December 2019 – Fine Arts Office Updates
Alysia’s Corner
This November, while wandering through the First Lady’s Student Art Exhibition gallery at the House of Delegates in Annapolis, I ran into a familiar and friendly face—Joyce Boyer, my middle school art teacher. Ms. Boyer’s class ran at a tight clip and students were focused and always excited to be there. In middle school, I was a band and choir kid, and I also loved visual art. Ms. Boyer helped me to develop technical skills, but most of all to value creative thinking and small details.
Ms. Boyer was in Annapolis to support her current student in the exhibition and being celebrated for nurturing student achievement. We caught up quickly and hugged and I thanked her for making a sanctuary out of a classroom. Later when I stood at the podium to open the festivities, I called on her to stand and be recognized. She was a little shy but greeted the applause of the crowd with a wave. I credit the many Maryland arts educators I encountered from kindergarten through high school with contributing to my artistry and life-long love of learning. I am grateful for the arts-rich Maryland public school education I received. It makes me proud to be able to uplift the work of arts educators and local school system Fine Arts leadership in Maryland. Maryland Arts Are Alive!
2019 SMCPS All-Honors Elementary Chorus
Thank you St. Mary’s Public Schools and Fine Arts Supervisor Todd Burroughs for the invitation to work with 2019 SMCPS All-Honors Elementary Chorus. The students were incredibly well-prepared by their teachers. The concert was energetic and included an audience sing-a-long.
ArtsLab 2019
ArtsLab 2019, presented by Maryland Citizens for the Arts was a tremendous success. The Fine Arts Office presented a full day of rotating panel talks with Quanice Floyd of AEMS and Tara Holl of TAMA.
A Visit to Calvert County
This month, I got to stop and spend a day with Calvert County Public Schools Fine Arts Supervisor Christie Cook. I was fortunate to meet with Superintendent Dr. Daniel Curry in the morning to learn more about Calvert’s priorities and successes. Then we traveled to Huntingtown High School to observe:
Sara Moran’s advanced string ensemble read a haunting arrangement of Greensleeves,
Derek Anderson’s theatre students in an energized post-performance reflection,
Heather Smith’s class of sculptors sharing their personal journeys to select found objects to feature in their work,
Jessa Sablan’s guitar class where she uses a student-centered approach to repertoire selection,
Maria Miller’s students hard at work on their AP portfolios, and
Sandy Griese leading a 4-part choral reading of Legally Blonde: the Musical.
We wrapped up the visit with Principal Rick Weber, who shared personal stories about the impact he has seen the arts make for individual students and school climate.
Thank you Christie for organizing an excellent Fine Arts Office visit to Calvert County.
December 2019 #AlysiaVisits
This December, I have some exciting #alysiavisits planned, including:
Trip to Baltimore Museum of Art’s Generations exhibit
Interact Theatre on location at Empowerment Academy, Baltimore City Public Schools
#Alysiavisits
Photo by Robyn Harold, MemoriesbyRobyn Photography
Upcoming Opportunities
“I Voted” Sticker Art Competition
Maryland P-12 student artists compete to design a new voting polls sticker for Elections in 2020.
The “I Voted” Sticker Art Competition winners will be announced live on Monday, December 16 at 9:30am at the Fine Arts Office of the Maryland State Department’s Facebook page. Please spread the word about the announcement and tune in!
The competition attracted over 600 original student artwork submissions and then 28,000 votes to select the winners.
“SO many ideas from technique to choreography to performance to community were renewed and refreshed for me. I am truly inspired.” – a #MDMasterclass participant
The 2019 Maryland Masterclass
On October 25-26, the Fine Arts Office and partners presented the second annual Maryland Masterclass Series workshop Dance: Ballet Hispánico, a two-day professional development training for Maryland’s dance educators and community dance instructors. All sessions were led by Eduardo Vilaro, the Artistic Director and CEO of the internationally acclaimed, Ballet Hispánico.
The event was a beautiful, artful weekend! The cohort of dance educators spent two days devising and exploring with our masterful Master Artist, Mr. Vilaro. The culminating community sharing featured the workshop participants on stage and student performances by Sudbrook Magnet Middle School's Dance Company and St. Paul's Dance Conservatory.
#MDMasterclass
Photo by Robyn Harold, MemoriesbyRobyn Photography
Festival Updates
2020 Best of Maryland Arts Education Festival
Photo by Lexi Danielson, edited by Robyn Harold of MemoriesbyRobyn Photography.
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 December 15, 2019. Registration is open to individual secondary students and secondary 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!