects or sharing their cultural dances with the class. The teacher can research and teach what they learned about the particular dance style and provide their sources and a verbal acknowledgement that they are not an expert.

By: Ella Rosewood

Read More Here

UW-Green Bay is hosting the Wisconsin Interscholastic Theatre Festival and its signature One-Act Play Contest for its first time this November 16-18, 2023. Accordingly, UWGB will offer an open house for any directors interested in touring its facilities (Theatre Hall and the Weidner Center for the Performing Arts) on Tuesday, August 1. Further details (such as timeframe) will be posted in July at www.wisconsintheatrefest.org.

Is there anything more important? I'm guessing that nearly everyone reading this newsletter has either organized or been a key player in some major event involving lots of people and equipment.

We are fortunate in Wisconsin to have an educator leader who is committed to making not only theater productions and classes safter, but also assemblies and music performances. Please consider taking one of Kristi Ross-Clausen's online classes this summer so that you can be better prepared and take the necessary precautions.

This is what Kristi has to say in her own words:

"I started working in theater safety when I heard about Tasha Schuh, a high school student who fell through a trap floor during a rehearsal for her school musical and became quadriplegic because of her injuries.

I wanted to know how I could prevent that from happening when I'm working. What can I do to make things safer for everyone involved in a live event such as theater, concert, dance, lecture, worship service, AV expo, or whatever?

That led to a Master's thesis focused on HS theater safety and a career designing and teaching the use of safe spaces. I consult and assist with numerous associations, producers, theater venues, houses of worship, and other event spaces to help them keep the people there safe while still giving a great show.

I'm an IATSE trained trainer; have OSHA 10 & 30, AVIXA CTS, AQAV CQT, and am ETCP eligible for both Electrics and Theater Rigging. I teach for and help folks through the Event Safety Alliance, Educational Theater Association, National Federation of State High School Associations, Stage Managers Association, United States Institute for Technical Theater, Wisconsin School Safety Coordinators, Alliance for Wisconsin Theater Education, and many other organizations.

My services range from site visits with detailed reports to informal consultations completed in a brief phone call. Many K-12 schools and theatrical producers have had me give webinars or in-person training for their teachers, student crew, technicians, and performers. I also consult on and design AVL systems for educational facilities."

I have included her summer courses below under the "Professional Development" section. You can also learn more on her website here: https://www.theaterhealthandsafety.com/home

The first time I encountered the concept of cultural democracy was on a 2 train in Brooklyn. I was on my way home from my teaching artist residency at P.S. 203. One of the books I read to pass the time on that commute was New Creative Community: The Art of Cultural Development by Arlene Goldbard, a foundational text in the field of community cultural development. It was in this book that I discovered cultural democracy, a core principle of community cultural development that asserts that, “All cultures are essentially equal and society should not promote any one as superior to the others.” (p. 43, Goldbard) Cultural democracy is primarily a paradigm for cultural policy and arts funding that maintains that in this multicultural nation all cultures are valuable and deserve an equitable share of resources and support.

Read More Here

Wednesday, June 28, 2023, 10 am - 4 pm
At the Shell Lake Arts Center, 802 1st Street, Shell Lake, WI
Click here for more information and to register

Everyone involved in the arts, creativity and community - which means everyone who cares about Wisconsin’s future - is invited to join colleagues and friends in northwestern Wisconsin, to discuss and celebrate new beginnings at the 2023 Rural Arts and Creativity Forum. This year’s Forum will take place at the Shell Lake Arts Center in Shell Lake, WI, a renowned summer music program where students further their artistry and skills with master musicians/teachers. The Forum is hosted by Create Wisconsin, Wisconsin Arts Board, and the Shell Lake Arts Center.

The Forum has a 30+ year history bringing together leaders involved in the arts, business, economic development, education, government, and politics, to share stories, issues, and ideas on how to grow the region creatively and help creative people, businesses and communities flourish. Now, as the post-pandemic world takes shape, the work is even more important, to discuss and deliberate transformation and opportunities ahead.

As artificial intelligence (AI) technology continues to improve, change and evolve, more conversations are taking place about the effects AI will have on education. These conversations are becoming more frequent in many art schools, with a wide range of opinions from faculty. Motherboard spoke with teachers and students from different universities to learn how schools are dealing with the rise of these technologies.

