Plan to join us for Fine Arts Education Week 2026 - April 6-11, 2026 with a shift to a Wednesday April 8th daytime field trip for student learning through our civics education program - Show-Me Arts, and our rotunda performances on Fine Arts Education Day will shift to Thursday, April 9. We’re planning to add a Dulcimer Workshop on Friday April 10 and Dulcimer Day at the Capitol on Saturday culminating in a jam session. We’re also moving up the registration dates to allow for streamlined planning. We're all looking forward to this festive celebration of arts education in Missouri.

MAAE continues to monitor the actions of our state and national leaders. We are watching as funding decisions affecting both education and the arts are being made and issuing calls to action where appropriate, and working to ensure that policy decisions do not negatively impact the important work that you do. Your work matters. Your voice can make a difference. Staying connected with MAAE will be critically important in the coming months. If you’d like to receive policy updates, please email advocacy@moaae.org.

May each of you continue to make those wonderful learning connections with your students and have a tremendous school year!

Phyllis Pasley

The Department of Art & Design, the Judith Enyeart Reynolds College of Arts and Letters, and the Board of Governors of Missouri State University will host a virtual Juried Exhibition for secondary art students again this year. The virtual exhibition will showcase artworks from talented students and give them an opportunity to participate in a competitive, juried summer exhibition, and provide a platform for their work to be displayed in a college venue. Please note as this is a juried show, entries are not guaranteed acceptance.

Exhibition format:

+ All aspects of the jurying process and exhibition are virtual! Images are submitted online.

+ Instructions for uploading images are on the prospectus (link below).

Eligibility:

+ All currently enrolled high school students.

Submission Requirements:

+ Each student may submit up to 3 works (1 detail image per piece if needed).

+ Students should submit works from the previous or current school year.

+ There are no fees associated with submission.

Winning entries will receive award certificates and scholarships that can be applied towards tuition at Missouri State University Art & Design:

1st–$5,000.00

2nd–$3,000.00

3rd–$1,500.00. 

Entry Deadline: October 24, 2025 (entry portal opens October 1)

Notification of Acceptance: December 12, 2025

Virtual Summer Exhibition Opens: June 2, 2026

Learn more here.

The Governor’s Council on Disability (GCD) has launched its annual Poster Contest for National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) to raise awareness about the importance of employment inclusion and highlighting the important contributions of individuals with disabilities to the workforce. Celebrated annually in October, NDEAM celebrates the value and talent workers with disabilities add to America’s workplaces and economy.

This year marks the 80th Anniversary of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and the 35th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• Participate by submitting original artwork relating to disability employment, the ADA, or community inclusion

• The winning artwork will be featured on the 2025 GCD NDEAM poster, which is distributed statewide!

• The 2025 GCD NDEAM poster will be featured on the GCD website, social media, GCD Newsletter, and GCD annual report and displayed in state government offices

• All artwork entries will be displayed on the GCD website

Artwork entries must be received before August 31. Don’t delay – get started now for your chance to win this year’s contest.

The contest is open to all Missouri residents of all ages.

More information and entry forms can be found on the GCD NDEAM Poster Contest website at https://disability.mo.gov/gcd/PosterContest/

Questions? Call 573-751-2600.

Classroom teachers and arts specialists:

As a new school year is upon us, I want to reach out to share all the support MAC can offer you to create the best arts-infused curriculum for your students. MAC is your state arts agency and main public funder for the arts in Missouri. One of our top priorities is supporting and enhancing arts education both during and after school.

Grants for Schools:

•  exposure opportunities [BYSB and Touring]

•  residencies [AIR]

•  and professional development.
  
  

Applications are due the first Monday of the month for projects occurring 60 days out from the submission; we award up to $4,000 for projects throughout the school year.

Annual arts education grants will open for FY27 in December.

Our school transformation model, A+ Schools Missouri, is seeking up to three schools to take on a different way of doing school through whole-school arts integration and the

adoption of eight pillars of best practices for joyful learning and teaching. If you are dreaming of something new for your community, plan to attend the pre-application meeting on September 23. You can register for the meeting, in-person in St. Louis, here: A+ Schools Pre-Application Meeting Registration

Check out this teaser: Coming to Missouri

Contact me for more information: Jenni.ryan@ltgov.mo.gov

-Jenni Ryan

To the super amazing MO fine arts educators, I want to welcome you to the school year of 2025-26! I hope your summer included time with family and rest. As school is starting now, I want to highlight important info and share resources and opportunities for you and your students.

