Our Mission

*WHY STUDENT CHAPTER?*
	Alone you possess vast promise as an art educator. However, together with your fellow future art educators you will have limitless creative potential to affect the world for the better. A student chapter at your university provides the opportunity to join with your fellow future art educators for the purpose of achieving goals important to your group. Together you can do more for the community, become powerful local advocates for the arts, join in your efforts to attend annual state and national conferences, learn from each other, arrange workshops, and other opportunities for professional growth. Additionally, these activities will build your resumes and portfolios to ensure the employment opportunities you deserve and a future you've earbed.
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STARTING A STUDENT CHAPTER : OVERVIEW

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BUILDING AND CULTIVATING YOUR STUDENT CHAPTER

Building Your Own Student Chapter, 101:

The National Art Education Association Student Chapter is committed to helping all students prepare for the next big step…the real world! As a national organization, our goals focus upon the encouragement and support of our members. We want students to be successful in the world of teaching, and we help provide the tools to make that happen.

Once you become a member of the National Student Chapter, consider building a local chapter of your very own. Build a family of colleagues and mentors that are in close proximity that can help provide the same tools needed for you to grow professionally. Following are the steps you can take to make this happen!

1. Network and Socialize. Begin gathering a group of colleagues that are interested in forming a local Student Chapter. Look for individuals that crave the opportunity to participate in group events that enhance each and everyone’s professional growth.

2. Find a Mentor. Let your professors know that you are in need of an advisor to sponsor your chapter. Once you find a volunteer, discuss the role they will play as mentor and share your ideas.

3. Begin Meeting. Start having regular meetings when your chapter can gather and discuss upcoming activities that you would like to participate in. Now that you are an organization, you can begin planning fundraising activities, workshop events, social outings and other opportunities for you to grow as teachers and individuals. Try to make it a point to meet at least once a month.

4. Create a Mission. As a group, decide what your main goals are as a Student Chapter. Create a mission statement that addresses who you are as a chapter and what you want to accomplish. Feel free to integrate the goals set by your NAEA Student Chapter Presidential Team.

5. Elect Officers. After you have had your first Student Chapter meeting of the year, begin the process of electing leaders. Choose leaders that are passionate about the field of art education and the growth of your professional group.

6. Register your Organization. Register your newly founded Student Chapter with the NAEA Student Chapter Presidential Team. To do this, email the following information to your current National President (Sarah Cress, [email protected])

Name of Institution
Institution Mailing Address
Chapter Website
Advisor Name
Advisor Mailing Address
Advisor Email Address
Advisor Phone
Number of Student Members in Current Year
Anticipated Number of Students Next Year
List Major Activities Planned for your Chapter
Once you have registered your Student Chapter nationally, don’t forget to register through your university, and your state Art Education Association. By registering with your university, you may be eligible to apply for financial aide for big events and opportunities. By registering on the state level, you can get involved with state conferences and begin networking with other chapters directly surrounding you.

7. Contact your Student Outreach Coordinator. Currently there are two national officers that are ready and waiting to help your growing Student Chapter become successful. These individuals are your go-to people with helpful information direct from the Presidential Team. In charge of the Western Region is Aimee Allen ( [email protected]). In charge of the Eastern Region is Sandra Koberlein ([email protected]). Send them an email detailing your chapter’s needs as a growing organization.

8. Put Yourselves Out There. Make your Student Chapter well known among your university and the community surrounding. Have a poster sale, organize a children’s art fair, conduct a silent art auction to raise funds for a local charity…the ideas are endless.

9. Share your Ideas with Others. As a chapter make it a point to attend the NAEA Convention, in addition to your state conferences. There you will meet and greet students from around the country that are just dying to share their ideas. For those of you that would like to get your presentation feet wet, submit a proposal to share some of your wonderful group events formally.

10. Keep Up the Energy. Continue meeting on a regular basis, and get as many students involved as possible. Pretty soon, you will see your Student Chapter grow into a booming community of supporters.

Cultivating a Strong and Powerful Student Chapter, 101:

In many situations starting an organization of your own is just half the battle. The other involves careful planning, consideration and attention to your members. No matter how strong your chapter may appear to be initially, it cannot evolve and mature without your nurturing. Following are some of the steps you and your fellow members can take to make sure that your Student Chapter maintains momentum.

1. Set a date on the calendar. Make it a point to meet with your student chapter at least once a month. Try to set routine meeting dates on the calendar so that it is easy for members to remember to attend. Also try to set at least one social event and/or community service event every other month. Social events help relieve the tension and stress of the everyday. Community service events help members reach out to their broader environment.

