Become a Young Audiences Teaching Artist

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A YOUNG AUDIENCES ARTIST?

We want artists who…

• are committed to inspiring the imaginations of young people
• know the craft of their art forms deeply, through study and experience, and have their own dynamic artistic practices
• bring young people into the world of their art forms, and embolden them to explore
• see themselves as learners and teachers, and seek out opportunities for growth
• show a willingness to collaborate
• have experience with, and strategies for, working with the complexities and challenges of school environments
• are based in the Portland metropolitan area

Greta Pedersen at Lee Elementary

We welcome applications from residency and performing artists in all disciplines. At this time we are particularly searching for Teaching Artists that specialize in technology based mediums (video/film, graphic design, fashion, culinary arts, animation, etc). Our programs are based in a 10-county area in Oregon and SW Washington. Schools (especially elementary schools) are the largest populations served, and some programming takes place in community settings. Some of our roster artists also choose to become arts providers for the Right Brain Initiative, through Young Audiences.

Benefits of Becoming a Young Audiences Artist

• Extensive and diverse opportunities to hone teaching, presentation, and artistic skills, and to network with other artists
• Reliable payment for services
• Stipends for professional development
• Support in planning and working with schools
• Program publicity via YA’s website, communications with schools, and the Artist Showcase

Performing artists set their own fees; residency/workshop artists have a standard fee per hour for teaching, preparation, and planning. See the Educator’s Guide section of our website for more details. Note that fees listed on artist pages include YA’s 25% administrative and programming fee.

How to Apply

Our next application deadline is in Oct 5, 2012. Please see the Services for Artists/Become A YA Artist section of the website for the application. And if you have any questions, contact Adam Friedman, Artist Programs Specialist: Adam@ya-or.org or 503-225-5900 x226.

Say Hello to Our Right Brain Initiative Partner Artists

The Right Brain Initiative

Look who’s new on the Right Brain Initiative teaching artist roster! Many Young Audiences teaching artists work through us to be arts providers for the Right Brain Initiative as well, and six have just joined those ranks. Read more below in our own Briana Linden’s piece, and if you have any questions feel free to contact Miriam Budner, Young Audiences Artist Programs Manager: miriam@ya-or.org

YA artist Ben Popp is an animator who received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and is co-founder of the experimental media group Grand Detour. As a teaching artist, Ben works with his students to explore classroom topics through animation. In his workshops, topics such as the multiplication table become hands-on learning experiences and take on a life of their own on film.

YA artist Carla Wilson is a professional flutist and teaching artist who believes that residencies provide students with the opportunity to experience the music-making process in a non-formal, and therefore non-threatening environment. She encourages students to participate in the musical experience as composers, performers and listeners. Carla has worked with Portland Public School teachers to design curriculum for the Oregon Symphony, Scottish Storyline, and ArtSplash.

YA artist Karen Brunke is a mixed-media collage artist and Certified Arts Specialist. Karen received a BA in Art History and an MA in Art Education, and has been teaching art mediums in K-5 classrooms for 14 years. Through age-appropriate activities, Karen enables her students to appreciate art as a form of visual communication accessible to everyone.

YA artist Karie Oakes is a ceramic artist who began her teaching career 27 years ago at the Portland Children’s Museum. Karie uses clay as a tool for inquiry in the classroom, and encourages her students to ask questions and make hands-on discoveries. Karie creates an environment rich in spatial exploration, unique to clay as a 3-D medium.

YA artist Nancy Smith Klos is a multi-media teaching artist of 25 years who has been featured on Oregon Art Beat and HGTV’s Modern Masters. Nancy works with both children and adults, including 8 years teaching Adult Arts Seminars at the Portland Art Museum. In her residencies, Nancy works with students to cultivate their creative spirits, and with teachers to integrate art into the science curriculum.

YA artist Sarah Nagy is a filmmaker and teaching artist. Sarah holds an MA in Film from the University of Amsterdam, a BA in Writing from Marylhurst University, a certificate in Film from the Northwest Film Center, and is founder of the Buckman Film Academy. She works to engage her students through collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and engagement of all the senses. Sarah dreams of one day producing a Lego video that will receive a million hits on YouTube.

source: Miriam Budner, Briana Linden, The Right Brain Initiative, Young Audiences of OR & SW WA

Young Audiences Implementation Internship for The Right Brain Initiative

The Right Brain Initiative

We have an internship available.  Details follow below;

The Implementation Intern will assist Young Audiences Implementation staff by providing support for The Right Brain Initiative’s teaching artists and schools.

