President's Message
Hello AACIG members and friends,
I started as the new president of AACIG in April 2023. Since I served as one of the founding members of AACIG, this interest group has been at the center of my heart. Forming this group started in 2006 when I shared the idea of forming an Asian art interest group with fellow AAPI art educators to represent the research and pedagogy of Asian American and immigrant art educators and students. Starting in 2006, when we all used email as the main communication tool, I contacted active Asian American art educators and doctoral students in North America to develop an interest group. The list grew well and had more than thirty interested in creating an NAEA interest group. After a couple of years of connection and communication, we formally submitted our proposal to NAEA as an interest group, which was approved with strong support from its leadership. Maria Lim played a key role in this process and served as the first chair of the group. Art educators from Asia and America-born Asian Americans witnessed the announcement of our group as NAEA interest group, which was not imaginable when I started my Ph.D. program in 1999. After serving as a founding member, I served as conference chair and other roles within AACIG. We enjoyed more than six years of productive time helping our group known to NAEA members, state organizations, and in our communities.
I believe that it is timely to expand and extend our role and missions in NAEA and the field of art education. In particular, I would be happy to share three new initiatives. First, we formed a mentoring group for AAPI graduate students and AAPI art teachers, respectively. Many art teachers and graduate students have not had AAPI mentors, as we have been thinly spread nationwide with the lack of opportunities to develop a networked or affinity group. So, it is important to create two groups. Luckily, we have wonderful volunteers to work on developing this group. New teachers and higher education faculty will also benefit from future mentoring sessions.
Second, our members need support from our group in terms of professional development and engagement. So we create new positions: Outreach Coordinator (Meera Ramanathan and Sangmin Lee for social media, Edwin Lim for AACIG website), Student Division Representative (Xiaoxiao Bao), and Professional Development Coordinator (Borim Song). Each of these divisions will play a central role in enhancing AACIG's mission. Through their work, all members will gain more information and opportunities for their professional development, such as grant writing, conference information, and publications.
Third, AACIG has been exponentially growing, as many have joined our group and networked with each other. I believe that all researchers and practitioners meet and share our scholarship, research, and pedagogical projects. So, we plan to have the first AACIG virtual symposium to celebrate and share our research and pedagogical experiences. We plan to have a virtual conference in May 2024. The month of May is designated as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, so our event will become an important venue to celebrate AAPI's art, culture, and education.
I hope that everyone participates in and grows the existing and newly proposed missions and projects of AACIG. They will make our interest group, students, and future generations more visible in schools and society. Please note that AACIG cares for your voice and promotes AAPI art, culture, and pedagogy, as AACIG is the central hub of AAPIs’ scholarly and pedagogical identity and practices.
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Dr. Ryan Shin