Advocacy & Policy

NAEA Position Statement on Relationship of Visual Art Educators to Decision-makers

[Adopted March 2012; Reviewed and Revised March 2015; Reviewed and Revised March 2020]

NAEA recognizes the importance of visual art educators creating, developing and maintaining relationships with parents, families, guardians, businesses, cultural organizations, administrators, legislators, media, and others who have an impact on or can influence visual arts education policy at local, state, and national levels.

Art educators are encouraged to cultivate a network of individuals and groups to build effective partnerships for furthering policies that support visual arts education for all learners. Art educators should use multiple resources* to customize messages specific to local needs in order to be sensitive to the distinct nature of their community and educational system.

Local efforts in support of visual arts education policies need to be frequently monitored and evaluated to determine any impact they have on the identified needs. The process must be ongoing and continuous as new strategies and relationships may need to be developed to achieve desired results.

(*There are resources available on the advocacy link on the NAEA website)