1. FAM – Fine Arts Family –We will meet on the third Thursday of each month. We will discuss an important topic, network, and share encouragement with each other. Ask your admin for this to count as PD credit for you. Our first one was August 21st, and we had a great team of educators from all over MO sharing and learning together. Please make plans to join me and other teachers September 18th from 3:30 – 4:30pm. Contact me for a Teams link. Kendra.franks@dese.mo.gov

2. MO Fine Arts Academy – FREE for selected 9th – 12th grade students. A 2-week camp in June, held on the campus of Missouri State University, with art specialists and opportunities for collaboration, integration, growth, and networking. Through State Legislature funding and generous donors, this is FREE for accepted students. Deadline for applications is early January. For info and to submit an application and portfolio, visit the Missouri Fine Arts Academy website.

3. PD days with your school – I would love to come and share in PD at your school. Please have your administrator contact me for scheduling. If we can schedule other directors from the DESE curriculum team to come on the same date like math, ELA, or science as well, that would be super!

4. Join your state arts association like MAEA and MMEA. Not only do they host fantastic annual conferences, but they provide resources and helps online. Ask your school to help you join and put the conference dates on your calendar! I’ll see you there!

How can I help? I am here for you…as a sounding board, a problem-solver, an encourager, a mentor, a teacher…please let me know how I can help you this school year. I would be delighted to hear from you about what you have going on and the amazing art you have students doing too! Please email or call anytime!

Kendra Franks, Ph.D.
Director of Fine Arts, Office of College and Career Readiness
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Kendra.franks@dese.mo.gov
(573) 751-9610

Visit DESE’s Virtual Art Gallery here, which features creations this month from Pierce City and Northwest Schools. For more information about how your school can participate in the art exhibit, please contact Dr. Kendra Franks, DESE’s Fine Arts Curriculum Director at Kendra.Franks@dese.mo.gov.

Artwork is on display in the Jefferson Building 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. on Monday-Friday (except for state holidays). Please contact Kendra Franks, Arts Education Director before visiting.

Started in 2004, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has invited public schools throughout Missouri to submit samples of their students' artwork. The art is displayed in the Department's main office in Jefferson City and in the room where the State Board of Education holds its regular monthly meetings. Artwork from each featured school is showcased for a month. The same artwork is now featured here. For privacy reasons, the full names of the student artists will not be published here.

Schools that will be featured in the Virtual Art Gallery are already scheduled for several months in advance. Please do not submit unsolicited artwork. For more information, contact:

Kendra Franks, Ph.D.
Director of Fine Arts Education
573-751-9610
Kendra.Franks@dese.mo.gov

Image Credit: Amber, Pierce City

Energizing Through Dance: The Many Ways to Move Through the Curriculum 
with Harlan Brownlee   
Thursday, September 25, 2025    
12:00 PM 3:00 PM 
Liberty Fine Arts Building 
Grade Levels: K - 12

Experience how creative movement and dance can elevate instruction across all subject areas-science, math, literacy, social studies, and SEL. In this interactive workshop, educators will explore practical, movement-based strategies that boost engagement, reinforce content, and build classroom community. Participants will learn to integrate dance into daily lessons with adaptable structures that support diverse learners. Discover how movement can bring curriculum to life and turn your classroom into a space of joyful, embodied learning.

Learn more and register here

Harlan Brownlee is a consultant for Focus 5, Inc., a national arts education consulting firm. He holds a BFA in Dance, specializing in performance and choreography, and an MA in Educational Research and Psychology. With over 40 years of experience in arts integration, Harlan is a seasoned expert who leads K-12 student residencies, conducts workshops for educators, and facilitates training seminars for teaching artists across the nation. Since 2002, he has served as a National Teaching Artist with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Recognizing the powerful engagement and educational benefits of dance and creative movement, Harlan integrates these forms with STEM education. He has presented at Project Lead the Way's (PLTW) National Conferences, showcasing his expertise in blending STEM curriculum with creative movement and dance. Harlan also boasts an extensive performance background, having spent 13 years as a choreographer and dancer with City in Motion Dance Theater. This professional dance company toured the Midwest and was featured at the 1992 World Expo in Seville, Spain.

