May Updates + Goodies
We’re almost there, Azizams!
That crisp spring air is starting to smell like summer, and we’ve had a few much welcome sneak-peaks of the heat here in Los Angeles. This’ll be a long update, since I took last month off to spend more quality time with my hammock (and family.)
Amplify RJ will be hosting my De-centering Whiteness in Arts Education workshop as a public, ticketed event online. Proceeds will be split between supporting Amplify RJ’s continuing work, and paying my childcare providers :) Please share with your networks, and remember to ask your school or organization if they can cover the ticket cost.
Last month, Amplify RJ also invited me into a community conversation and interview about my last Substack article and resource document: White Supremacy (Classroom) Culture: A Guided Inquiry. I was so honored to speak about the inspiration and influences for this resource document, and answer some questions about how I’ve specifically witnessed and moved away from WSC in my own teaching practice. Tema Okun suprised me with her attendance and questions about my work! Listen to the recording here!
The California Art Education Association’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Commission just hosted CAEA’s first ever open EDI “Listening Session,” and has finally made public some of the behind-the-scenes organizing that led to our current strategic plans. If you’d like to read about all the pitfalls of our 2021 conference, and learn from our errors and calls to action, you can read the full EDI letter to CAEA here. You can also see CAEA Executive Council’s response letter here. I strongly recommend these resources for anyone involved in conference planning, or EDI work - especially in other state arts organizations.
In March, the Creativity Department had me on their #k12ArtChat podcast. The Grundlers and I had a very courageous conversation about my work, my own childhood experience of arts ed, and why I am so irritated by most of the “Islamic Art” projects I see in schools…. Listen here.
AMAZING Opportunities Coming Up:
Registration is LIVE for the Adding Voices Conference! Adding Voices creates conferences and workshops that are intentionally committed to equity, social justice, and inclusion in teaching, learning, and building community for art educators who are Black, Brown or part of the Global Majority. The line up of presenters is INSANE!!! If you’re on the fence about attending, consider this your gentle push.
Flavia Zuniga West is also hosting an amazing summer workshop on Centering Black & Brown Narratives in Art History. Attendees will be guided through examples on how to discuss & reframe art historical periods and famous works of art centering Black & Brown narratives using contemporary works of art.
Educators in Missouri and Tennessee should def take advantage of this Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Summer PD hosted by MAEA and TAEA.
Some things bringing me joy right now:
What I’m Reading: Black Appetite. White Food. by Jamila Lyiscott. This book is short, insightful, and provides amazing TOOLS for guiding equity work at your school site. (Thanks for the recommendation Kendra!)
What I’m Watching: Virtual Evenings for Educators: Portraiture, Identity, and Community Lecture featuring Liz Andrews, co-curator of LACMA’s presentation of The Obama Portraits Tour and Black American Portraits.
What I’m Learning: More about Zoroastrianism, and it’s influence on both mystic pantheistic religions, and Abrahamic monotheism.
Appreciate you all for being here. I love getting to share with you all here in a longer form, away from the doomscroll of IG.
Azadi (freedom),
Alisha
I love your thoughts! Thanks for all the work you do!