New York, NY – April 25, 2019 – State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE) and Young Audiences Arts for Learning (Young Audiences) announced that they have entered into an agreement under which Young Audiences will provide communications, data collection, technology, daily operations, and project management support services to SEADAE.
SEADAE is a national nonprofit organization established to support the professional effectiveness of state arts education leaders, and to provide a collective voice for leadership on issues affecting arts education. The organization is comprised of representatives from state education agencies, as well as state councils, whose responsibility is education in the arts: Dance, Media Arts, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts.
Young Audiences is the nation’s largest arts-in-education network, serving more than 5 million young people each year with quality arts learning experiences through its diverse network of affiliates. The new agreement was officially announced at Young Audiences’ 2019 National Conference in Houston, Texas, No Limits: Supporting Children with Learning Differences. Young Audiences’ work on behalf of SEADAE will include facilitating the work of SEADAE members and strengthening SEADAE’s connections to the arts-in-education field, while fortifying SEADAE operations and organization. Young Audiences will not be serving in an advocacy or lobbyist role for SEADAE.
SEADAE and Young Audiences have worked together as peers and collaborators in the arts-in-education field since 2012. Both are members of the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS), an alliance of national arts and arts education organizations dedicated to the work of creating and supporting national arts standards. Most recently, SEADAE’s 2018 conference, Arts Education Within ESSA: Charting New Realities and Putting the Arts into Education Policies and Practice, was presented in partnership with Young Audiences and its regional affiliate, Kansas City Young Audiences.
According to SEADAE President Joyce Huser, who is also with the Kansas State Department of Education, Young Audiences represents a natural fit to effectively support SEADAE’s work. Huser points to Young Audiences’ ability to work in conjunction with a broad, diverse, state-spanning constituency that in many ways is analogous to SEADAE’s own membership base and, collectively, reflects the magnitude and reach of SEADAE’s interests. “I can’t tell you how happy we all are to be working with Young Audiences,” Huser said. “We hope to continue this relationship for years to come.”
“Through this agreement, we look forward to supporting SEADAE’s mission and its members,” added David A. Dik, National Executive Director of Young Audiences. “This agreement marks an opportunity to deepen our relationship and ultimately advance our shared commitment to making high-quality, standards-based arts education a reality for students nationwide.”
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About SEADAE
State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE) was established to support the professional effectiveness of state arts education leadership, in all arts disciplines, and to provide a collective voice for leadership on issues affecting arts education. SEADAE aims to ensure that all students preK-20 gain artistic literacy and fluency through equitable access to quality, sequential, standards-based opportunities for learning across artistic disciplines. For more information, visit: http://seadae.org/.
About Young Audiences Arts for Learning
Founded in 1952, Young Audiences Arts for Learning is the nation’s largest art-in-education network serving more than 5 million young people each year. Young Audiences works to support its diverse network of affiliated organizations that are each dedicated to playing a decisive role in young people’s personal, artistic, and educational development. Learn more about Young Audiences and its mission to inspire young people and expand their learning through the arts at www.youngaudiences.org.
For more information, please contact Lauren Altschuler at lauren@ya.org.