2. Meet with your mentor on a regular basis to brainstorm and discuss group successes. Make sure that you are meeting regularly with your mentor at least once a month to talk about the progress of your chapter and future endeavors. Your mentor has the wisdom and knowledge to push and challenge your members to rise to their ability. Look to your mentor as a valuable asset to your group, but do not rely heavily on them for leadership. The leadership of the chapter must come from you!

3. Look for fresh meat. Continue looking for new members that can serve as valuable additions to your chapter. The best places to look for such members are the beginning art education courses in your program. Invite new members to join the NAEA bandwagon and share their fresh and insightful ideas. Put together a presentation that informs potential members of the benefits of NAEA and visit classrooms. New members will be ready and waiting to get involved!

4. Celebrate on a regular basis. Acknowledge members that go above and beyond within your chapter. As you continue to congratulate each other on your successes as individuals and as a group, you will see an ever-growing desire to continue evolving as a team.

5. Keep close ties with your Student Outreach Coordinator. Send your Student Outreach Coordinator an email every other month detailing the events and growth of your student chapter. Ask your Student Outreach Coordinator to consider you as the focus of a Student Chapter Spotlight. The Spotlight is part of the NAEA Student Chapter eBulletin sent out by the national president. Make your group’s ideas and events known to other chapters across the nation!

6. Share and collaborate. As a chapter, make it your personal goal to attend your state conference, in addition to the national NAEA conference. Attending these events is absolutely crucial to the growth of your chapter. Conferences allow you to share and brainstorm ideas with other chapters across the country.

7. Encourage your leaders to continue with NAEA. For those leaders that take a sincere interest in the advancement of the National Student Chapter, encourage them to run for the national presidency. The national presidential team is constantly on the look out for leaders that have fresh and exciting ideas. Having a member represented on a national stage can also elevate your local chapter to a new level of responsibility.

8. Keep in touch with your alumni. As members begin to graduate from your program, keep their information in a database for future reference. These alumni are potential mentors and guest speakers for your younger members.

9. Keep Up the Energy!

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CHAPTER RESOURCES

Are there any online resources that will help my chapter become successful? You can browse through suggestions for creating and maintaining a successful chapter below as well as read through the College & University Chapter Manual. In it you will find chapter registration, step by step procedures, informative instructions, and a sample constitution to help you get up and running.

The Online College & University Chapter Manual

Need a jumpstart? Try our Fantasy Student Chapter brainstorming activity. Use this at your next meeting to generate ideas and create an agenda.

COMING SOON!
NAEA STUDENT CHAPTER SURVIVAL GUIDE!

In response to member requests, the Presidential Team is currently developing a comprehensive resource for starting, maintaining, and growing a student chapter with plenty of practical examples, solutions, and imaginative suggestions for taking your chapter to the next level.

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MEETING IDEAS

Start Up

Read the Chapter Manual (it also contains a sample constitution)
Organize your leadership type (Hierarchy vs. Co-Representatives).
Write your Mission Statement and Bylaws.
What are your goals and objectives?
How will you balance community outreach, professional development, and fundraising?
How often will you meet (weekly/monthly)?
Send in your National registration form.
MEET REGULARLY
Make an agenda for each meeting; be professional to get professional results.
Delegate work to the other members.

(i.e.) In some bylaws, you may want to encourage attendance by stating you must attend 3 meetings to have voting privileges. If absent, upon return you must wait one meeting before voting again.

(i.e.) The Constructivist View: Keep more people with these 3 I's: Interest, Involvement, and Investment. Get them interested, keep them involved in all aspects of the chapter, then they will invest their time and energies into the group's "Improvement!"

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ACTIVITY IDEAS

Design your school chapter's logo and letterhead
Raku Party
Children's Art Festival
Public Tile Mural Projects (work with local arts council)
Become volunteer docents in museum
Panel discussion with community at local Exhibit
Start outreach program during/after school at schools without any art programs
Community Children's Art Exhibit: judge contest
University Art Education Students Exhibit or Student Chapter Exhibit
Student Teaching Art Exhibit
Local Art Exhibit on Nature Trail (bike trail, snowshoe trail, etc!)
Afterschool Art Program at University studios (students bussed in or Saturdays)
Sponsor Empty Bowls
Challenge another university to a "Bowl-a-thon" (Wheel thrown clay bowls) >>>>then donate bowl to "Empty Bowls" or serve soup in bowls at fundraiser
Faculty/Student Mixers
Rock-n-Bowl Party
Lesson Plan swaps
Volunteer! (get your chapter's name out there for future donations!)
Youth Art Month is in March!
Post-Conference workshops for those unable to attend
Elementary and Secondary Arts Festival Weeks (workshops on media)... Organize with theatre, dance art and music classes (open to community)
Once a month work with a homeless shelter and exhibit work ("what makes me happy/sad?").

