Charity is a preschool teacher who is completing her third year of a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. Annais is completing her sophomore year in high school from home and is interested in becoming a costume designer. They’ve completed over 150 masks that they have shipped across the country.
In their experience:
Physical distancing does not require emotional distance, find ways to connect with your community
The art we make is going to impact the way history sees this time, and can be reflective of the challenges we faced; don’t worry about perfection
Why did you start sewing masks?
Charity: My sister is an ICU nurse and when I read that they were in need of masks and other PPE, I started making surgical caps and masks for her. And then realized my family and closest friends, and their friends were also in need and realized we could make a community impact. We ended up digging out our sewing machines and setting up a station on our dining room table. We each take turns making masks throughout the day. With this last batch...
Tanya is an LAUSD teacher of over 15 years currrently working with pregnant and parenting teens. She is remotely teaching parents or parents-to-be while also parenting and educating her own kids ages 2 and 4.
Sue is a product designer who has a three-year old caterpillar enthusiast, Mateo.
2. How did you start...
Veronique Marks has a vision: she wants her local school district to have a Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator who supports dedicated fulltime credentialed arts teachers at each school in the Live Oak Unified School District with access to a designated classroom. She knows that in order to move her vision forward, she needs to complete an assessment of the existing arts education programs in each school. After collecting enrollment data from school principals, she will be able to assess the strengths, weaknesses and issues of equity in the current arts education offerings. In addition, Marks works to establish community relationships and build support for arts education. She strives to make it clear that the goal of arts education isn’t to train all students to become artists, but rather to create well-rounded and engaged students who are creative and collaborative thinkers –traits key to success in the 21st century workforce. Arts Now Live Oak is launching with a 5-year plan in mind, working in collaboration with schools and organizations, equipped with a clear picture of where the schools are...
According to Greg Solomon, Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator for Moreno Valley Unified School District (MVUSD), the biggest challenge we face as arts education advocates is changing mental models. Once we can shift the mindset that the arts are supplemental, the potential for impact is huge! MVUSD, with the help of Jesus Holguin and the school board, became the first district in California to adopt the Declaration of Rights of All Students to Equity in Arts Learning. Receiving a Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant in the Arts they guaranteed special education students were included in the ‘All Students’ portion of the Declaration by establishing first time arts instruction. He worked during the summer with classroom teachers, teaching artists and curriculum specialists to bring arts integration to five focus schools in Moreno Valley Unified School District. His efforts to complete their District Arts Plan has inspired the district and community to meet their largest goal of constructing a new performing arts center on the campus of Moreno Valley High School. Greg is making huge strides in bringing all art forms to his...
Eliza Tudor and Brian Buckley, of Nevada County Arts Council, knew that a sure-fire way to start a conversation was by introducing data from a high-quality assessment. That’s why they set about collecting baseline data about arts programming in Nevada County schools, highlighting their unique and creative “flagship” programs, and identifying gaps in addressing standards or issues of access. They gathered a team of retired educators, including two leading lights of the Council’s Education Committee, Liz McAteer and Stan Miller, and used those connections to interview principals in the TK-12 schools. They established a set series of questions to develop a comprehensive picture of every arts offering in the county. After amassing the data, they created a draft that was brought to county principals and open to public consultation. After finalizing their numbers, they presented their findings at their Arts Now Breakfast Launch event held by all the local partners. They then completed a successful application for Strategic Arts Planning Support via California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA) in partnership with...
Iris Lin, 10th grade student at Silver Creek High School, tied for first place in the Student Voices Campaign last year with her video ‘the arts matter’. Her video was seen across her school district (and the state!) and was highlighted by her Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator, Jeannine Flores, at the Young Artist Showcase. Her principal recognized Iris from her video and engaged her in a conversation about arts education resources. Through their conversation, they came to realize that there was a disconnect between the values students placed on the arts and how administrators prioritized the school budget. It was clear that students and administrators needed to start a dialogue! The principal and vice-principal encouraged Iris to attend PTA meetings in order to continue communicating the needs of the student body. By attending the meetings, Iris will be able to continue the conversation about arts education with the school administration. Iris is taking the steps necessary to open clear lines of communication with her principal and PTA to support arts programs with school funding.
Michelle Holdt, Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator for San Mateo County Office of Education is a collage and bookmaking artist who integrated her artistic practice into the creation of a county-wide arts plan. She assembled a leadership team that worked with Peggy Burt, of the California Alliance for Arts Education, to collaboratively create a Strategic Arts Plan for San Mateo County. After the plan was written, Michelle and the team realized that it would be fitting to create a Strategic Arts Plan that was in itself a piece of art! They had used the arts as a critical component of their planning work - so why not allow it to culminate in a beautifully artistic plan? Michelle decided to create an interactive and visually inspiring piece of artwork that viewers would invest in emotionally. This unique strategic plan is presented in the form of an accordion book that helps the viewer become a participant, therefore ensuring the plan will be a living, breathing document. Check out the plan 
Kristin Reese, Executive Director of the Mono Arts Council, understood that in order to get the Strategic Arts Plan adopted and implemented, she would need to create a strong relationship with Mono County Superintendent, Dr. Stacey Adler and take a deep dive into the education community in her county. The Arts Plan was created in partnership with the Alliance and coach Peggy Burt with Superintendent Adler, with partner funding support by Sarah Anderberg, Director CCSESA Arts Initiative. Having grown up in Mono County, Kristin had a head start at the relationships necessary to make her plan a reality. Her existing relationships were strengthened and new ones were established by her persistent communication and passionate commitment to the arts. She set up monthly meetings with Superintendent Adler to discuss the progress of the arts plan and organize the arts integration training that Kristin’s organization, Mono Arts Council, is helping implement. The members of Kristin’s community are aware that she is a partner on the journey to equitable arts access and when she commits to a project, she will be there every step of the way. Kristin...
