56828010_10101835990916335_6768340559770681344_o+%281%29.jpg — Alysia’s corner

Many of today’s thought leaders have dubbed the present-day as the Era of Collaboration. Various fields are seeking the benefits of collaborative work: greater productivity, deeper stakeholder engagement and increased innovation. Collaboration is deeply rooted in arts making and learning--and in Maryland, the network of statewide arts partners have made collaboration an organizational habit. The Fine Art Office is proud to forge and deepen local, statewide, and national partnerships that uplift and advance the creative practices of students, educators and communities.
*Our state arts partners:* *Maryland Citizens for the Arts* , *Arts Education in Maryland Schools Alliance, and the* *Maryland State Arts Council* are intentional around our collective impact to support the arts sector in Maryland. Last Spring, MCA led the collaborative effort to produce the first annual Maryland Arts Summit for hundreds of constituents. This summer, we gathered all staff teams for a full day retreat hosted by the Creative Alliance. This month, the Fine Arts Office presented at six regional locations in support of MSAC’s second annual Regional Arts Institutes. Collaboration strengthens our field and drives all of us forward. Share your stories with us! Who are you collaborating with and how is it enhancing your work?
PS: I hope to see you this year in my #AlysiaVisits travels around the state! Here are some key October events where you can catch me this month:
*Keynote Presenter, Leaders for Tomorrow Youth Center’s Partner Luncheon, Oct 15* *http://ltyc.net/*
*Featured Presenter, County-wide arts education teams in Kent County*
*Featured Presenter, U.S. Department of Education’s Arts in Education (AIE) 2019 Conference Setting the Stage for High-Quality Arts in Education,* *https://arts.ed.gov/#program/2019-arts-in-education-conference*
*Keynote Presenter, Delaware Arts Summit,* *https://arts.delaware.gov/summit/*

Leading a Professional Learning Community for Music Educators

A cohort of music educators from Baltimore City Public Schools are successfully completing a 5-week institute led by Alysia Lee, MSDE Coordinator of Fine Arts this week.

The series is part of City Schools’ Cycles of Professional Development, a professional learning community approach designed by Fine Arts Coordinator, Chan’nel Williams-Howard. The sessions explored benefits of formative assessment and guided participants through the MSDE framework for formative assessment with tailored approaches to best meet the needs of choral, orchestral and band directors.

Supporting Arts Programs for Maryland’s Veterans

Alysia was thrilled to support Chesapeake Shakespeare Company and Vet Arts Connect in their September 21st presentation of a special performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by their Veterans Acting Ensemble.

A series of free acting classes for Veterans, each culminating in an ensemble performance of a Shakespeare play has grown into the Veterans Acting Ensemble based at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The initiative has received support from Creative Forces (a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

Many Veterans have discovered that actively engaging in the Arts is the key to smoothing the transition from active duty military life they have known to the civilian world. If you are interested in broadening your understanding of military culture and examining best practices to build supportive, creative classrooms for Veterans and their families–Maryland Micro-Credentials for Creative Classrooms offers 201: Veteran Ready Community Arts Provider Training course for FREE to community arts providers and arts educators.

For more information, visit mcreds.org.

Imagination Stage celebrates 40 Seasons with a classic

Thank you Imagination Stage for the invitation to Opening Night of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show on September 28. It was a joy to watch the colorful retelling of Eric Carle’s iconic children’s books. Children and their families were riveted throughout the performance that featured more than 70 puppets and original music.

2019 AEP National Conference features Maryland

National arts advocacy partner, Arts Education Partnership(AEP) hosted a presentation examining the importance of advancing DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and access) in arts education at their recent 2019 National Conference. Experts working across diverse fields shared their perspectives on research, policies, practices, challenges, and opportunities. MSDE Coordinator of Fine Art, Alysia Lee shared her perspective as an arts leader with the dual perspective of statewide and grassroots, community-centered approaches. Take a look!

Roster Feature

Alysia Lee presented a day of residencies showcasing the power of music and social change as part of the 16-day celebration to open Kennedy Center’s new education facility, The Reach. Lee led hands-on sessions for DC Public Schools on September 18. Lee is featured in a local feature in On Tap Magazine beginning at page 58.

Upcoming Opportunities

i voted flyer light.jpg — “I Voted” Sticker Art Competition

Maryland P-12 student artists compete to design a new
voting polls sticker for Elections in 2020
**Submissions accepted from September 15-October 15, 2019**
The winning designers will receive a $100 gift card for new arts supplies. Their art teacher will receive $500 to purchase art supplies or equipment for their designated school or community art program. For more information visit, http://bit.ly/MDivoted

Festival Updates

**SAVE THE DATE!**
The 3rd annual Best of Maryland Arts Education Festival is **April 17, 2020** in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland.
**REGISTRATION**
Registration for the 3rd #BOMAEF will open this fall! Registration is open to individual high school students and high school groups in creative writing, dance, instrumental music, media art, theatre, vocal music, and visual art. Check for updates at www.bestofmdartsed.com
**NEW FLYER!**
**Click here to download the 2020 Best of Maryland Arts Education Festival Flyer!**
Email a copy to your teachers, print them to hang in your classroom, give a copy to your students!

October 2019 – Fine Arts Updates