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PRESENTATION IDEAS

Tips:

Keep these open to students, teachers, professors, community, first-year teachers, local artists, etc.
Advertise weeks in advance.
Invite the general education majors to attend/share meetings.
Invite guest artist, museum educators, art supervisors, local teachers/principals to speak.

Topic Ideas:

Attending your first state or national conference
Practice giving your conference presentations
Portfolio Development (go over upgrades once a month to see improvements)
Classroom Management
ADHD and other special needs students
Teaching Strategies
Assessment and Inclusion
Multicultural Education
Homeschooled student relations
Curriculum Modifications
Motivations of the artist
Problem Solving and Inquiry
Visual Culture - practical applications
DBAE - practical applications
State and National Standards related to state testing
How do I find a job outside this state or country?
Mock Interviews, Resume Writing, the grand Jobsearch.
Hiring Procedures, Paperwork Jitters, Benefits, Retirement
Teaching in Inner City Schools
Educating with Museums
Grant Proposals
Student Teacher's Rights, Responsibilities, and Legal Issues (Ethical dilemmas)
Open discussion on current Art Ed issues (invite students, parents, Prof.).
Controversial issues

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*WORKSHOP IDEAS AND TIPS*
	Whether it is a papermaking class to other chapter members or an after-school program: Be prepared for your audience. Give yourself ample amount of advertisement. Start realistic to grow more next year! Invite community, local teachers, adults, school-aged, pre-school, university students, etc. Advertise in local school announcements, papers, fliers, brochures, downtown business windows, etc. Plan ahead for semester-long workshops, Saturday sessions, after school care, evening classes. Anything from: papermaking, paintbrush making, windsocks, bookmaking, web page design, Inuit culture and art, architecture, printmaking, clay, jewelry, Celtic Design, etc.
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ROAD TRIP!

Visit local non-profits
Local gallery crawls
Local architecture crawls
Visit local artists at their studio
Nearby city gallery/museums
State/National conferences (plan months ahead!)
Observe art teachers at every age level in your area
Visit local art fairs (for ideas and contacts).

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FUNDRAISING IDEAS

Many chapters expressed the need to have a treasurer and an account. Some thoughts were to keep them separated into different accounts for: Materials, Travel expenses to conferences, and "Fun" times to build the organization.

Here are some ideas compiled from past conferences of NAEA Student Chapters around the nation:

Art Camps
Bake sales on campus, in front of auditorium, sports arenas.
Candle sale, Card sale, Candy sale, Lightbulb sale, Credit card sales.
Artwork sales at street fairs and around holidays.
Interactive sales (painting, caricatures, mosaics).
T-shirt sales (design logo/graphics- connect with sports team or departments) - sell to galleries, bookstore, school fair, make calls to city shops.
Yard sales with raffle (sport tickets with dinner for two).
Donations from local businesses in exchange for art lessons donated to a local organization.
Grant Proposals.
Weekend/After-school/semester-long workshops to students and adults of all ages.
Explore your university's Student Activity Funding/Student Gov't.
Hay rides at campus events.
Art in the park/community art fair (charge admission or donations).
Ask for financial support from gallery owners (clear with univ. rules!!).
Research a non-profit connection with state board.
Car washes, Pot lucks.
Give tours of art gallery/studios and participate in YAM.
Prolific Prints give a % of poster sales.
Barnes and Noble's Book Fair gives % of sale.
Kroger (and other grocery stores) redeem receipts or at register give % of all sales to your organization (YOU have to do the research on these!).

Other tips:

Call the media (TV, PSA Channel, radio, newspaper) for promotional help and ideas. They may charge a little, or they may do a free article/announcement.
Ask your college/university for a car/van to use as transportation to conferences.
Various websites deal with college fundraising. Search them out.

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If you have any additional tips, please e-mail us and we will add them to our list. Thank you!

This site is maintained by the NAEA Student Chapter. Its aim is to further our mission by providing information and resources to NAEA student and early career members as well as other art education students across the globe.