More than 500 classroom teachers, artists, school and arts administrators from across North Carolina attended the recent “North Carolina: The State of the Arts” conference last month. United Arts was a partner in presenting this event.
The most comprehensive gathering of educators and arts leaders in North Carolina in the last 20 years drew participants to Charlotte from more than 50 counties, seven states and the District of Columbia. National and state leaders in public education met with teachers, parents and artists to discuss best practices for arts in education in K-12.
“Local arts councils and private and public arts organizations can be enormous assets to local school districts,” said Mary B. Regan, Executive Director of the North Carolina Arts Council. “We hope the synergy created at the conference continues to work in communities, bringing artists into schools and broadening partnerships and opportunities that enrich the lives of North Carolina's children.”
The conference emphasized the importance of educating the whole child in and through the arts. Sessions discussed the status and vision of the arts in K-12 education, explored arts integration into school curriculum and after school activities, funding, community and school partnerships and advocacy.
Session speakers included Doug Herbert, U.S. Department of Education; Howard Lee, Chairman of the North Carolina State Board of Education; June Atkinson, Superintendent of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction; Barbara Shepherd, Director of National Partnerships for the Education Department at the Kennedy Center; and Eric Booth, national arts in education researcher and consultant.
Nnenna Freelon, six-time Grammy Award nominated jazz vocalist, spoke in a general session to conference participants. “Arts education is simply good education,” said Freelon, mother of three and an arts advocate. “The education of the whole child is impossible without the arts.”
“The State of the Arts” included educators, administrators, pre-service teachers, teaching artists, arts organizations and artists, policy makers, funders, PTA/PTOs and representatives from institutes of higher education.
The conference was sponsored by Bank of America, the North Carolina Arts Council, the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, the Partners in Education Program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Arts and Science Council of Charlotte-Mecklenburg and ArtsTeach. Collaborating partners included the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the A+ Schools Program at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Asheville Area Arts Council, Beaufort County Arts Council, Beaufort County Schools and United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County.