Maybe the tides are finally turning! I got a call yesterday from the recruiter for the position at Peabody Essex Museum . . . Praise the arts Gods! I think it went very well for a preliminary screening phone call. We had some connections - she used to live in Providence! This is the museum whose Director of Education left for the San Diego Museum of Art, where Maxine Gaiber left as Director of Education to be Executive Director of the DCCA. I just finished working with Maxine. So, to complete this circle, I should be hired for this position. Indeed. Can we all agree on this? Please?
P.S. Mentoring did NOT begin this week due to a complication in site schedules.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Let the Mentoring Begin!
Tomorrow morning the team meets to get the mentoring schedule up and running. I am hoping all the prep work is done, and all I have to do is appear on the day and time I'm scheduled for so I can focus on the task at hand. I have done one classroom observation which has helped me tune in to the preschool culture. I have to admit I was drawn to the table when the playdough came out - and I joined in. The only tools they had were rolling pin and cookie cutters. They were thinking in two dimensions only. So, I made a dog and a dog bowl and little kibbles. We passed the dog around and everyone made him some food, and some new little bowls. Fun. Simple. This makes me think that the kids need actual art teacher experiences as well as the classroom teacher being trained to integrate visual arts into the literacy activities. I'll have to think more about that . . .
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Yes, I'm Not Bilingual
Can I tell you how many interesting jobs have being bilingual as a requirement? All of a sudden I have a huge skill deficit with no hope of fixing it. . . This appears to me as a form of discrimination. I understand that it is a vital need in today's world to communicate with as many segments of the population as possible, but it seems to me that it limits the candidate pool and excludes people who are totally qualified for the position. Although it's rarely stated in job postings, I'm assuming they mean Spanish bilingual. I had 5 years of french . . . Life is just toooooooooo complicated.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Thanksgiving Day
It is 2pm and the turkey should be done at 3. Everything else is done, table is set, cocktails are in progress. . . if I could just reduce Bob's childhood expectations, it will be a great day here in family purgatory. Yikes. His parents are due any moment, and I'm going to get chastised for being on the computer when they arrive. Same thing every year. Sabbatical. I'm thinking sabbatical. . .
Sent my resume and cover letter via email for the Director of Education position at the Peabody Essex Museum last night. I'm thinking a birthday day submission is a good thing. The museum world is a small one. The person who left Peabody Essex took the position at San Diego Museum of Art that Maxine Gaiber vacated to come to DCCA! Having just finished working with her yet maintaining that relationship completes the circle. This job is mine, right? Right. Happy Turkey Day!!!
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
What To Do . . .
What to do
What to do
I've got a nickel in my shoe.
Superstitions. Something about putting money in your shoe to experience the pain and hard work of making money, will bring you more. . . I have no idea why this little poem appeared. Yes I do. It is because I got as far as the Amazon.com hiring office today and discovered I couldn't even land a holiday job there because I can't walk and stand for 12 hours and lift 50 pounds. I was able to walk out. I turn 49 tomorrow and it's hittin' me on the head . . . just put me in a box right now.
What to do
I've got a nickel in my shoe.
Superstitions. Something about putting money in your shoe to experience the pain and hard work of making money, will bring you more. . . I have no idea why this little poem appeared. Yes I do. It is because I got as far as the Amazon.com hiring office today and discovered I couldn't even land a holiday job there because I can't walk and stand for 12 hours and lift 50 pounds. I was able to walk out. I turn 49 tomorrow and it's hittin' me on the head . . . just put me in a box right now.
Friday, November 17, 2006
New NEA Study - From Press Release Received Today
National Endowment for the Arts Releases Study on The Arts and Civic Engagement
Contact:Sally Gifford 202-682-5606 giffords@arts.endow.gov
Large population survey is first to find links between arts participation and community health
November 1, 2006
Washington, D.C. -- People who participate in the arts are people who help make communities thrive, according to a study released today by the National Endowment for the Arts. The study, The Arts and Civic Engagement: Involved in Arts, Involved in Life, reveals that people who participate in the arts also engage in positive civic and individual activities -- such as volunteering, going to sporting events, and outdoor activities -- at significantly higher rates than non-arts participants. The report shatters the stereotype that art is an escapist or passive activity, showing instead that it is associated with a range of positive behaviors. The study also reveals that young adults (18-34) show a declining rate of arts participation and civic activities.
The study is the first to measure the connection between arts and civic engagement, which can be defined as promoting a positive quality of life through individual and group activities. This new examination of data is based on information from the 2002 NEA Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, which interviewed 17,135 adults ages 18 and older about their activities in a 12-month period. This latest report analyzes civic behaviors reported by arts participants and non-arts participants. Among the key findings:
Arts participants volunteer more. Literary readers and arts participants volunteer at more than twice the rate of those who do not read literature or participate in the arts. For example, half of all performing arts attendees volunteer or do charity work, compared with less than 20% of non-attendees. Those who read literature such as short stories, poems, or novels are almost three times as likely to volunteer as non-readers.
Arts fans are sports fans. Contrary to popular belief, the people who go to theater and concerts are also comfortable showing team spirit at the sports stadium or neighborhood soccer field. People who attend performing arts attend sporting events at twice the rate of non-attendees, and arts participants are also more likely than non-arts participants to play sports.
