ESPrit de Corps

When I need an escape from another reminder that the nation is indeed in a recession, this week I’ve been finding a wealth of discussions on the internet that remind me of the power and complexity of the arts-in-education field.  Some of the discourse is (politely) contentious, but I see contradiction as another opportunity for inspiration.  Do you agree?

First off, I was very tickled to find  a NewYorker article about an event that looked at the intersection of biology and jazz, hosted in an art museum (none other than the Guggenheim Museum, which does indeed have an ESP partnership).

The Association of Teaching Artist is hosting a blog-dialogue (”blogalogue”?) about the nature of what it means to be a Teaching Artist (if indeed, that is the most appropriate title). Full disclosure: I’m a member of ATA’s board, but I receive absolutely NO REMUNERATION for mentioning this event (so read it all you want– I won’t get an extra penny).

Arts Journal is also hosting a Debate on Arts Education, featuring many national experts, several with ESP credentials like Eric Booth and Jane Remer.   The discussion began yesterday, and continues through this week.  Many different topics have come to the fore, and several important challenges have been articulated.  I’m not sure if the esteemed group will arrive at a solution of some sort, but I think it’s important for anyone in our field to have a good grasp of some of the key concepts shaping our work.

The primary sponsor of the Debate on Arts Education blog is the Wallace Foundation, which is sharing its recently published Rand-report “Cultivating Demand for the Arts.”  While the report is not without its critics (see the Arts Journal blog, above), any report produced by Rand is something that people will be responding to.

I’ve been commenting on the Arts Journal site already, but if I’m able to synthesize some ideas from the different on-line resources, I’ll be sure to post them here.

Do you have any thoughts about the current state of arts-in-education or what it means to be a teaching artist?  Are your ideas changing at all due to the current recesssion?

At least we’re rich with ideas, right!

Cheers,

Phil