For more than 20 years, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) have supported the Professional Development Institute (PDI) for state arts agency arts education managers. The PDI provides meaningful leadership development and technical assistance for this diverse field. As a result, arts education managers are knowledgeable leaders in their field through a peer network that new and seasoned managers alike find invaluable.
PDI 2020 took place via online video conferences over a period of two weeks, from October 20 through October 28, 2020. The purpose of this year’s virtual PDI was to continue to explore issues related to diversity, equity, access and inclusion in arts education regarding emergency response, systemic violence and reimagining a more equitable arts education ecosystem. PDI attendees examined the job-specific leverage points available to them in their role as state arts agency arts education managers, and learned and practiced applying an asset based approach to specific planning and professional development goals unique to their agencies and states.
Guiding Question & Outcomes
The PDI 2020 agenda responded to the following guiding question:
How can state art agency arts education managers use an asset based approach to reimagine and build sustainable, equitable and resilient arts education systems in our states?
Building on learning outcomes from previous PDIs, such as effectively using data to define and decrease equity gaps in arts education policy and practice, and positioning state arts education leaders as drivers of change, PDI 2020 outcomes were:
- Learning Outcome 1: Participants will be able to identify and engage community leaders in building and promoting arts based collective impact practices for both episodic crises—such as natural disasters and pandemics—and sustained crises related to racism and other social injustices.
- Learning Outcome 2: Arts education managers will learn strategies to be resilient and flexible in reimagining systems, processes and policies to foster accessible arts education programming.
- Learning Outcome 3: Participants will develop tools for incorporating dignity into core values of culturally specific programming as informed by place, language and tradition.
