🌟 Now Is the Time to Celebrate Excellence in Arts Education!

Who in your school or community is making a difference through the arts? This fall, MAAE invites you to recognize the outstanding students, educators, administrators, schools, and community champions who help make arts education thrive across Missouri.

🏆 2027 MAAE Awards & Student Contests

Nominations and applications are open for several exciting opportunities!

• Schools of Excellence Award — Celebrate schools that make the arts an essential part of student learning.

• Creativity and Innovation in Teaching Award — Recognize an arts educator whose imaginative teaching inspires students and expands learning.

• Administrator of the Year Award — Honor a school administrator who champions arts education and supports arts educators.

• Arts Education Community Champion Award — Celebrate a community member who makes a meaningful contribution to an arts education program.

• State Government Advocate for Arts Education Award — Help us recognize public officials who demonstrate a strong commitment to arts education in Missouri.

• Student Arts Ambassador Award — Encourage a Missouri high school arts student to become a student leader and advocate for arts education.

• Student Content Creator Contest — Invite students in grades 3–12 to create short videos showing why every student deserves access to the arts.

🎨 Special Opportunity: Senate Student Fine Arts Exhibit

Deadline: January 31, 2027

Missouri K–12 fine arts teachers are invited to submit student artwork for the Senate Student Fine Arts Exhibit. This unique opportunity welcomes entries across fine arts disciplines, not just visual art. Selected students will be recognized during Fine Arts Education Week at the Missouri State Capitol.

Teachers, please share this opportunity with your students and help showcase the creativity and talent flourishing in Missouri classrooms!

Take action today! Start a nomination, encourage a student to apply, or share these opportunities with a colleague. Let's make sure the outstanding work happening in Missouri arts education receives the recognition it deserves.

Visit the MAAE Awards & Contests webpage for award criteria, application instructions, and current deadlines. For the Senate Student Fine Arts Exhibit, visit the exhibit webpage.

Have questions? Contact execdirector@moaae.org.

This September, I attended my first town hall hosted by Springfield State Representative Stephanie Hein. In the conference room of a local library, I had the opportunity to hear her break down what was on the ballot this November, answer questions and listen to her constituents when they prompted discussion. For me, civic engagement has always meant attending events like these town halls and learning about the issues in my community---Especially through the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education, local organizations, and newsletters. But civic engagement can take many forms.

In my own life, this little way of showing up for the arts has involved keeping tabs on what goes on at my local art museum, creating community projects through my school’s chapter of the National Art Honor Society, supporting local small businesses, attending regional festivals, plays, and concerts, and getting informed about what’s going on in my community. For others, this form of civic engagement might take a different form. Reposting, liking, and sharing posts about arts events can both keep others informed and be a valuable form of advocacy, even if it might seem inconsequential. As educators, it can be especially important to broadcast art into the community with student displays of artwork, performances open to the public, and events that emphasize how the arts thrive in your community. Volunteering for, sponsoring, or otherwise engaging with local shows, festivals, and exhibits can ensure that your community is supported even without you directly advocating in Jefferson City, or even interacting with your legislator at all (which you should do!). Above all else, vote! It’s the most important form of civic engagement you can participate in.

If it sometimes feels like you can do nothing tangible to support the arts, the best possible solution is to do what you can.Lots of local news sources and arts advocacy websites can help you start the journey to finding these “little ways” of advocacy in your region. The arts make the world a more accessible, welcoming, and inspiring place for everyone in our community, and the time, energy, and passion that people pour into them is what keeps them alive even when state funding dwindles. 

Basic Guidelines 

• Brevity

• Address by their title: Senator… Representative…

• If you get a “no” - be aware that there may be little you can do in that moment to change their mind.

• Be courteous to maintain a positive relationship and leave behind a brief list of talking points with evidence and contact info.

• Respect boundaries - briefly greet at a grocery store of such, but set an appointment to discuss issues.

In Person Meeting Guide

• Schedule 1-2 weeks in advance if possible

• Dress: Business or Business Casual

• Show up 5 minutes early

• Developing a positive relationship with staffers can support your goals - Staffers not only perform secretarial duties, but they also serve as scheduler, policy advisor, chief of staff.

• Leave behind a clear concise position paper with your contact info.

