Wow! January was action-packed and we are off to a tremendous start with in-person conferences with attendance approaching pre-pandemic levels. 

The Missouri Thespians - January 5-7, 2023 at the Kansas City Convention Center, was such an incredibly powerful learning opportunity for students as they attended their choice of workshops from among dozens of offerings delivered by gifted educators and practicing artists working in the field of theatre. With everything from performances of stage shows and one-act plays, to stage combat, costuming, makeup and competitions in areas such as improvisation and hands-on technical backstage work, student learning was evident. MAAE offered student workshops with Pasley's "Boosting Creativity" and Andrea Branstetter's "Arts Advocacy" which were well-received. The incredible teacher leadership of MO Thespians who make this powerful learning experience possible are to be commended.

The Missouri Music Educators Association Conference at Tan-Tar-A in Osage Beach on January 25-28, 2023 was also a great success. MAAE is proud to provide sponsorship support for the clinicians who work with Missouri's All-State Ensembles, as well as sponsoring individual professional learning workshops. We are especially grateful to presenter Diane McCullough, and our allies at the Scottish Partnership for Arts and Education who shared "Fiddlin' Around" which included curriculum materials celebrating contributions of black violinists whose contributions are often overlooked. Special thanks to Suzanne Palmer (Normandy) and Blake Hernton (Ritenour) for contributing ready-to-use lesson plans and resources to help Missouri teachers in their quest to inspire student success.

MAAE was pleased to host visual artist Maggie Meiners shared information about her work through the exhibit "Revisiting Rockwell" at the January 19, 2023 I.D.E.A. Network session. If you missed seeing her via ZOOM, we have uploaded a recording of her presentation to our youtube channel and website.

Our Senate Student Art Exhibit Coordinator - Vicki Bean - finished the 2023 collection process and is pleased to report that more than 1,100 pieces of art were received. Next month we will be able to announce which students had work selected by our Missouri Senators to be on display in the Capitol building throughout the remainder of 2023.

Welcome to the new coordinators for MAAE programs: Contests: Jill Williams, and Awards - Stephanie Henry. We all look forward to receiving those last-minute entries and nominations which not only allow us to celebrate excellence, but acknowledge those who support arts education. We have extended the deadline one more week - through February 7, 2023, so it is not too late to make your nomination, or have your students write their essays. Our contests are open to students in grades 3-12 and our awards recognize outstanding schools or districts, creative and innovative teachers, school administrators who support the arts, and both government and community champions for arts education. Please nominate someone today! 

Coordinators Jeff Sandquist and Andrea Branstetter, and MMEA's Aaron Wacker, are putting the finishing touches on our plans for Fine Arts Education Day (3/22) and the SHOW-ME Arts Summit (3/21).
The virtual summit will be FREE via ZOOM and held on 3/7 and 3/9. Upload your videos for virtual participation in Fine Arts Education Day by February 15. Registration deadlines for both of these in-person events is March 1.
We need you! Please join us! 

Finally - as always, we invited you to become an ally. There are no fees to become an MAAE ally, although we are always happy to welcome your donations!

Happy February to all! If MAAE can be of support to you, please let us know.

The monthly meetings of the Missouri Arts Integration Network [MAIN events] allow practitioners in arts integration to share a glimpse into their current work or best practice. It is an opportunity to network with others, to listen, learn, reflect, and increase your own ability to use this approach in your teaching. MAIN events are free to practitioners, and are sponsored by the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education.

If you can think of someone who might be a good fit for sharing their practice at one of our MAIN events, please pass their info along to Lauren Hanahan, MAAE's arts integration specialist, lauren.hanahan@moaae.org.

Alice Bloch partnered with Crystal Bridges in "Creating Connections: A Series of Multigenerational Learning Activities", a series of virtual learning modules created to connect groups of seniors and their families with the Crystal Bridges collection through activities taught by local instructors. Her episode is titled:  "Creative Movement, Art, and Emotion."  The artwork is Alexander Calder's mobile, Trois Noir sure un Rouge, or Three Blacks and a Red.

Creating Connections is sponsored by Vitality Arts, Loreen Albus, Blue Cross & Blue Shield