Register Here

September 20, 2025 (11 a.m. to 12 noon Eastern time)
The Creativity Choice: From Having Ideas to Making Them Happen
Zorana Ivcevic PringleThe modern science of creativity was jumpstarted by the speech of J.P. Guilford who defined divergent thinking and discussed its relevance for creativity. Since, researchers have focused on divergent thinking and idea generation more than any other part of the creative process. In this talk, I will argue that we need to shift attention to the process of doing something with those ideas. I will address three groups of questions: (1) Why do people sometimes have ideas, but fail to act on them?; (2) What are the self-regulation processes that enable progress and persistence through the creative process?; and (3) What is the role of social processes in shaping creative performance and achievement? I will discuss the needs for future research and implications for educational practice.

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October 25, 2025 (11 a.m. to 12 noon Eastern time)
Books as Mentors: How to Ignite, Delight, & Cultivate Interests, Knowledge, & Curiosity to Making Them Happen
Susannah Richards

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November 22, 2025 (11 a.m. to 12 noon Eastern time)
Generative AI and Creativity: Avoiding the Convenience Trap
Matt WorwoodGenerative AI is a multi-purpose technology with numerous known and emerging applications in education. Already, it is being used as a writing tool, a reading aid, an assessment resource, and a chatbot that provides feedback and supports idea generation. As we continue to explore best practices for integrating this technology into the classroom, it is essential to prioritize our understanding of creativity in learning to mitigate the impact of the Convenience Trap—the risk of diminishing students’ engagement in divergent and convergent thinking. This presentation will examine two GenAI scenarios, analyzing their potential effects on the cognitive process and considering the long-term implications for mini-c and little-c creativity in education.

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January 10, 2026 (11 a.m. to 12 noon Eastern time)
Models and Frameworks for Differentiating Instruction and Developing Expertise and Talent
Tamra Stambaugh
How can we modify lessons that support students’ learning, talent development, and expertise? What does it mean to add depth, complexity, and abstractness as part of differentiated and advanced instruction? Frameworks and models are important tools  teachers can use to create challenging learning opportunities, promote advanced thinking, and make thinking visible. Students can rely on models and frameworks to guide their own thinking and to engage in practices of the discipline.   Add to your pedagogical toolkit and learn various models and frameworks that help students examine problems, relationships, and concepts in different disciplines and guide teacher questioning.

Learn more and register here.

MAEA Fall 2025 will be Oct 3-4th at Camp Bob White in Knob Noster, MO for the 43rd annual year. This signature MAEA event includes TONS of hands-on art making with colleagues as well as time to practice new techniques like weaving, tye dye, glass slumping, t-shirt printing, raku pottery, found object art, nature-based art and more! It's the ultimate camp experience for art teachers. 

2025 MAEA Fall Conference Request For Proposals

Conference proposals are due September 5th 2025.

The theme for this conference is "Remastering, Recreate,  Reengaging, " we are looking to highlight those tried and true lesson that work in your classroom. We are going old school!

Here are some suggestions from our members:
Pre-K to 2nd grade lessons / Collage & Mixed Media / Cross-Curricular Connections / Paper Mache / Ceramics / TAB / Found Art / Photography / Drawing / Motivation / Mental Health/ Artist Skills / Printmaking / Fiber Arts / Raku / Budget Projects / Book Binding / Artist Talks / Comic Books / Nature Art / Wire Sculpture / Batik Dying / Classroom Organization

Submit proposals here.

MAEA Spring Conference 2026 at the Cape!

Learn more and register here.

This just in! MAEA Spring Conference 2026 will be in Cape Girardeau, MO for the first time! Mark your calendars for March 26th-28th, 2026. We are currently collecting team

2026 MAEA Conference Request For Presentation Proposals

Vendor workshops proposals will be accepted at any time.

Here are some suggestions from our members:

Pre-K to 2nd grade lessons / Collage & Mixed Media / Cross-Curricular Connections / Paper Mache / Ceramics / TAB / Found Art / Photography / Drawing / Motivation / Mental Health/ Artist Skills / Printmaking / Fiber Arts / Raku / Budget Projects / Book Binding / Artist Talks / Comic Books / Nature Art / Wire Sculpture / Batik Dying / Classroom Organization

Submit here

Missouri Historical Society

A variety of open positions including Museum Educator, African American History Initiative manager, and a part-time creative technologies videographer.