Maggie Anderson | Education director, R.I. State Council on the Arts
1. What do you hope to learn from the 31-year legacy of former Education Director Sherilyn Brown? Is it cheating if I say everything? If you have ever had the chance to work with Brown, you know she is a true collaborator and gets the right people around the table helping everyone reach a shared goal. I hope to continue her legacy of collaboration. … The only way to make sure all Rhode Islanders have access to quality arts education is through a network of partners and collaborations.
2. You’re a former high school language, art and art history teacher. How will your experiences in that role help you now? No matter the subject, I always fully integrated the arts into my lesson plans and classroom activities. … I am a big believer in the importance of integrating the arts into all the core content areas and I look forward to working with educators and the newly endorsed national core arts standards.
3. When you were a teacher, were you aware of RISCA programming and did you incorporate it into your teaching? Although a lifelong Providence resident, I taught and was an arts administrator in Foxborough, Mass. While I couldn’t incorporate RISCA’s initiatives, I certainly made use of Massachusetts Cultural Council resources.
4. Which RISCA educational programming will you continue and what additions do you hope to prioritize in your first year? In my first year I hope to learn all I can about existing programs. … This will give me a whole picture and then a chance to prioritize the needs of local schools. In terms of new initiatives, I certainly have a couple of exciting ideas – one involves podcasting.
5. How do you plan to increase awareness of RISCA programming among teachers and students across the state? When you’re reaching out to artists and educators it’s important to make use of the channels to which they’re regularly subscribed. One great resource is [R.I. Education Commissioner Ken] Wagner’s weekly email blast and RISCA already has a great relationship with him. … I also hope to reach students via promotions of youth-activated programming and opportunities. Perhaps bringing on youth media interns or [building] a youth council would be a way to identify and make use of the right media platforms. n