The intern’s primary work will focus on developing and maintaining administrative tools (such as database management, spreadsheets, the online artist roster, etc.) that provide programmatic support for participating schools and arts providers and will assist with the annual teaching artist application cycle. The intern will also support meetings, presentations and professional development with artists and school teams by preparing documents and reports, coordinating meeting details, correspondence and recordkeeping.

This internship is ideal for those interested in arts education and arts non-profit administration. This is an unpaid position; school credit is possible based on your educational program.

This internship requires a minimum of 10 hours per week, August through December, exact start and end dates and work schedule to be negotiated.

Application deadline July 31.
Required skills
• Attention to detail and keen eye for quality
• Dedication to organizational systems to accomplish complicated tasks
• Ability to learn quickly and work independently, with initiative
• Ability to remain flexible and focused in a fast-paced environment

• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
• Sincere interest in arts education
• Proficiency with Microsoft suite including Excel and Word
Preferred skills
• Coursework or experience in K-8 education
• Familiarity with arts non-profits
• Familiarity with online file sharing
• Familiarity with Photoshop and other digital media tools
To apply
Please submit resume, cover letter and two references to Briana Linden, Implementation Coordinator at blinden@TheRightBrainInitiative.org.
Digital applications only, please

New Young Audiences Executive Director

Young Audiences of Oregon & SW Washington

Denis Hickey, a longtime teacher, administrator and arts in education advocate in the Portland metro area, has been appointed Executive Director of Young Audiences Arts for Learning Oregon & Southwest Washington.

Hickey previously worked in the North Clackamas School District for more than 30 years. Most recently, he was the Associate Director, K-12 Curriculum, where he successfully directed four major arts initiatives. He was also a co-founder and director of Sojourner School, a national award-winning elementary school in Milwaukie, OR, noted for its rigorous liberal arts curriculum and exceptional student performance. A longtime volunteer with many organizations that promote arts in education, Hickey holds a Master’s in Education Administration from Lewis & Clark College.

“I strongly believe the arts will lead the way to the reform all stakeholders want to see in education, and I am deeply committed to nurturing our partnerships with schools, artists and the community to make sure every child achieves his or her potential,” Hickey said.

At a time when school budgets are declining and Young Audiences’ programs are more vital than ever, Hickey’s expertise in the educational system is very valuable, according to Young Audiences President Al Davidian.

“Our chapter is experiencing tremendous growth as school administrators seek to leverage their funds and produce improved outcomes,” Davidian said. “Denis will help us manage that growth and still reach as many children as we can.”

Hickey succeeds Gail Hayes-Davis, who is retiring after five years as Executive Director. During that time she increased both the visibility and individual donor contributions through Mad Hot Ballroom, where 5^th graders perform what they have learned in dance residencies with artists. She introduced the Right Brain Initiative to the metro area and subsequently became the Implementation Partner for the initiative, and helped secure the largest arts in education grant given for Innovation in Education, i3 with Beaverton School District, Arts for Learning Lessons. In May, she received Young Audiences’ Lifetime Achievement Award for her longtime support of the arts. Hayes-Davis plans to travel with her husband and spend time in Central Oregon pursuing her passion for painting.

Imagine This – a seminar on bringing creativity to classrooms

You could call it a royal recipe for innovative arts education. Or you could call it Imagine This! A Seminar on Bringing Creativity to Classrooms—Right Brain’s annual three-day summit recently recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts. Join us! From June 20-22, 2011, we’ll convene national arts education experts, teaching artists, classroom teachers, and school district administrators to share arts education tools for K-8 classrooms and even a “futurist” to stimulate our thinking.

Imagine This! A Seminar on Bringing Creativity to Classrooms Monday, June 20 – Wednesday, June 22, 2011 Portland Art Museum 1219 SW Park Avenue, Portland

Open to educators of all subjects and disciplines Cost: $250; single-day option $100

REGISTER NOW. Deadline is Wednesday, June 15.