GREEN BAY (WLUK) -- Art teacher Tanya Paral is continuing to make a difference in a Green Bay school, despite her death last November. The 44-year-old teacher died after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer, according to her obituary. Despite her death, students at Webster Elementary are continuing to remember the lessons Paral taught them: one being that they are all truly artists.

This message was reinforced on Friday as every student in the fourth and fifth grade was handed an art kit to take home. Each bag contained a variety of paints, pencils and a sketchbook.

Read More Here

SHEBOYGAN - Lasting impacts of North High School's Innovator Fellowship Program can be seen in the "Color Me Sheboygan" coloring book, the whale mural on Above & Beyond Children’s Museum and the Maywood park storybook trail.

North high teacher and program coordinator Jay Johnson and former principal Jason Bull founded the program in 2013, after being inspired by former student Jacob Olmedo, who sought local resources to pursue his passion in fashion design. They went on to Parsons School of Design in New York.

Read More Here

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. (WMTV) - An art teacher at Platteville High School is being recognized at a national level for his commitment to his department and students.

Mr. John-Paul Butcher is one of 15 winners of the 2023 Artsonia Art Education Leadership Award. The national award honors art instructors who are dedicated to their students and motivate them using Artsonia, an online tool allows students to digitally collect and save their artwork from their time at school.

Read More Here

APPLETON - A Washington Island native and student at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music recently won first place in a national piano competition. Jonathan Bass, a double-degree student in his fourth year at the Appleton-based school, won the Biennial Piano Competition organized by the National Federation of Music Clubs.

Read More Here

OSHKOSH – Before the juniors and seniors at Oshkosh North High School started working on a short film about human trafficking, they assumed it was a distant problem.

But as they learned more about the dark world of sex and forced labor trafficking, they understood these crimes hid in plain sight all around them.

"You think of human trafficking and assume it's happening behind closed doors — and it is, but when we were going through this process and coming up with our storyline for the film, it helps you to understand that people around you, especially in school, could be going through this and you just don't know about it," said Emma Salentine, a senior at Oshkosh North and the film's producer.

Read More Here

The Chequamegon Middle School Intermediate Band, under the direction of instrumental music teacher Kristen Kirch, hosted the accomplished American composer Viet Cuong on May 10 for the premiere of his musical piece, “Inland Ocean.”

Read More Here

The Oshkosh North High School marching band will debut its new uniforms at the 2023 Oshkosh Memorial Day Procession.

Getting the new uniforms has been a priority for North’s band director, Gloria Dorschner-Mackie, since she joined the Spartan teaching staff in 2020.

“The typical lifespan for band uniforms is 15 years," Dorschner-Mackie said in a news release. "Our previous uniforms were over 30 years old, heavy, and required extensive hemming and sewing in order to fit students each year. As our program continues to grow, these new uniforms bring a new contemporary look to the Spartan marching band, setting us apart from other programs and fostering a sense of school pride at North and in our community.”

Read More Here

RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Emerson Lehmann highlights a project from students at Washington Park High School utilizing empty bullet shell casings in artwork with a message against gun violence.

Watch The Video Here

The Wisconsin Art Educators Association (WAEA) presents a number of awards each year. The Wisconsin Art Educator of the Year is awarded to a WAEA member who has significantly demonstrated a long-term contribution to the WAEA and art education on the local, state and/or national levels.

Jeanne is a veteran with 39 years of experience in the field of education including 21 years as an art educator. She has a range of experiences designing programs and teaching children and adults in varied settings including: schools, museums, college and professional development. Jeanne is especially interested in helping her students envision their future through the arts. In the Pewaukee School District Jeanne has developed a program that is robust in its infusion of technology. Bjork’s innovative approach to alternative photographic processes, mark-making techniques and new media such as laser engraving has given her students unique experiences in the field of art and design. Jeanne has also advocated for the arts, establishing an art scholarship for her students, designing and co-leading a travel abroad program and writing and publishing articles and podcasts with Davis Publications School Arts Magazine, K12ArtChat and The Art of Education. Jeanne has served 2 terms as a member of the Wisconsin Art Education Association Board and has presented at both the state and National conferences. Jeanne is a passionate advocate for art in her community and beyond, connecting her students to opportunities that enrich their lives beyond the classroom.

ALLOUEZ, Wis. (WBAY) - As Mental Health Awareness Month comes to a close, we want to introduce you to a young De Pere artist who’s using her passion to reassure people that if they deal with mental health issues, they are not alone.

“Painting is super therapeutic for me, you know?” Eva Passel said.

