A.T. Moffett
This summer, I was fortunate to join the Delaware Institute for the Arts and Education, a visionary anchor organization for arts education in our home state.
After a decade of teaching dance in higher education and studying public policy, I find myself at the helm of this small and mighty team living out a rich legacy of creative, arts-driven service to students and teachers in schools throughout Delaware.
I’m grateful to join DiAE during its 40th anniversary year, a milestone that provides an opportunity to reflect on where we’ve been, what we’ve learned, and how we look to the future to bring high-quality, multi-disciplinary, and culturally responsive arts experiences to Delaware schools.
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Looking Back: The imprint of inspiring leaders like DiAE founder and music historian Larry Peterson and our past executive and artistic directors, sculptor Anne Oldach, painter Marilyn Bauman, poet Karen Hurley-Heyman, theater artist Danny Peak, jazz musician Jonathan Whitney, and mixed-media artist Nanci Hersh, is palpable within our organization. These leaders identified first as artists, but they also encompassed the roles of teacher, engaged citizen, and advocate, working to inspire and improve our community through the arts.
Today we stand on their shoulders and seek to actively build upon their legacies.
Where we’ve been: DiAE is unique in that we are an affiliate to two nationally recognized leaders in arts education and we bring these resources to bear at home.
The first is the Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education, an organization that emphasizes workshops led by professional artists that immerse students and teachers in intensive arts experiences. In the early 80s, Larry Peterson was invited to start a chapter of the New York City-based program in Delaware, the impetus for founding DiAE.
The second is the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, a flagship program of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Virginia. Wolf Trap trains professional performing artists in early childhood development to provide teacher-centered professional development in the early learning classroom. Thanks to Anne Oldach and the late Danny Peak, DiAE became a state affiliate in 1997.
These two organizations support us in navigating complex educational landscapes and delivering best practices in arts learning for our partners.
What we’ve learned: DiAE seeks to be a supportive ally to classroom teachers. Our teaching artists share their arts knowledge and skills to complement and amplify the expertise of the teacher. We recognize the pressure that teachers face, and we seek to leverage the arts to work in partnership toward creating a classroom experience that is equally nurturing and supportive to teachers and students.
This summer, DiAE led professional development for K to 12 teachers at Gateway, Great Oaks and Kuumba charter schools on arts-integration methods applicable to curriculum and daily routines.
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We’ve also learned that family engagement is an important component of childhood development and academic success. The COVID-19 pandemic brought this issue to the forefront and DiAE has been responsive to this need by creating Family Workshops, offered in conjunction with in-school residencies.
Another way to support both families and schools is providing novel summer enrichment opportunities in the arts. This summer DiAE led photography and graphic novel workshops at P.S. DuPont Middle School and worked with students at Kuumba Academy Charter School on a series of paintings exhibited throughout the Community Education Building, exploring the question, “What does peace mean to you?”
Looking Ahead: The pandemic has heightened public consciousness around issues of stress and mental health in our youth, as well as the stark inequities that characterize our educational system. Discerning the path forward for education and childhood development must be approached collaboratively, creatively, and from multiple vantage points.
DiAE has spent 40 years at the intersection of arts and education, and we are ready to contribute to the next generation of programming and policies that improve educational outcomes and access to a well-rounded education for Delaware students. Teachers and administrators need organizations like DiAE to join them in the work of inspiring students to reach their full creative and academic potential.
Together, we can make it happen, for another 40 years and beyond.
Anniversary event: DiAE will mark its 40th anniversary with a special event, ‘SPOTLIGHT: An Evening of the Arts,” on Sept. 21 at 6 p.m. at the Blue Ball Barn in Wilmington.
For information on tickets and sponsorships, visit the events section of the DiAE website at diae.org, or call 302-660-4783.
A.T. Moffett is executive director of the Delaware Institute for the Arts in Education.
