Support for Attending Arts Ed Conference

October 24, 2014

Below is an overview of the Arts Educators: Leading the Way conference that clearly defines the details. We hope that it can become a useful document for those who are requesting release time from school to attend.

Arts Educators: Leading the Way Conference and Maine International Conference on the Arts

The Collins Center for the Arts in partnership with the Maine Arts Commission and The Maine Department of Education, have developed the Maine International Conference on the Arts (MICA) which will be held at the Collins Center on the University of Maine at Orono campus on October 24 to 26, 2013. The mission of the conference is to bolster the resources available to artists, arts educators, arts organizations and community networks through the convening of professionals and offering development sessions, networking opportunities, artist showcases, and cross discipline collaboration opportunities.

The first day of the event will host the Arts Education: Leading the Way conference from 8:00am to 4:00pm. This gathering will offer a rich choice of over 30 workshops facilitated by Maine’s Visual and Performing Arts educators from the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative (MAAI). The event promises to provide participants insights and choices for teaching in the standards-based environment. Workshops will include student-centered approaches to assessment, customizing arts education, literacy, utilizing technology for assessment, authentic assessments, proficiency-based curriculum, students creating assessments, performance portfolio development and much more!

Arts Education: Leading the Way conference participants will:

• Learn about the National Core Arts Standards.
• Attend arts assessment workshops that are facilitated by colleagues.
• Explore assessment methods and strategies designed to expand teaching and learning.
• Build connections among the arts disciplines: dance, media arts, music, theatre and visual art.
• Make new connections with other educators.
• Learn more about the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative.

The Maine International Conference on the Arts will begin at 5:00 that evening and run till Saturday. MICA will host another 25 professional development workshops, over 20 artist showcases from New England and Canada, and highlight national keynote speakers including Doug Borwick, author of Engaging Matters. The conference will be a cross discipline cross sector event informed by the Maine Creative Economy initiative that was launched almost ten years ago. The event will promote the intersections between the creative sector, business, education, community, and policy with the underlying feature of strength through collaboration being as true now as it was then. The event will serve as an opportunity for those working in the heart of the arts field to reconnect with their compatriots across the region. It is also a chance for people who wish to better connect with the creative sector to do so.

The benefit of the MICA conference is that it:

• Will advance the field through professional workforce development
• Will allow artists and organizations to share best practices and develop opportunities
• Will enrich communities by strengthening local arts organizations and their networks
• Will allow for stronger local and international connections between arts professionals
• Will promote arts awareness and audience development in Maine student populations

Participants will be awarded contact hours. Early bird tickets are $75 for either conference or $135 for both. Prices will go up after September 13. Registration covers parking, morning coffee and lunch.

More information can be found at:

https://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Media-and-Performing/MICA-LANDING

Conference registration is through the Collins Center box office:

https://tickets.collinscenterforthearts.org/auto_choose_ga.asp?area=116