22 inspiring and practical workshops, presentations and studio sessions such as: •   “Integrate-Stimulate-Create: Connecting Art and Math” • “Shift, Share, Show: The Arts and Classroom Management” • “Creating Creators: National Trends in Arts Education”

Featured guest presenters include Brian Davis of the internationally acclaimed band Pink Martini, who will lead participants through a triumphant demonstration of community building through rhythm; and Garry Golden, a nationally recognized futurist traveling from New York City to provide a provocative presentation on the future of learning. Right Brain partners Deborah Brzoska, a teaching artist of the Kennedy Center, and Dennie Palmer Wolf, former director of Harvard’s Project PACE, will also lead sessions.

Read the full listing of workshop descriptions and presenter bios.

Read the recent press release announcing our grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for our professional development program for educators.

Featured Speakers and Workshop LeadersDeborah Brzoska is a national leader in arts education who presents professional development for teachers and teaching artists across the country on behalf of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. A former dancer and teacher, she was also the founding principal of The Vancouver School of Arts & Academics, the award winning arts-based public school in Washington State. In addition to serving on the editorial board of the Teaching Artist Journal, Deb has written about arts education for The Kennedy Center, Chicago’s Project AIM, the Arts Education Partnership and The College Board.Percussionist Brian Lavern Davis is an original member of the internationally acclaimed band Pink Martini. He has toured and/or recorded with such names as Herbie Hancock, Kalapana, Upepo, Obo Addy and Dub Squad, and has performed with symphonies across North America and Europe. Also a long-time educator, Brian teaches body percussion and samba locally and throughout the U.S., Asia, Australia, Brazil and New Zealand. He is the founder and director of both the Lions of Batucada, an ever-growing Brazilian dance and percussion ensemble, and the Ainsworth Jr. Escola, a 117-member Portland youth samba bateria. He has served on the faculties of Portland State University, Jefferson Performing Arts High School and The Vancouver School of Arts & Academics. Brian is native of Portland, Oregon. Garry Golden is a professionally trained futurist who speaks and consults on issues shaping society and business in the 21st century. Garry has consulted on a wide range of projects related to the future of infrastructure for energy and transportation, education/learning, emerging markets, social technologies and the implications of demographic transitions. Garry teaches an online course on The Future of Energy & Environment through the University of Houston Future Studies department, the program from which he received his Master of Science degree. Dr. Dennie Palmer Wolf is a principal researcher at WolfBrown, a market research and non-profit consultancy based in Cambridge, MA. Former senior scholar at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University, she trained as a researcher at Harvard Project Zero, where she led studies on the early development of artistic and symbolic capacities. She also directed Project PACE (Projects in Active Cultural Engagement) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. More recently, Dennie has pioneered evaluation studies that build the capacities of organizations, funders and the communities they serve.

Register for Imagine This by Wednesday, June 15!

Now, what is The Right Brain Initiative?

Through a powerful synergy of schools, businesses, artists, governments, philanthropists and arts and cultural organizations, The Right Brain Initiative is the only region-wide partnership that works to bring equitable arts education to every K-8 student in the Portland, Oregon area. The Right Brain Initiative is a program of the Regional Arts & Culture Council. Young Audiences of Oregon & SW Washington serves as Implementation Partner.

Read about how to get involved with Right Brain at TheRightBrainInitiative.org/get-involved/.source:  The Right Brain Initiative

The Right Brain Initiative wins support from the National Endowment for the Arts

The Right Brain Initiative, a local arts education partnership led by the Regional Arts & Culture Council, has received a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The grant is one of 1,145 being awarded for a total of $88 million as part of the federal agency’s second round of fiscal year 2011 grants. This is Right Brain’s first investment from a federal agency since the program first launched in January, 2009.

“NEA research shows that three out of four Americans participate in the arts,” said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. “The diverse, innovative, and exceptional projects funded in this round will ensure that Americans around the country continue to have the opportunity to experience and participate in the arts.”

The Right Brain Initiative is working to ensure that every student in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties’ K-8 schools benefits from a high quality arts education. “We focus on pairing teachers with artists to integrate the arts into other core subjects,” said program manager Marna Stalcup. “This NEA grant will specifically be used to support professional development programming serving 180 teachers and artists next school year.” Stalcup said that an additional 100 educators will be served at Right Brain’s annual summer seminar, Imagine This!, taking place in June, 2012.

The Initiative’s professional development programs are led by Deborah Brzoska, a teaching artist of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington., D.C., and a long-time educator within Portland Public Schools.

