IDEA Network
Inclusion • Diversity • Equity in the Arts
Inclusion • Diversity • Equity in the Arts
A project of the MAAE's IDEA Council to help bring greater equity for all.
Opportunities for professional learning associated with the arts and topics of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility.
Interested in learning more? email cynthia.phelps@moaae.org
Join Us January 6, 2025
Abigail Birhanu
Anti-Racist Art Activities: Lessons That Celebrate Diversity and Inspire Change
Join Abigail Birhanu on January 6, as she explores art lessons and teaching strategies from the book "Anti-Racist Art Activities for Kids", co-published by the presenter. Art lessons include themes on environmental sustainability, empathy, community, identity, and more.
Abigail Birhanu
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Abby (she/her) is an artist and educator with a passion for fostering creativity and confidence in her students. With experience teaching middle and high school, she believes deeply in the transformative power of art education. Abby embraces choice-based art and Teaching Artistic Behavior (TAB) pedagogy, empowering students to shape their artistic journey while nurturing their creativity.
Her involvement in the Fulbright Teachers Exchange Program, where she served as an exchange teacher to the United Kingdom, was a pivotal experience that reinforced her dedication to cross-cultural learning and teaching. Abby loves traveling and actively takes opportunities to engage in educational and cultural exchange opportunities.
As an advocate for equity and inclusivity in education, Abby is committed to anti-racist, anti-bias, and culturally responsive teaching. She strives to cultivate global citizens who appreciate and contribute to the interconnected world community.
Have a question, topic, or concern you'd like to explore with other arts educators? We want to hear about it!
Want MAAE to work with your local arts education team as they navigate change? Customized sessions available.
Contact cynthia.phelps@moaae.org
IDEA Network Video Archive
October 7, 2024
Native Americans, Breaking the Silence
with Amanda Davison
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Amanda Davison shares her inspirations writing inclusive curriculum for a gifted 2nd grade classroom. She describes her writing and planning process for the Native American Artifacts curriculum. Mrs. Davison shares what her students are learning, as well as discoveries she made as she conducted research and wrote lessons for this unit.
Workshop attendees gain a deeper understanding of these rich, cultural lessons and leave with ideas about how to implement these concepts into their own classrooms.
Here are highlighted Missouri Learning Standards that Amanda shared in her presentation: ELA, Science, and Social Studies standards.
ELA Missouri Learning Standards
August 5, 2024
Sharing Culture Through Art : The DEI and Delicious Dishes Story
with Stephanie Hasty, Abigail Birhanu, Elizabeth Barker, and Sarah Luttrell
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Learn how an arts integration team used an artist-in-residency program to organize inter-school field trips and art-making activities with three culturally divergent Midwest high schools, culminating in a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion themed recipe book!
In 2022 rural and urban secondary students began a collaborative journey with an ELA teacher’s brainchild “DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) and Delicious Dishes”. Her recipe book publication explores how food brings families and cultures together through recipes, stories and visual art. This journey has led students to greater understanding of themselves and others. We intend for this project to plant seeds of curiosity and passion for learning about culture. Art is an excellent vehicle for these experiences and conversations. We hope this project will serve as a template for other educators to form similar cross cultural partnerships.
As an arts integration team at our rural high school, we sought to connect students across the state to build relationships, increase understanding of students’ common and diverse experiences, and gain deeper empathy.
April 9, 2024
And All That Jazz!
Learn more about Missouri Jazz Education resources.
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Missouri's is rich in organizations dedicated to furthering a love for Jazz. During "Jazz Appreciation Month" we celebrate educational offerings from Jazz St. Louis, Jazz Alive!, the American Jazz Museum, the National Blues Museum and the Missouri Association of Jazz Educators.
1.18.2024
Defining IDEA
with Dr. Ralph Mason
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Dr. Ralph Mason serves as the Lead Presenter for The Positive Zone Corporation (TPZC). For the last 25 years, Dr. Mason has been a professional speaker, trainer, entrepreneur, edutainment specialist, and musician. His ability to adapt to any audience creates a personal, yet professional connection. To learn more about Mr. Mason and The Positive Zone Corporation, visit tpzc.org.
Oct. 26, 2023
Lost Interview with Ella Fitzgerald
with Christie Jones
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Christie Jones is an educator and artist who usues writing, art and performances to build community and a sense of belonging. She is from Los Angeles where she studied English at UCLA. Her love for African American literature led her to begin her career as a middle school Language Arts teacher in Florida. With a master’s degree in journalism from the University of North Texas and her Masters in Multicultural Education from Florida Atlantic University, she helped African American, Haitian, Jamaican, and other Black students from the diaspora to understand their connection to Africa and each other. She is eager to use an African centered approach to examine Black life and to promote Black pride. She is the founder of Black Writing Project, a virtual gallery that celebrates Black women and girls.
July 20, 2023 - Live streamed presentation from the Missouri Choral Directors Association Conference with MAAE and SPAE's Diane McCullough discussing her research in the presentation "Voices Lifted - Two Centuries of Black Composers of Opera".
4/13/23 - 4:30-5:30pm -
Music Educators Diane McCullough, Suzanne Palmer and Blake Hernton share the results of extensive research into diverse contributions from West African and Celtic cultural heritage. Access the research study and lesson plans on the Scottish Partnership for Arts and Education website or the MAAE website.
"Fiddlin' Around"
1/19/23 - 4:30-5:30pm -
Visual artist Maggie Meiners shared items from her virtual exhibit "Revisiting Rockwell" that retain the humor and humanity that characterizes the paintings of Norman Rockwell, shifting these iconic images from
wistful nostalgia to contemporary relevance.
Companion asynchronous learning module An introduction to Norman Rockwell available.
Meet Maggie Meiners - "Revisiting Rockwell"
TEACHERS: A graduate credit option may also be available