Phone Call Meeting Guide

• Be brief

• State the following

  • your name

  • who you’re representing

  • if you’re a constituent

  • why you’re calling and

  • what response you would like: (return call, email, support for a bill.)

• If there is background info, are talking points - send them via email and refer to that email in the voicemail.

• Thank them for their time.

• Don’t call back repeatedly, or leave an angry voicemail.

EMail Guide

• Be brief

• Include an attachment with no more than 1-2 pages to back up your case.

• If a large group is sending the same email, take a moment to add a personal touch.

• Copy staff on emails.

The KS/MO Kennedy Center Partners in Education, a partnership between the Midwest Trust Center at Johnson County Community College, Shawnee Mission School District, and Liberty Public Schools, provides free arts integration professional development and support for educators.
Learn more about upcoming sessions here.

See it. Show It. Know It.: Using Creative Movement and Visual Literacy to Deepen Learning with Garrett Brown and Harlan Brownlee
4:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 4, 2026 | Liberty Fine Arts Office
Free; pre-reservation required

Discover how students can read visual texts to make evidence-based inferences and then use creative movement to deepen and express understandings. You will leave this workshop empowered to help students to find their creative voice! 

The Midwest Teaching Artist Coalition is pleased to announce the first Toolbox Talks professional development session of the 2026-2027 season! 

Date and Location

In-person at the Coterie Theater (Crown Center)
2450 Grand Blvd in Kansas City, MO

November 13th from 12:00-1:45 p.m. 

Cost

Free

About the Session

Theatre games are an essential part of acting classes and camps! They build essential performance skills, encourage teamwork, and help young people tap into their creativity. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore a variety of theatre games and discover how each game supports and develops specific skills. Come ready to play, collaborate, and explore the many ways theatre games can enrich your work as a teaching artist!

About Allison

Allison Nissley, Coterie Theatre School Director, is an experienced teaching artist, performer, director, and stage carpenter. A Kansas City native, she earned her theatre degree from Northwest Missouri State University and began her career as a teaching artist with The Coterie. She has also toured and performed educational theatre with the National Theatre for Children in Minneapolis before returning to Kansas City.

To Register

Please use this link to RSVP and share the invitation with a teaching artist friend or colleague!

Additional Upcoming Sessions
Crafting Connection - 12/3
The Creative Enterprise - 1/14
Art & Resilience - 2/11
From Chaos to Creation - 3/2
From Novice to Showstopper - 4/6
Ready, Set, Scaffold! - 5/6

Hello Missouri Educators,

I’m reaching out to share an exciting opportunity for your school: America’s Field Trip: Virtual Artist Residencies with Focus 5, made possible by Crystal Bridges celebrating America’s 250th anniversary through the arts. These residencies are FREE/NO COST for schools and bring high-quality, arts-integrated learning directly to your classroom—virtually.

To learn more about these Free Virtual Artist Residencies please go to: https://tinyurl.com/CrystalBridgesResidencies.

Taking place through December 2026.

While you are there, be sure to check out my virtual residency: Warhol’s Wild Adaptations (Grade 3- 5).

In this three-day high-engagement residency, students investigate how Warhol adapted and abstracted images in his animal series—and ask: How do animals adapt to survive, and how can we abstract that idea into movement? Studying the two strategies of adaptation and abstraction, they create original movement phrases that embody real animal adaptations. The result is pop-art thinking meets life-science insight—students don’t tell you what an adaptation or abstraction is; they show you.

Participation requires a minimum of 4 classes to take part. If you don’t have 4 classes, we can pair you with another school.

If you’d like to secure a spot, you can register here:

• Register: https://tinyurl.com/WarholAdapt 

You can also learn more about Focus 5 arts integration at www.Focus5ArtsIntegration.com

If you have questions I’m happy to help.
- Harlan Brownlee

Contact Harlan via email here.

The Missouri Arts Council Big Yellow School Bus grants provide up to $500 in transportation assistance for K-12 school field trips to arts education programs.

Eligible Projects: Field trips that demonstrate direct exposure to or integration with arts education. 

Maximum Award Amount: Up to $500 per year in transportation costs.

Application Deadlines: Rolling deadlines (must apply at least two months prior to the scheduled event date via Missouri Arts Council).

Eligible Funding Period: July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.

Learn more here.