Request For Proposals–Widening the Circle Conference
TITLE: Meet Me at the River: Teaching Artists and the Natural World
Thursday, September 22, 2011, Dover NH
The New England Consortium of Artist-Educator Professionals (NECAP) is dedicated to building the field of the teaching artist. NECAP’s annual Widening the Circle conference for teaching artists and their supporters and collaborators is scheduled for September 22, 2011, in Dover, NH. This year’s event, Meet Me at the River: Teaching Artists and the Natural World, will focus on:
- the many ways that teaching artists are inspired by and incorporate the natural environment and environmental issues in their teaching artist work
- how we can further develop our regional ecology of teaching artists, connected geographically and historically by our rivers, lakes, coastline, and land, and philosophically by our love for the arts, teaching, and the natural world.
Conference Format and Topic Areas
While we have traditionally used a keynote, workshops, and small groups discussions as the basis of our conference, we are also inviting new formats this year—such as Technology of Participation, Future Search or other models created by you or others– that can best engage teaching artists in exciting learning and sharing on our theme. The ultimate goal of our annual conference is to further develop excellence, vitality, and connectivity in the work of New England teaching artists. Formats you propose may address, but are not limited to:
- Further developing our regional ecology of teaching artists (connecting, networking, mentoring, etc.)
- Utilizing the natural world in teaching and learning with K-12 students and other community members
- Connecting children, youth, and other learners to Nature and the outdoors
- Designing or participating in nature-based artist residencies and/or community building
- Educating the public about the natural environment through the arts
- Documenting the natural environment through teaching artistry
- Partnering with scientists and environmentalists in teaching artist work
Because we want to include new learning formats along with workshops, we are inviting potential presenters to submit ideas both for specific topics and for possible formats before we structure the day. Teaching artists and their scientific and environmental partners are invited to submit one or more ideas.
Seeking Pecha Kuchas
We are also considering one multi-presenter pecha kucha session ( 20 images, 20 seconds each per presenter). This format, increasingly popular around the world, keeps presentations concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show their work. For more information, go to: http://www.pecha-kucha.org/what or just google pecha kucha and enjoy all the samples on the web.
Our Target Audience
Our aim is to inspire, inform, and connect teaching artists at all points of their careers, from emerging to veteran. Proposals should be geared to providing teaching artists with both stimulating ideas and hands-on, participatory experiences to inform their own work. Artists in performing, visual, and new media arts attend, so we seek proposals in all disciplines and/or those that are interdisciplinary.
Submitting a Proposal
If you are interested in submitting a proposal, please fill out the RFP form below, outlining your ideas, describing preferred learning formats, time frames, equipment needs, and size of group that could be accommodated. Please suggest a fee range, but understand that our budget is limited. We offer some compensation and cover mileage. Deadline for proposals is July 30th. We will contact you after the committee has had a chance to review proposals.
