I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend this year’s above-named conference in Washington, D.C.. Originally in partnership with the Kennedy Center, we didn’t end up meeting at the Center or discussing much of its risk of being another casualty of arts censorship, funding slashes, and totalitarian strife. Nonetheless, convening in our nation’s capital to discuss arts education during an increasingly fascist administration was a dissonant and unique experience. Overall, however, I found much more joy in solidarity with my fellow educators than I did despair!
Some highlights of the conference included the opportunity to meet with elected officials on Capitol Hill and a National Reception at Planet Word Museum featuring Rep. Maxine Dexter (D) from Oregon. I gleaned some powerful insights, pedagogical tools, and project-based learning ideas from the sessions offered, such as Dramatic Adventures: Creating Original Stories with Children– look out for future assemblies featuring more embodied stories! The theme of the conference was narrative, and this undercurrent was present throughout all sessions and conference activities. Another breakout session, Migration Stories, brilliantly exemplified how arts and personal narrative connect seamlessly with other learning content areas like social studies, history, geography, and ethics. We dug deep into what it means to create, share, and learn through experiences and identities– as well as how to weave those stories into integrated arts programming.
This conference is offered biannually, and it’s hard to predict what the national and local arts and education landscape will look like by the end of this year– much less in two years. I’m beyond grateful I was able to attend, learn, and network from this experience. There’s no doubt in my mind that youth and family programming at FUS will grow and benefit from some of those learnings! I can’t wait to see you all again soon and debrief further, for anyone who’d like to hear me pontificate further on the finer details of the amazing sessions offered. See you all soon back in Minneapolis!