When it comes to arts education policy, everyone has good intentions, globally there is a lot of support for national policies, but almost inevitably offal and sawdust creep into the mix. Yet extraordinary things have been achieved and it is possible to identify four principles of exemplary arts-in-education policy making.

The term “social justice“ is commonly referenced as the objective of creating a fair and equal society, with equitable distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges, where individual rights are recognized and protected, and decisions are made in ways that are fair and honest. To realize the principles of social justice in and through arts and cultural education, the author considers practical considerations for social justice through the following areas: access and participation, board development, teacher recruitment, and curriculum development.

A key component of any social change effort is in the engagement and participation of stakeholders. Regardless of the size, stakes, and subject matter of advocacy campaigns, outcomes depend in great part on the engagement of those individuals and groups who care deeply about the issue. Stakeholder engagement describes a process of accountability. How are stakeholders informed and empowered? Stakeholder participation is a metric that is used to look at advocacy effectiveness. Who is engaged and what are the outcomes? In this seventh article in the series, the author examines what it means to take action in advocacy for arts and cultural education.

In this sixth article in the series Case-making and Systems Change in Arts and Cultural Education, we explore elements that are foundational to change-making coalitions. The article describes some shared characteristics of collective impact projects and coalition building as well as how they differ. It describes the strategic and structural elements that enable effective coalitions. Coalition building requires advocates to work continuously to align a vision of the ideal with the reality of the everyday. The iterative work of coalitions means continuous improvising, evolving, and a commitment to authentic collaboration.

In this fifth article in the series Case-making and Systems Change in Arts and Cultural Education, I expand on the theme of Advocacy for the Sector, describing how history has shaped the system of arts education, with a review of the components of our current system.

This article proposes a new systems model of arts and cultural education in an attempt to understand the sectors, influence, supports, and drivers of change.

'Strategic communications' is a term describing an intentional and targeted messaging plan that is linked to overarching goals. The article places strategic communications in the context of arts and cultural education. It describes a framework for creating communications plans, guiding questions for engaging in different types of communications, a glossary of terms, and provides examples of effective strategic communications tactics used in campaigns to advance arts and cultural education. The fourth article in the series, the ideas inform advocacy of self, field, sector, and justice and are most enhanced when applied both to the individual and the collectives assembled to advance arts and cultural education.

This article explores the meaning of perspective in making the case for the arts and arts education. It underscores the importance of advocacy that sees the larger system while working within a local context. Three perspectives are described which are most often represented in arts, culture, and arts education advocacy: “practitioner advocate,” “field-builder advocate,” and “policy advocate.” Each group has its constituents, ranging from teachers to corporate citizens to national advocacy coalitions. Effective advocacy is accomplished by understanding first where you are, then embracing perspectives beyond your own. Using the metaphor of being in the balcony or on the dance floor to describe the vantage points of different perspectives, the article makes the point that it is time for casemakers and systems-changers to combine their perspectives to drive the changes they wish to see in the creative education of our youth. The article concludes with four recommended strategies and guiding questions for connecting multiple points of view, enabling everyone’s ability to see the bigger picture while acting locally: Enhance your perspective; own your expertise; embrace learning; and commit to action.

As the individual is the heart of advocacy, advocacy is always personal. It starts with us, with our unique inherent beliefs and biases. How we translate these beliefs and biases can be tactical, so we must understand how to personally engage with them, such as: What stories am I telling? How can I use social media? Which words do I use? What relationships am I forming?

In 2021, our annual campaign, Creativity for Good, focused on the reasons why young people are choosing to develop their creativity and apply it for the social good during the multiple pandemics communities faced and continue to face. We consistently saw young creatives at the forefront of problem solving, activism, and community resilience.

The headings for the third edition of the Re|Shaping Policies for Creativity Global Report hew closely to the theme of Creativity for Good, but on closer inspection, the report effectively combines all three of our most recent campaign themes.

In 2021, a collaborative project between Creative Generation and ElevateArtsEd emerged to better understand how practitioners - such as artists, educators, community leaders, and more - can make the case for and also advocate through arts and culture to drive systemic change and address the complex challenges we were facing, such as a global health pandemic, reckoning with racial justice, environmental crisis, threats to public education, and economic recession.

On Saturday, November 20, the Berklee Institute for Arts Education and Special Needs (BIAESN) hosted the 2021 ABLE Conversation: Anti-Ableism, Representation, and Accessibility in Arts Education symposium with keynote speakers Rebecca Cokley and Gaelynn Lea. The symposium was powered by Creative Generation. After the keynotes, participants had the opportunity to engage in small group discussions on the insights they gleaned from the presentations.

If you’ve been around for a while, you may recall the UNESCO’s International Commission on the Futures of Education’s paper outlining nine ideas for public action in education in a post-COVID world with great interest. We sought out thoughts and opinions from our community and there was consensus, among our respondents, that an arts and cultural education is an invaluable tool for the academic and social development of young people.

Jump onto the social media platform of your choice and tell us what Protest Art means to you. You can tweet a link to an article, post a pick of your current work in progress on IG, share a facebook post, or tag a friend on LinkedIn — whatever you like! — just make sure to tag @Campaign4GenC and use the hashtag #CreativityForGood.

In the Fall of 2020, UNESCO’s International Commission on the Futures of Education released a paper outlining nine ideas for public action in education in a post-COVID world. In addition to submitting written responses, they solicited artwork from students. They recently released a synthesis report about the 218 pieces they received.

Since January 20th, Amanda Gorman’s poem at the U.S. Presidential Inauguration has been celebrated globally. From powerful think pieces to musical remixes, the speech has lit a cultural firestorm and has raised questions about society, arts and culture, education, and - most critically - the young Black voice.

Last month, I wrote about a conversation I had with Alysia Lee and her work, Say Her Name, which premiered in November 2020. The #SayHerName movement resists police brutality against Black women. If you say the name, you're prompted to learn the story, and if you know the story, then you have a broader sense of all the ways Black bodies are made vulnerable to police violence. In this part, we spoke about her creative collaborations with students.

Alysia is the Coordinator of Fine Arts for the Maryland State Arts Council, the Founder and Artistic Director of Sister Cities Girlchoir, a faculty member at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, and a board member for Chorus America. In addition to serving in all of those roles, Alysia is a performer, conductor, composer, and public speaker. Her original composition, Say Her Name, premiered in November 2020, performed by the University of Michigan choir. The piece was written as a vehicle to bring the powerful Kwanzaa ceremony to the concert stage with a call to action.

Many young artists in the United States are activating their creativity for social change at the ballot box and on important congressional funding measures. These individuals and coalitions aim to get out to vote, educate citizens on the issues, and fight for important causes. One of those causes is funding for Arts & Cultural Education and the creative sector of the U.S. economy which has been ravaged by the global coronavirus pandemic. In this edition of #Artivism, we will highlight the work of two Artivist practitioners and a group led by young artists that is fighting for congressional financial support for creatives, teaching artists, and cultural organizations.

One outlet youth have used to cope with trauma, express frustration, and demand justice in this time has been art. Even in a time of national turmoil, young people have turned to the arts to reclaim their identity, change the narrative, and speak out when witnessing injustice. That is why it is troubling to see potential COVID-related budget cuts to many of the arts programs on which students rely. College students are forking over full tuition for performing arts courses held online. We want to provide safe, effective arts programming during the pandemic, but in this moment, is it enough? Who falls through the cracks?