Position Statement on Achieving an Equitable, Diverse, and Inclusive Visual Arts Education Profession
The National Art Education Association (NAEA) affirms its commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and access (EDIA) in visual arts, media arts, and design education. Our collective work is stronger when it honors and elevates perspectives across race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, abilities, socioeconomic background, language, and lived experience.
NAEA believes proactively and intentionally mentoring, recruiting, and retaining future arts educators from a wide range of backgrounds will contribute to organizational vibrancy and make the field stronger. Diversity among educators within the profession acquaints learners with cultures and perspectives different from their own and interrupts the dominance of a singular narrative in arts education.
Visual arts, design, and media arts education professionals must play a more active role in bringing about social transformation to help remove barriers and overcome institutionalized oppression and inequities that have been historically pervasive within our profession. NAEA celebrates the power of a diverse, justice-driven workforce in shaping future generations of artists, educators, and change makers. NAEA remains dedicated to uplifting historically excluded voices, providing tools and platforms for equity-focused professional learning, and cocreating a field where all can thrive.
[Note: This Position Statement was formerly titled “Position Statement on Attracting Diversity Into the Profession.”]
Resources:
NAEA Equity, Diversity and Inclusion HUB