This 16-year-old Notre Dame sophomore knows the mural she’s painting will help an Allouez business be seen.

But what she really wants people to see is that our mental health is something we shouldn’t be afraid to talk about.

“I have anxiety, so whether that be, you know, about a test or just overthinking in general. This year I’m in a lot of advanced classes, and I was in a lot of sports last year, and it can be really hard to juggle that stuff sometimes.”

Her mural of the Chakra symbols is in front of Bay Area Yoga and personal training center Stealth Fitness.

Read More Here

Dozens of Glacier Creek Middle School eighth graders, poised and alert, readied their instruments on Tuesday night.

A few feet away sat composer Kelijah Dunton. The students in the band and their peers in choir sounded the first notes of “Master of My Fate,” and the world premiere of the piece, played in the Middleton High School Performing Arts Center, began.

For Dunton, though, it wasn’t the first time he’d heard the song — he’d heard it electronically hundreds of times while composing it.

“In person, it’s a completely different experience,” Dunton said shortly after the concert ended. “The computer can only give you computer sounds, and when you put it on the stage, it’s so human and that’s what makes you feel so much more alive.” Dunton’s song, “Master of My Fate,” honors the life of Nelson Mandela. The title was inspired by a line in the poem “Invictus,” a work Mandela often recited.

Read More Here

School display cases turn into miniature art galleries thanks to a traveling exhibit of work by Dane County artists. Walking to the display case in the hallway at Randall Elementary School to view the artwork was like a “micro field trip,” said art teacher Joshua Ludke.

“For me, one of the more important things is for them to see these are people in Madison doing this important work,” Ludke said. “Seeing some of those skills from a professional artist in front of you is a way of seeing what those skills we have been practicing in class could become.”

Read More Here

The Educational Theatre Association has released its top-10 lists of plays and musicals performed in high schools during the 2022-2023 school year. More than 2,300 public and private high school teachers across the U.S. participated.

See The List Here

June 5, 20237:01 AM ET

Heard on Morning Edition

Elizabeth Blair

Wisconsin Humanities awards grants to support locally-initiated public humanities programs. Grants for humanities programs are awarded to encourage greater public participation in humanities programming, spark imagination, and promote thoughtful conversation across the state. We especially encourage organizations in underserved communities to apply. Please sign up for our newsletter to receive updates about funding opportunities.

Learn More Here

Are you a K-12 educator searching for ways to ignite or widen content about race and racism with your students? Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past is dedicated to supporting your critical conversations about the history and legacy of systemic racism. Join us as we work together to build a more equitable shared future, and strive to enhance racial inclusion in our education systems.

Click Here To Learn More!

The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage is a research center of the Smithsonian Institution. We work with communities in the United States and around the world to encourage the understanding, appreciation, and vitality of humanity’s diverse living cultural heritage.

Learn more about this amazing resource here!

In this professional development series, join educators as they model teaching techniques to use digital museum resources to support student learning in a diverse range of learning environments.

Great Cross-Curricular Resource

TeachRock improves students' lives by bringing the sound, stories, and science of music to all classrooms. From The Beatles to Beyoncé, from kindergarten to AP History, in the classroom or remotely, TeachRock offers meaningful lesson plans all at no cost to teachers, students, and families, inspiring deeper learning and understanding through the power of music.

Launched by Stevie Van Zandt with the Founders Board of Bono, Jackson Browne, Martin Scorsese, and Bruce Springsteen, Teachrock.org has provided free, standards-aligned resources to help teachers, students, and families succeed for more than a decade.

Learn More Here!

The arts are fundamental to our humanity. They ennoble and inspire us—fostering creativity, empathy, and beauty. The arts also strengthen our communities socially, educationally, and economically—benefits that persist even during a pandemic that has been devastating to the arts. The following 10 reasons show why an investment in artists, creative workers, and arts organizations is vital to the nation’s post-pandemic healing and recovery.

See The List Here!

The Alliance for Wisconsin Theatre Education (AWTE) is holding its annual conference at UWGB on Friday, September 22, 2023. Anyone who directs plays/musicals, as well as auditorium/performing arts facility managers, are welcome. To learn more, visit https://awte.net/conference/.

Refresh! is part of WCDA’s summer conference, an event held on the campus of a university over a two-day period in July cooperatively with NextDirection. The purpose of this conference is for us to gather choral teachers from every corner of the state and every stage of their careers in a casual environment to learn from one another and from other teacher-conductors.

