OCTOBER, 2020

Greetings MATA Members!

These are certainly challenging times; particularly for our members who are teaching. The stresses of a normal school year are always exhausting especially at the beginning of the year but of course this is not a normal school year. Nobody has the training or experience to easily handle virtual, hybrid, or in-person teaching while trying to maintain their own health and safety and that of their students. Parents have the added responsibility of helping their children navigate the constantly changing format of their own schools.

Over the years MATA has existed to support and inspire art teachers in their classrooms and in their own creative work. We want to continue to be there for our members as we all struggle through. Tell us what you need.

We are working to continue provide exhibition opportunities for our many talented members. Here is a link to our virtual membership show, “MATA Redux”. I have always felt immensely proud to show my work in company with the artists in this group. I hope that you will enjoy viewing the show. Thank you, Jim Toth and Natasha Sorin, for pulling this all together.

As we navigate this pandemic, we will be looking for other occasions to showcase artwork. We all know that art is a basic human need. It is one of the best ways we have of coping with stress and anxiety. I hope that you are all finding time to do something for your own sanity and wellbeing. Even if it is just a clever doodle you do at a meeting. Art is survival.

To this end we are hoping to encourage members to use the MATA Facebook page as a forum for sharing ideas, lessons, coping strategies, etc. What are you doing to stay sane? Are you experimenting with a new media? Show those “clever doodles”. Not everything we share must be ready to “go in a show”. Angelique Byrne will be administering our Facebook page and she is currently working to make it more accessible to members. Watch for an invitation to participate soon.

I hope that you are all well and feeling as calm as possible.
Please communicate with us.
We care about you.

​Sincerely,

Paula Jacoby-Spehert
MATA President