This virtual retreat will take place online over a period of four weeks from August 10 – September 2, 2020

Wilmington, Del. (July 29, 2020) – Co-sponsored and coordinated by seven state arts agencies, the 2020 Mid-Atlantic Teaching Artist Virtual Retreat from August 10 through September 2, 2020 will bring together arts education professionals from across the Mid-Atlantic region to build and strengthen a regional network of highly qualified teaching artists.

Participants will have the opportunity to acquire financial tools, artistic knowledge, educational pedagogy, and self-care practices that are necessary to lead sustainable careers as entrepreneurs and creatives. Intended for teaching artists of all experience levels working in school and community settings, this retreat is designed to:

• support teaching artists holistically, sustaining both the profession (entrepreneur) and the person (discipline expertise)
• expand the arts education landscape to include more representation of rural, urban and suburban locations, in-school and out-of-school experiences, and diverse communities
• support teaching artists in developing resiliency in the “new normal” of online arts education deliver
• expand on the learnings of the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Teaching Artists Retreat
• connect teaching artists with colleagues across the Mid-Atlantic region.

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Keynote Speaker

The keynote speaker for the Retreat is Michael O’Bryan, founder of Humanature, a consultancy working with nonprofits, businesses, local government agencies and their employees to transform how they understand and support human development, interaction, and performance.

O’Bryan is an expert practitioner and budding researcher in the fields of community development, organizational culture, and human wellbeing. O’Bryan has spent more than a decade working directly with resilient yet underserved populations — including veterans, adults in recovery, returning citizens, and families experiencing homelessness.

O’Bryan is currently an Innovation Fellow at Drexel University’s Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation and also serves as Director of Learning at The Village of Arts and Humanities, a non-profit located in North Philadelphia. O’Bryan currently serves on the boards of two philanthropic institutions, The Samuel S. Fels Fund and The Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and is every day inspired by exploring the science of our humanity.

Learn more

Teaching Artist Virtual Retreat Agenda

All times are Eastern Daylight Time.

Monday, August 10
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Video Conference Platform Tutorial
4:00 – 5:00 p.m.: Opening Keynote: Michael O’Bryan

Tuesday, August 11
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: The Power of Ritual Practices, with Nicoletta de la Brown, Vida Mágica Love (MD)
4:00 – 5:15 p.m.: Side Hustle: How to Get Seen, Heard and Paid, with S. Rasheem, Ti Coleman and Krystal Lee (MD)

Wednesday, August 12
Session at capacity: 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Teaching Artists in the Elementary Classroom: A Discussion on What Works, with Kylie Proudfoot-Payne, ArtsBank, Inc. (WV)
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Art As Microphone; Empowering Student Voices through Transformative Art Education, with Matthew Adelberg, Baltimore City Public Schools (MD)
4:00 – 5:15 p.m.: Protest Poetry, with Katie Rainey and Javan Howard, Community Word Project (NY)

Thursday, August 13
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: State Arts Agency Teaching Artist Cohort Meetings

Tuesday, August 18
Session at capacity: 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Applying Indigenous African Principles in the Classroom: Decolonizing the Classroom, with Olu Butterfly, DewMore Baltimore (MD) (Limit of 40 participants)
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Remote Learning for Media Arts: Case Studies from Magic Box
Productions, with Patrick Lovejoy and Danilo Randijc-Coleman, Magic Box Productions (NY)
4:00 – 5:15 p.m.: Teaching & Presenting Theatre in a Virtual World, with Kasia Klimiuk, Our Fabulous Variety Show / IluminArt Productions (NY)

Wednesday, August 19
Session at capacity: 4:00 – 5:15 p.m.: Putting “Community” at the Center of a Community Based Arts Organization, with Alysia Souder, Hector Morales and Phritz Napoleon, Institute of Music for Children (NJ)
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Financial Wellness for Teaching Artists, with Elaine Grogan Luttrell, Minerva Financial Arts (DE)
Session at capacity: 4:00 – 5:15 p.m.: Exploring Virtual Engagement for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities, with Abby Schreer and Hayley Sheerwood, CO/LAB Theater Group (NY) (Limit of 40 participants)

Thursday, August 20
State Arts Agency Teaching Artist Cohort Meetings
Tuesday, August 25
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Creative Aging during COVID, with Julie Kline, Lifetime Arts (NY)
4:00 – 5:15 p.m.: Putting the Focus on Photo Essays, with Randall Coleman and Lisa Liebering, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust (PA)

Wednesday, August 26
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Designing a Learning Story: Connecting Your Work to the Education Sector, Part 1 — Mapping Your Work, with Rob McAdams, University of Richmond (VA)
4:00 – 5:15 p.m.: Designing a Learning Story: Connecting Your Work to the Education Sector, Part 2, with Lisa Donovan, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and Rob McAdams, University of Richmond (VA)

Thursday, August 27
State Arts Agency Teaching Artist Cohort Meetings

Tuesday, September 1
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Healing Minds, Moving Bodies: Measuring the Mental Health Effects of Online Dance Classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic, with Rachel Rugh and Julia Basso, New River Moving Arts (VA)
4:00 – 5:15 p.m.: Teaching Artist as Leader, Entrepreneur and Futurist, with Jeff Poulin, Creative Generation (PA)

Wednesday, September 2
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Closing Plenary Panel TBA

The 2020 Mid-Atlantic Teaching Artists Virtual Retreat is a cosponsored project of the Delaware Division of the Arts, Maryland State Arts Council, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Virginia Commission for the Arts, and West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies.

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Contact: Leeann Wallett, Program Officer, Communications and Marketing
302-577-8280, leeann.wallett@delaware.gov

The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is dedicated to cultivating and supporting the arts to enhance the quality of life for all Delawareans. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. For more information about the Delaware Division of the Arts, visit arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278.

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