MAAE MISSION: The Missouri Alliance for Arts Education supports, promotes, and advocates for fine arts education for the benefit of ALL Missourians.
MAAE VISION: We envision quality fine arts education in all Missouri schools, ensuring that every student discovers and develops their fullest potential.
Everyone suffers in an environment of systemic racism and bias.
Through the work of the MAAE Committee on Racism, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity - MAAE pledges to:
Examine our organizational makeup, structural imbalances, and policy inadequacies in these areas and guide the implementation of specific plans to address issues of equity.
Develop and support initiatives that use the arts and teaching through the arts as tools to assist educators in leveraging positive, equity driven student outcomes across all subject areas
Recognize practices that create circumstances of exclusion and foster inclusive arts opportunities
The MAAE-RIDE Committee is chaired by Maria A. Ellis and meets at least twice each month to discuss issues and develop action plans to address issues of Racism, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Missouri as it relates to arts education. Committee members may be found here.
July, 2020
A Message from the MAAE Committee on Racism, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity
The Missouri Alliance for Arts Education is deeply troubled by the current events in our country. As an organization that frequently speaks for citizens across the state of Missouri to advance arts education, we believe Black, Indigenous, and People of Color when they say they experience a different life in this country compared with the experiences of White individuals. We believe that their voices should be heard and also that they are often not heard.
As the leadership of numerous arts education associations, led by a board who is majority white, we also observe that systemic racism and bias create obstacles and barriers that impact the experience of arts education. Please know that we are listening and invite individuals and associations to work with us to further inclusivity and reduce bias and discrimination both explicitly and implicitly.
The Missouri Alliance for Arts Education will be engaging its member associations in how we can better listen, act as leaders on these issues, and plan to expand our association partners to include more representation to better reflect the diversity of our state and its communities. We strongly encourage all of our member associations to do the same and work with us on making arts education more inclusive for all.
For arts educators and advocates, we encourage you to join us in these efforts through the resources and projects below.
