October 2019
Advancing the heART of Education
a monthly newsletter for Iowa Arts supporters
Tomorrow - October 8th

John Lloyd Young in Concert
On  October 8th , the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education is  AGAIN  bringing John Lloyd Young (Tony Award winner for 'Jersey Boys") to the Noce Jazz Club in Des Moines for a one night only performance of his Las Vegas cabaret show. Mr. Young was our guest artist for our Arts Advocacy Day in 2017 and was really impressed with our mentoring program for young fine arts teachers. He has  AGAIN  agreed to donate his performance as part of our efforts to match the $25,000 appropriation from the 2019 Iowa legislature to operate our program during the 2019-20 school year. 

Click on the graphic to go to our ticketing site.


Can't come to the Concert? DONATE!

Donations to the Mentor Program  are always welcome!

Use our PayPal Donation System with a credit card or PayPal account. Under “special instructions to seller” indicate "Mentor Program Donation."

Member Organization Highlight
Iowa Communication Association

The Iowa Communication Association held its 55th annual conference on September 20th and 21st on the DMACC campus in Ankeny. The theme of the conference was Social Change, and the conference began with an awards presentation, luncheon and keynote address. 

The Westphal Student Paper competition award winner was Amber Sorenson of Luther College, who won for her work on families affected by Shaken Baby Syndrome.

The keynote was presented by Dr. Katy Swalwell, Associate Professor of Education at Iowa State University. Dr. Swalwell’s presentation was titled “Preparing Youth for Social Action: The Skills They Need for Civic Engagement and What Gets In the Way.” The conference continued with multiple sessions and panels that presented work from faculty at universities, colleges, community colleges and high schools. 

The ICA nominates panels from the statewide conference to present at the National Communication Association conference. The ICA also publishes a respected journal of communication studies annually. 

Suzanne Jones, IAAE Board member (ICA representative)
Reflections ~ Mark Lehmann
Mark served on the IAAE Board for several terms and has been an active advocate for the arts during his career. We asked him to reflect on his board participation as a way to encourage others to become more involved.

My time as a board member for IAAE has been educational, challenging, and most of all, rewarding. In those six years so much has been accomplished thanks to the efforts of the board and especially its Executive Director, Leon Kuehner. The adoption of Fine Arts Standards for Iowa has certainly been a crowning achievement, but not the only one. 

Progress in the mentoring program for first and second year teachers has been marked by deep discussions and great effort in training mentors and defining the best practices in the mentoring experience. The efforts in advocacy, including Fine Arts Advocacy Day at the state capitol, have grown the profile of arts education in Iowa. Much of that is due to tireless efforts by Leon Kuehner and Larry Murphy, IAAE’s lobbyist, in keeping the goals of promoting fine arts education in front of our legislators and executive branch. The partnerships that have been forged between the Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa Arts Council, and IAAE have resulted in renewed opportunities for professional development for fine arts teachers in Iowa.

Working together with committed board members has resulted in spirited discussions and ultimately great progress in achieving the goals of IAAE during the past six years. I value the knowledge and friendships I have gained. But most of all, I value seeing vibrant arts education programs throughout the state, regardless of size or wealth of the schools, and seeing young teachers enthusiastically discovering their passion in arts education. Our students need fine arts programs that lift them up and develop their talents; often they are the lifeline for them to survive and grow in an increasingly complex world. I am proud to have been a part of that effort, and would highly encourage others to consider participation in arts advocacy.

Need more information about the Alliance and our programs?

Contact our Executive Director: Leon Kuehner 641-425-0959 leongkuehner@gmail.com