Portland Mayor Sam Adams congratulated RACC on receiving this grant. “In the spring of 2008, The Regional Arts & Culture Council articulated a vision for helping students do better in school through integrated arts education, and we lent our support,” he said. “The city remains one of The Right Brain Initiative’s most enthusiastic investors, including $50,000 in my proposed budget for FY12. This grant from the NEA leverages the city’s investment and will help our students and teachers achieve even more.”

Currently, with an annual budget of approximately $800,000, Right Brain serves 10,500 students in 25 schools across 4 school districts (Hillsboro, Gresham-Barlow, North Clackamas and Portland Public Schools.) At full scale, the program will serve more than 110,000 students. About half (51%) of the program’s funding comes from local government agencies including the City of Portland, Clackamas County, Multnomah County, the Oregon Arts Commission, and each participating school district. The rest comes from private sources, including corporations, private foundations and individuals.

The Right Brain Initiative is a sustainable partnership of public schools, local governments, foundations, businesses and the cultural community. The program’s goal is to achieve a measurable impact on learning by integrating the community’s arts and cultural resources into the education of every K-8 student in the Portland metropolitan region’s school districts. The Right Brain Initiative is a program of the Regional Arts & Culture Council, with Young Audiences of Oregon & SW Washington serving as Implementation Partner. Read more at TheRightBrainInitiative.org.

The Regional Arts & Culture Council is the local arts agency for Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties, providing grants for artists, schools and nonprofit organizations; conducting workplace giving for arts and culture (“Work for Art”) and other advocacy efforts; presenting workshops and other forms of technical assistance; providing printed and web-based resources for artists; and integrating art into public spaces. Online at racc.org.

The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at arts.gov.

source: Regional Arts and Culture Council

Young Audiences’ Artist Applications due November 3!

We want artists who…

• are committed to inspiring the imaginations of young people
• know the craft of their art forms deeply, through study and experience, and have their own dynamic artistic practices
• bring young people into the world of their art forms, and embolden them to explore
• see themselves as learners and teachers, and seek out opportunities for growth
• show a willingness to collaborate
• have experience with, and strategies for, working with the complexities and challenges of school environments
• are based in the Portland metropolitan area

We welcome applications from residency and performing artists in all disciplines. Our programs are based in a 10-county area in Oregon and SW Washington. Schools (especially elementary schools) are the largest populations served, and some programming takes place in community settings. Some of our roster artists are also arts providers for the Right Brain Initiative, through Young Audiences, and this is an option for applicants as well.

For more information and the application, please visit our website.

YA Artist Application Informational Meeting

Just in case you weren’t able to attend the Monday meeting, we’ll be having another informational meeting where you can learn more about joining the YA roster. We’re holding this meeting jointly with the Right Brain Initiative, so you can learn more about both programs at the same meeting. Feel free to attend the meeting to learn about the qualifications we seek and our application processes.

Thursday, October 21, 4-5:30pm
Portland Children’s Museum (in the Documentation Room)
4015 SW Canyon Rd, Portland

We hope to see you there!

For more information and the application, please visit our website.

Young Audiences’ Artist Applications Being Taken

We want artists who…

• are committed to inspiring the imaginations of young people
• know the craft of their art forms deeply, through study and experience, and have their own dynamic artistic practices
• bring young people into the world of their art forms, and embolden them to explore
• see themselves as learners and teachers, and seek out opportunities for growth
• show a willingness to collaborate
• have experience with, and strategies for, working with the complexities and challenges of school environments
• are based in the Portland metropolitan area

We welcome applications from residency and performing artists in all disciplines. Our programs are based in a 10-county area in Oregon and SW Washington. Schools (especially elementary schools) are the largest populations served, and some programming takes place in community settings. Some of our roster artists are also arts providers for the Right Brain Initiative, through Young Audiences, and this is an option for applicants as well.

We’ll be having informational meetings where you can learn more about joining the YA roster. We’re holding these meetings jointly with the Right Brain Initiative, so that you can learn more about both programs at the same meeting. Feel free to attend either meeting to learn about the qualifications we seek and our application processes.

Monday, October 18, 10:30am–noon
Milepost 5 Community for Creatives (in the Old Chapel)
900 NE 81st Ave/Portland
or
Thursday, October 21, 4-5:30pm
Portland Children’s Museum (in the Documentation Room)
4015 SW Canyon Rd, Portland

For more information and the application, please visit our website.