NAEA 75th Anniversary Publication

In honor of NAEA’s 75th anniversary this year, we are proud to share Celebrating 75 Years: National Art Education Association in 2022, an update that builds on the first NAEA history, The National Art Education Association: Our History—Celebrating 50 Years, 1947–1997.

The history of any organization defies singular textual interpretation or meaningfulness to all readers. The scholarly narratives of this collective work chronicle the most recent quarter century of events, contributions, and workings of an association dedicated to art education. Authors framed their chapters to consider how NAEA came into being, why that beginning might be reexamined, who played what part as the Association grew in size and scope, and what thoughts were embraced at critical junctures.

The pieces of this history, and their myriad meanings, continue an ongoing record of the ways that NAEA members’ interests and involvement in their Association continue to impact the future of NAEA and the strength of its advocacy for the field of art education.

In creating this update, the NAEA Distinguished Fellows conceptualized three versions of the materials collected for the history. The first iteration was abridged and abstracted—created to acknowledge NAEA’s 75th Anniversary at the 2022 NAEA National Convention in New York City—and then made available to all NAEA members as a PDF.

A second unabridged version was printed in a limited quantity for the chapter authors, essayists, and Distinguished Fellows who contributed to the update, and the third version is this online collection of chapters and supporting material. Available to members and researchers, this version will also be used for furthering the aims of NAEA as a leader in understanding organizational history and projecting future incentives.

The Association is already looking forward to the next quarter century. Good people are in place to carry the organization forward in its mission and deeds. The sensitivity required for future endeavors was clearly seen in relationships fostered among editors, contributors, and NAEA′s officers and staff in the production of this important publication.

Our sincere thanks to NAEA Distinguished Fellows and co-editors for this history update, Read Diket and David Burton, who with other NAEA Distinguished Fellows shepherded this project, in all its forms, from its beginning in 2017 to today.

Celebrating 75 Years: National Art Education Association in 2022

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