Arts participants enjoy the great outdoors. Literary readers and arts participants engage in outdoor activities, such as camping, hiking, or canoeing, at double the rate of non-arts participants. They also exercise at nearly twice the rate of non-readers and non-participants.
Young adults are less involved in civic life. Over a 20-year period, young adults are reading less literature, attending fewer arts performances, and even listening to less jazz and classical radio. Young adults also are less involved in sports and exercise, and volunteer rates were flat. Over a similar 20-year timeframe, obesity among young adults grew by roughly 10 percentage points (source: National Center for Health Statistics, Health United States, 2004).
"Healthy communities depend on active and involved citizens," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. "The arts play an irreplaceable role in producing both those citizens and those communities."
The study shows that arts participants and readers lead more active lifestyles than commonly is perceived, that they contribute substantial social capital to their communities through high levels of charity works and participation in sports and outdoor activities. Further, the study demonstrates that arts participation can be seen as an indicator of civic and community health. Finally, the study reveals that young adults may be particularly susceptible to giving up both artistic and civic activities.
Resources
The NEA Research Division issues periodic research reports and briefs on significant topics affecting artists and arts organizations. The Arts and Civic Engagement report, along with the 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, is available in print and electronic form in the Publications section of the NEA website.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
The NEA is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts – both new and established – bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, please visit www.arts.gov.
Contact:Sally Gifford 202-682-5606 giffords@arts.endow.gov
Large population survey is first to find links between arts participation and community health
November 1, 2006
Washington, D.C. -- People who participate in the arts are people who help make communities thrive, according to a study released today by the National Endowment for the Arts. The study, The Arts and Civic Engagement: Involved in Arts, Involved in Life, reveals that people who participate in the arts also engage in positive civic and individual activities -- such as volunteering, going to sporting events, and outdoor activities -- at significantly higher rates than non-arts participants. The report shatters the stereotype that art is an escapist or passive activity, showing instead that it is associated with a range of positive behaviors. The study also reveals that young adults (18-34) show a declining rate of arts participation and civic activities.
The study is the first to measure the connection between arts and civic engagement, which can be defined as promoting a positive quality of life through individual and group activities. This new examination of data is based on information from the 2002 NEA Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, which interviewed 17,135 adults ages 18 and older about their activities in a 12-month period. This latest report analyzes civic behaviors reported by arts participants and non-arts participants. Among the key findings:
Arts participants volunteer more. Literary readers and arts participants volunteer at more than twice the rate of those who do not read literature or participate in the arts. For example, half of all performing arts attendees volunteer or do charity work, compared with less than 20% of non-attendees. Those who read literature such as short stories, poems, or novels are almost three times as likely to volunteer as non-readers.
Arts fans are sports fans. Contrary to popular belief, the people who go to theater and concerts are also comfortable showing team spirit at the sports stadium or neighborhood soccer field. People who attend performing arts attend sporting events at twice the rate of non-attendees, and arts participants are also more likely than non-arts participants to play sports.
Arts participants enjoy the great outdoors. Literary readers and arts participants engage in outdoor activities, such as camping, hiking, or canoeing, at double the rate of non-arts participants. They also exercise at nearly twice the rate of non-readers and non-participants.
Young adults are less involved in civic life. Over a 20-year period, young adults are reading less literature, attending fewer arts performances, and even listening to less jazz and classical radio. Young adults also are less involved in sports and exercise, and volunteer rates were flat. Over a similar 20-year timeframe, obesity among young adults grew by roughly 10 percentage points (source: National Center for Health Statistics, Health United States, 2004).
"Healthy communities depend on active and involved citizens," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. "The arts play an irreplaceable role in producing both those citizens and those communities."
The study shows that arts participants and readers lead more active lifestyles than commonly is perceived, that they contribute substantial social capital to their communities through high levels of charity works and participation in sports and outdoor activities. Further, the study demonstrates that arts participation can be seen as an indicator of civic and community health. Finally, the study reveals that young adults may be particularly susceptible to giving up both artistic and civic activities.
Resources
The NEA Research Division issues periodic research reports and briefs on significant topics affecting artists and arts organizations. The Arts and Civic Engagement report, along with the 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, is available in print and electronic form in the Publications section of the NEA website.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
The NEA is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts – both new and established – bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, please visit www.arts.gov.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Flamingo Sadness
As noted in a recent article in the Pawtucket Times, (thanks, Mom) Plastic Pink Flamingos are dead at 49. Union Products of Leominster, Massachusetts is now closed. The sale of the molds is in negotiation with two American companies, and one Candian company. Should I be worried about the three pink boys guarding my front steps? Will someone steal them for ransom money? What if the price of Plastic Pink Flamingos goes up so high on Ebay that only the rich can afford them? Another cultural icon born in the blue collar world adopted by the upper eschelon. . . ? Add this to the remember when column. Check out the video "The Pink Plastic Flamingo, The Ambassador of the American Lawn" - www.yourmediacoverage.com/theatre/?reel1/2equals3/4PinkPlasticFlamingo. Change is everywhere.
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