District #6: Oconee, CSRA and 1st District  

Ivey Coleman - Ivey.coleman@ccboe.net or ivelmcoleman@aol.com

Dear Fellow Art Educators,

I want to introduce myself as the new District Six President of G.A.E.A.
I have previously served as the 2007 GAEA professional Learning Conference Chair and the 2008 GAEA Business Representative.  I live in Augusta (Richmond County), Georgia and teach at South Columbia Elementary School in Columbia County.

I am excited about taking on the challenge of trying to identify and contact art teachers in our district which include Wilkinson, Baldwin, Wilkes, Lincoln, McDuffie, Columbia, Richmond, Hancock, Taliaferro, Warren, Glascock, Jefferson, Burke, Jenkins, Screven, Bulloch, Evans, Candler, Emanuel, Johnson, and Washington Counties. 

My first objective as District President is to create of a database of art teachers in District Six.  Please email me the following information about yourself at your earliest convenience:  name, address, school, county, GAEA member number, and email address.

My second objective is to identify at least one contact teacher in each county or school district to serve as a liaison for that area.  This will facilitate more complete dissemination of association information regarding state board activities.  If you are willing to be this liaison, or if you know of a strong Art Educator in one of these areas, please contact me!

I would like to invite you to join GAEA if you are not already a member. It is a simple and inexpensive way to take your teaching to the next level and to give your students many opportunities not available to them from non-GAEA members.  Being part of an advocacy group like GAEA is more important now than ever.  It is also a chance for you to take a leadership role within GAEA if that interests you.  GAEA is committed to quality visual art education for all learners, taught by certified art educators.

Here are some of the benefits and opportunities included in your annual $65 membership fee:

• MEMBERSHIP - in both GAEA and NAEA
• PUBLICATIONS - GAEA Collage magazine, twice yearly; NAEA’s Journal of Art Education, bi-monthly; NAEA News, bi-monthly; Translations, twice yearly; Advisories, four sets per year 
• DISCOUNTS - NAEA Annual Convention registration fees are lower for members; Studies in Art Education, a quarterly journal can be purchased at a reduced rate; group insurance rates for health, life, disability, professional liability, etc.
• HONORS AND OPPORTUNITIES - National Art Honor Society for middle and high school levels with yearly state conference and scholarships available; grant programs open to members only; approximately 100 annual awards recognizing outstanding art educators and outstanding art education programs in states, regions and the nation
• CONFERENCES - annual Fall Conferences and professional development opportunity, and annual Spring Conferences at St. Simon’s in April of each year
• EXHIBIT OPPORTUNITIES- GAEA members from each Congressional district are selected to have student work included in the State School Board Exhibit; the Capitol Art Exhibit is an annual exhibit of about 250 student works held at the Sloppy Floyd government buildings for a month; Metro High School exhibit; Youth Art Gallery at the Atlanta Airport; GAEA Governor’s exhibit
• YOUTH ART MONTH - held in March of every year and is a great way to build support for your program. State YAM coordinators can give you ideas about how to celebrate and send in work for YAM flag design.

Being a GAEA member is a great way to collaborate with other art teachers, get fantastic ideas, and promote your art program.  Please let us know if you have any questions.

I also look forward to meeting with as many of you as possible in person in the future.  Also, please feel free to contact me with any questions that you have about GAEA.

Sincerely,

Ivey M. Coleman, MSEd, TSS
Art Educator
South Columbia Elementary School
Georgia Art Education Association District 6 President

tel # h: 706-733-4787 c: 706-840-0442

Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

Albert Einstein