WCDA aims to keep the conference fees at a minimum, to make this event affordable for everyone. Refresh! draws choral directors of every age and level: from first year to retired teachers, elementary, middle, high school, and collegiate teachers, and church and community choir directors. Refresh! sessions range from our popular “ed camps”, in which attendees choose from topics to discuss and learn from one another, to sessions where we learn from nationally recognized conductors. We also sing and share food and fellowship together.

Please join us this summer for Refresh! at the WCDA Summer Conference July 18-20, 2023 on the Carroll University campus in Waukesha, WI.]

Learn More and Register Here

Learn the skills you need to successfully write music for video games!

Students age 12+ are invited to apply. Open to youth and adults wanting to learn real-life applicable skills to score for video games.

July 3-15, 2023

Tuition $349 (early bird discount ends June 1)

Register Now!

What you get
✓ 25+ hours of real-time instruction from award-winning composers
✓ Get your music recorded in studio by professional players
✓ Fully virtual, live on Zoom. Participate from anywhere in the world
✓ Improve your composition skills in melody, harmony, and form
✓ Grow your confidence in using a DAW
✓ Learn how to record, mix and master your music
✓ Discover the inside secrets to the VG business (contracts, briefs, mockups etc.)

What we are NOT
✘ Boring, pre-recorded lectures
✘ Lame webinar course
✘ Expensive tuition

Explore our interactive, hands-on learning program here:
https://www.musiccreatorsacademy.com/

PBS Wisconsin Education invites Wisconsin educators to apply to be part of the PBS Media Literacy Cohort. During the 2023-2024 school year, the cohort will work together with PBS Wisconsin Education to earn PBS Media Literacy Educator Certification.

This certification recognizes PreK-12 educators who demonstrate their ability to help learners think critically about media consumption and creation. It is broken out into eight micro-credentials on the Digital Promise platform that cover essential competencies.

Space in the cohort is limited. Please complete the application here by June 22, 2023, to be considered. Applicants are required to attend this short informational webinar.

Applications will be reviewed by July 7, 2023, and applicants will be contacted by July 14, 2023, via email.

Learn More Here

Specially designed for K-12 teachers of music, theater, dance, art, PAC managers, parents, and others who find themselves needing to design, supervise, or teach technical theater skills. Others who may benefit include those who use technical theater skills for live events, houses of worship, community theaters, technical theater professionals, and college students. All material is presented online, asynchronously, with optional in-person opportunities as may be identified.

Summer 2023 classes are:
Lighting (Course #619 Lec 003)
Covers terms, color use, fixture selection, photometrics,control boards, programming tips and spot light use, among other topics.

Theater Safety (Course #619 Lec 001)
NEW class! Covers common and uncommon safety issues in theaters and event spaces. Historical events to learn from. Physical and emotional safety in the space including fire codes, building codes, life safety codes, OSHA and schools, chemical usage/storage, crowd management, weather and events and much more!

Managing the School Theater (Course #619 Lec 002)
NEW class! What you need to know to manage a successful educational theater program. Creating theater classes and assessing achievement. Selecting shows right for your students' needs, obtaining rights, casting, funding, producing, working with booster clubs, getting admins to understand, renting your space, where to get supplies, and many others.

Registration is open! Classes run June 19-Aug 13 online, asynchronous.

Click Here To Learn More & Register

Created and taught by real teachers, this is the authentic professional development experience that will really transform your work. Come experience the energy and excitement of creative, passionate K-12 music teachers, new and veteran, instrumental, general and vocal all in one place.

Watch demonstration classes taught by master teachers
Think about how this model will fit with your particular style and students.
Discuss ideas, ask questions and hear from others all around the country in small group settings.
Create a teaching plan that you can really use.

• A natural fit for professional goals.
• Current educational initiatives are examined from a CMP perspective.
• A perfect mix of inspiring and practical!

Click here to register and for more information!

The deadline to submit a proposal at the 2023 Play Make Learn Conference (PML) is quickly approaching! PML is a gathering of researchers, game designers, makers, artists, and educators. The conference is a place for collaboration and discovery in the design, research and practice of playful learning, games for learning and positive social impact, making and makerspaces, STEAM education, and arts integration in education.

PML creates an inspirational space for PreK-12 students, educators, designers, developers, innovators, librarians, museum professionals, makers, and researchers to tinker together, share knowledge, and celebrate one another’s work.

Interested in attending, but not presenting? Save the date for registration opening in April!

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