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Blog

From the Council to Carnegie Mellon: Catching Up with Maithili

Some journeys start with a single creative spark and for Maithili, that spark hasn’t stopped growing. A member of Cohort 2 of the Youth Arts Education Council and later a…

Cohort Two Check-In: Anisa’s Path in Game Design and Advocacy

Anisa joined Arts Ed NJ’s Youth Arts Education Council as part of its second cohort, and since then, she’s turned a freshman year at Brookdale Community College into the start…

Where Are They Now: Gracin’s Journey from theYouth Arts Ed Council to Arts Advocacy

Photos:  Gracin receiving student voted awards for “Best ASM of a Mainstage” and “Best Costume Design of a Lab Show”, United States Institute of Theatre Technology Conference in Long Beach…

Art Is More Than Music: A Conversation with Music Educator Emily Bailey

Emily Bailey has spent eight years building music programs that meet students exactly where they are. Teaching in Union City, New Jersey, she has grown choirs, pioneered school productions, and…

Art Is Our First Language: A Conversation with Teaching Artist Jenny Santa Maria

Jenny Santa Maria is a Monmouth County based Teaching Artist and arts educator whose work bridges two worlds: 11 years of Special Education classroom teaching and a growing practice of…

Twenty Years of Making, Teaching, and Growing: A Conversation with Jennifer Dietrich Fernandez

For twenty years, Jennifer Dietrich Fernandez has brought curiosity, craft, and a deep commitment to student voice into her K–5 art room at Tinc Road Elementary School. In this conversation,…

Meeting Students Where They Are: Victoria Elizabeth Meneses on Music, Community, and Connection

Victoria Elizabeth Meneses is a bilingual music educator in Union City, New Jersey, whose work spans elementary through high school, building programs that center student voice, cultural responsiveness, and community…

Called to This Work: Tiffany Newton on Arts, Advocacy, and Newark’s Children

If you ask Tiffany Newton how long she’s been an advocate, she’ll tell you 22 years, but the truth is, she’s been a creative even longer. From drawing on her…

It Starts With Us: Mary W. Bey on Arts, Advocacy, and Community

Mary W. Bey is a parent ambassador with Arts Ed Newark and a member of the Arts Ed NJ cohort. A retired telecommunications professional with more than 20 years in…

What One Parent Started in Tinton Falls

When Andrea Bertola Shaw first contacted Arts Ed NJ a year ago, she was a parent with an idea and a lot of drive. She wanted more arts opportunities for…