​On an afternoon in May of 2000, I received a call from a friend of mine, Dr. Roxanna Albury.  Roxanna was on the board of the then SC Alliance for Arts Education. She said that they were in the midst of a board retreat with the purpose of revitalizing the organization. One of the ways they had come up with to move SCAAE ahead was to hire an executive director, and would I be interested. After finding out a little more including the fact that the board was made up of an incredible group of people, I agreed.

Since that time, what changes have I seen!  – the most obvious being the name change to Palmetto State Arts Education. But the most substantive changes have been in the organization’s finding of purpose. When I joined SCAAE in 2000, we were focused on trying to find our niche – a place where we could make the most difference and where we were helping our state partners, not competing with them. In 2003, that place was identified as arts infusion/integration.  A few years later, professional development for district arts coordinators was added as another place where SCAAE/now PSAE could make a difference.

Now it’s 2018, and the PSAE board remains incredible with a new generation of dedicated professionals!  They are hard at work expanding what we do, always with the same goal in mind as we had in 2000, to ensure that the arts are an integral part of all students’ education.

You've read about the history of PSAE, now it's time to discover some new projects PSAE will be working on during 2018:

On February 2, PSAE released the inaugural issue of a new electronic newsletter.  Designed to keep educators up to date, Arts Ed Thread features news and trends in arts education as well as updates from statewide partners such as SC Arts Commission, SC Dept. of Education, and SC Arts Alliance.  Arts Ed Thread will be produced quarterly (late January/early February, late April/early May, August, late October/early November). 

​We would love to include news from you!  Contact [email protected] to submit news items for the late April/early May issue.   And if you didn’t receive the February 2 issue, be sure to sign up!

​PSAE has been invested in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) for a number of years. STEAM has been an important strand in every PSAE annual conference since 2011 when our annual conference theme was Powering STEM with STEAM. This year, PSAE is expanding its STEAM work in 2 ways, both designed to help support STEAM efforts in South Carolina. 

The first will be the creation of a SC STEAM Schools Directory, which schools can use to identify others that are like them or have programs they are interested in. Using an online survey developed by PSAE, information will be gathered from schools that have identified themselves as having a STEAM focus. The survey will be sent out this spring.  PSAE will then compile the information and release an online directory by late fall.   

PSAE is also developing a new STEAM School Award. South Carolina has so many schools that are doing such amazing things in STEAM. PSAE wants to recognize those schools through its new award.  Details will be coming out in the next several weeks. So please look for that and plan on nominating your school!

And of course, we will continue our work through…

Help us advocate for quality arts education by identifying the schools that are doing an outstanding job of making arts essential to the education of their students.  Be sure to nominate your school for the SC Schools of Excellence in Arts Education Award so that it can receive the recognition it deserves!

Celebrate administrators who are making a difference in our schools through their support of arts programs.  Nominate your administrator for PSAE’s SC Arts Administrator of the Year!

What better way to honor those individuals and/or organizations who have helped to support, strengthen and grow arts integration opportunities in our schools than to nominate them for the Ray Doughty Arts Integration Award, an award designed to recognize those who embody the true spirit of arts integration through the use of community partnerships.  
 
Deadline for award applications is Monday, April 16.

​The Rising Stars Piccolo Spoleto Series is 10 years old! 
 
PSAE is currently accepting applications for the 2018 Rising Stars Piccolo Spoleto, a series designed to give young artists the opportunity to participate in the high profile venue of Spoleto USA Festival through its affiliation with Piccolo Spoleto.
 
Who is eligible? 

• Students between the ages of 9 and 18 who are not full-time college students
• Students who are visual artists, actors, dancers, creative writers, and musicians (instrumentalists and vocalists)

 
Help us celebrate our artistically gifted young people!
 
Deadline for applications is Friday, March 30.

October 15-16, 2018
Charleston, SC

How do we as educators and administrators empower our students to question, to explore, and to become the creative innovators that the future will need? 
 
On October 15-16, 2018, PSAE will host a two-day conference to help educators and administrators meet this challenge.  In its 16th year, this annual conference will offer a wealth of opportunities for potential sessions and workshops that explore innovative strategies to nurture inquiry, prepare for inventiveness, and stimulate creativity in today’s classrooms.
 
The theme for the 2018 conference is Innovate!   And PSAE has its own innovation for this year’s conference. PSAE will be offering ½ price conference registration for the proposals for sessions that best address the theme of innovation. Up to 12 proposals will be selected, so be sure to get your proposal in before the April 30th deadline!
​

1986
We officially joined the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network (KCAAEN) as a member in good standing under the name SC Alliance for Arts Education (SCAAE). The organization would go on to change its name to Palmetto State Arts Education in 2016. 

1987
Under the leadership of Roy Biddle, Mac Arthur Goodwin, Alicia Moore, Elbin Cleveland, and Virginia Uldrick, SCAAE successfully filed its articles of incorporation, and in 1989 would go on to successfully emerge as a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

PARTY LIKE IT'S 1999!
It’s our very first conference! This highly successful event (titled The Arts: Assessment for Arts Reform) would set the stage for an annual conference dedicated to arts education and arts integration every year since. 

Over time, the conference has grown to reach approximately 350 educators and administrators. 

In 2007, with no professional development opportunities available designed to address the specific concerns of District Fine Arts Coordinators, SCAAE created a District Arts Coordinators Committee and began offering meetings designed to support this population.

The committee still exists, and now joins its efforts with the ABC Project’s Peer to Peer Principal’s Network for a twice yearly Joint Arts Administrator’s Institute.

​PSAE has presented 4 major support documents for arts education:  Fine Arts Careers, Standards Companion Documents for Media Arts, Essential Elements of a Quality Visual and Performing Arts Program, and Teaching Standards-Based Creativity in the Arts.

we received funding for some great additional projects, including the development of an Arts Schools Directory and supporting lesson plans for the ABC Arts Infusion Continuum.

Although the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network eventually dissolved at the national level, our organization has remained strong.  We continue to offer comprehensive conferences, support for educators, and are now proud to present Rising Stars Piccolo Spoleto to showcase the artistically talented youth of the southeast in a high quality setting.

YOU are the reason PSAE (formerly SCAAE) has continued to be a leader in arts education in our state. As we look to the future, we hope you will continue to stay with us as we journey along the way.