Moderated by:
Lauren Meehan representing Arts Ed NJ and Arts Ed Newark.
Our Purpose: This summer Arts Ed NJ will offer a 3 part series that will give arts educators throughout the state the opportunity to immerse themselves in important topics that students, teachers, and communities face. We aim to share information, insights, encourage group interaction, and personal reflection in order to explore the way systemic racism impacts all of us. We hope to spark awareness into action by bringing together educators, thought leaders, and allies, as we collectively confront racial inequities, biases, and disparities in society and in our classrooms.
Our intention is to raise awareness by creating space and opportunities for learning, and a learning community to share ideas and strategies that will lead to an equitable and just society in and outside of the classroom.
Session One: Foundations: Creating a Safe Space with Alysia Lee – 6/9 at 4pm: Participants will get a chance to share about their perspective in the current environment and reflect on how their experiences have created their world view. Bring to light questions and concerns that they have faced in the school year. We will provide space for reflection, ideas, and opportunities to grow. Register to Attend
Session Two: Appreciation vs. Appropriation with the Anti Racist Art Teachers Group – 6/16 @4pm – Can you define appropriation vs appreciation and why it matters. This is an introduction to global art that starts by looking at identity and appropriation. How do we explore art and be inspired by it without appropriating in a hurtful way? How does it compare to artists who are appropriated from mainstream art and western media? Register to Attend
Session Three: Amplifying Student Voices and Artists’ Voices with the Anti Racist Art Teachers Group
6/23 @ 4pm: The foundation of racism lives in conscious and unconscious bias, both in individuals and in systems. This session will explore the phenomenon of bias and how it plays out in how we approach the artists that are shared and idolized. We will look at how our own personal life experiences have shaped the way we see the world and the world that others around us see. Register to Attend
