Step Up and Speak Out for Art Education: How I Stepped Up

I was awarded the 2009 Tennessee Elementary Art Educator of the Year at the 2008 TAEA conference. My thoughts were swarming of ideas of what I would say if I had to give a speech. It had been such a long hard road for me to become an art educator. The "Back to Basic” movement cut art from curriculum throughout the schools at the same time I graduated college. I had a very challenging obstacle coarse to go through before becoming an art educator. Some people would have given up. I thought about it and wondered why I was having such a difficult time. Now I realize I had to go through every trial to be able to share this story with you: My "stepping stones.”

I took a wire sculpting class at the conference and made a wire and plaster shoe sculpture. Another class that I took there was using sculpty clay. When I returned home, I decided to use my leftover clay to decorate my shoe. With all of the excitement of the conference fresh in my mind, I thought that the shoe could represent my journey in becoming an art educator. I could “Stand Up and Speak Out for Art Education.”

Taking advantage of every opportunity of being in the media, I used my shoe and my idea whenever possible. I thought it was just a passing thought...who knew what would become of the idea. My principal, Julie Thompson, called a local newspaper to take my picture for winning the Art Teacher of the Year award.  I used that opportunity to get my story of the importance of art out and it all started to unfold before my eyes. www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/nov/19/carter-teacher-named

When Mayor Ragsdale of Knoxville saw the article in the paper, he congratulated me in his monthly newsletter and stated that I had “spearheaded” an art campaign. I thought, I better get busy! Two of the art teachers that I went to the conference with just happened to be the current Youth Art Month Co-Chairs for Tennessee. The next year they used my idea and we decided to change the name to “Step Up and Speak Out for Art Education.” It was the theme for the YAM Tennessee Flag Design Contest the next year. 

A couple weeks later, I was chosen by Skirt Magazine in Knoxville to write a resolution for the December issue. It was not because of the award, but I used my shoe as an opportunity to plug art education. A college friend that I had lost contact with over the years, Jane Ross Strevel, saw my picture in Skirt Magazine and we have become close again. She is a graphic designer and used a picture of my shoe to design the Step Up logo for me. 

I started making shoes with my entire school. I made model magic clay shoes with K-1st grade. 2nd-5th grades used Paper Mache to create whimsical three-dimensional shoes. After I had over 550 shoes at my school, I started calling around town to see where I could display them. Knoxville has an annual Dogwood Arts Festival each spring, and I called to see if they could be displayed somewhere during the festival. Did I luck out! Skirt Magazine and Knoxville News Sentinel were sponsoring a Diva Luncheon at the Knoxville Art Museum and their theme was shoes! They used over 100 of my shoes as centerpieces for the luncheon. There were over 250 influential women there. I was brought on stage to tell about my art campaign and allowed to put flyers in all of their goody bags. I won them over with my quote on art and shoes: "Art and shoes have a lot in common. They both come in a variety of styles, get more comfortable with use, and both leave an imprint of the sole (soul)."

Paper Mache I painted using pictures of various master artworks.
Jackie Spaulding-Wright

  

  

  

  

  

  

Clay shoes from Bearden Middle School in Knoxville, TN on display 2010 at Di Vinci’s Pizza for Youth Art Month

My shoes were displayed in art shows, libraries, and at the Central Education office. The following year art teachers across the county and state joined me in displaying some type of art shoes in honor of the campaign. I even had students make small shoes to use as Christmas ornaments for our Christmas tree. The tree was donated to “The Fantasy of Tress”, an annual fundraiser held at the Knoxville Convention Center benefiting Children’s Hospital. 

 
Paper Mache Shoes from Carter Elementary: Stepping Up for Art!

  

During April 2009,as part of the Dogwoods Art Festival, the Knox County Special Events paired up with Carter Elementary and used over 100 shoes on display  or the annual Diva Luncheon Fundraiser  held at The Knoxville Museum of Art. The Diva Luncheon had a “Shoe Attitude!’

 

Shoe on display at Arrowmont in Gatlinburg, TN 2010 Sevier County Student Art Show

Since then, I have been on the radio, presented at two TAEA State conferences, at the Tennessee Arts Academy, and at the 2010 NAEA National Convention in Baltimore. I was awarded the 2011 State Art Educator of the Year. Now I am a Youth Art Month Co-Chair for Tennessee, so I can continue to have my voice heard. I have a Facebook cause with over 700 members. I have many states and different companies that have joined my Facebook cause. Please join me at: http://www.causes.com/causes/267803 and invite all of your friends.

Art To Remember sponsored me at the NAEA National Convention making t-shirts, magnets, and flyers to hand out at the convention. They even helped me set up a website. I would like to add photographs of art shoe projects soon to the site: http://www.stepupforart.org. Send me photos and ideas that you incorporate with shoe projects.

My goal is to somehow turn Step Up for Art into a non-profit organization that will benefit art in the classrooms. I believe that every child deserves the right to be taught by a professional art educator. I am open to suggestions to make this happen. I was hoping to get on Oprah or the Ellen shows to gain support. Does anyone one out there have connections? LOL

Did you know there is a shoe museum? I contacted them and they loved the idea of the shoe campaign and sent me a page link to add to my power point presentation: http://www.batashoemuseum.ca. The Bata Shoe Museum is in Toronto. Check out their great website on shoes.

 

I contacted Tom’s Shoes. They love the idea, as well. I tried to get them to pair up with me in the campaign. They will give art teachers a 10 percent discount to hold “sole parties” to paint shoes. It would be a great way to raise awareness for two causes at once. The shoes are not cheap though. Remember the give a pair to a child in Africa for every pair you buy. If it is too expensive for a fundraiser for your students alone, maybe try to get another organization to help fund the event. Maybe to pay for shoes for underprivileged children near you and they could paint the shoes. Have it put in the media and talk about Step Up and Speaking Out for Art Educations.

 
-Jackie Spaulding-Wright