Travel Grant Award Announcement 2022-23
Jamie Tara P’20, art teacher
The Advent School is pleased to announce that Jamie Tara P'20, art teacher, is the recipient of the 2022-23 Advent Professional Development Travel Grant!
This spring, Tara will explore the richness of Indigenous decorative and utilitarian art traditions, focused on expanding students' ceramics and fiber arts experiences. Her travels will take her to New Mexico during the annual Gathering of the Nations Pow Wow. While she is there, Tara will travel to museums, including those focusing on Georgia O’Keeffe’s art, and participate in workshops to deepen her knowledge of textiles and fiber arts.
This spring, Tara will explore the richness of Indigenous decorative and utilitarian art traditions, focused on expanding students' ceramics and fiber arts experiences. Her travels will take her to New Mexico during the annual Gathering of the Nations Pow Wow. While she is there, Tara will travel to museums, including those focusing on Georgia O’Keeffe’s art, and participate in workshops to deepen her knowledge of textiles and fiber arts.
Tara explained how she would bring this experience back to Advent in her grant application. First, she wants to bring a deeper knowledge of Indigenous art into all her classes:
"A main goal for my curriculum has been to increase our fiber arts explorations at Advent. Textiles provide an obvious and natural fit for exploring cultures worldwide, and it would be great to start right here at home with the Native American techniques and traditions of the Southwest.
"Other connections include the Third Grade thematic curriculum, expanding upon the existing Georgia O’Keeffe painting unit, and creating a curricular resource for other teachers as they bring stories of the Southwest into their classrooms as well."
The committee was excited about Tara's descriptions of how her travels will uplift The Advent School's mission. She shared about the connections to social justice and how Indigenous people are continuous advocates for taking care of our earth, specifically through the “Water is Life” movement. Tara mentioned how many artists act as changemakers as they inspire and protest through various media. In addition, she wrote about the ways that art allows our students to be part of a connected world:
"Art education plays an important role in recognizing the value of diversity. The study and practice of art demonstrate that humans have a basic need to express themselves through objects and imagery. This leads to an understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures, ancient societies, historical change, and contemporary issues. Knowledge and practice in the arts can help students develop confidence in themselves as individuals and as part of larger groups.
"The visual arts, in particular, are a natural way to connect students to different eras, places, and cultures. Ideally, exploring art can be a lens through which to begin understanding our fundamental connections and commonalities among disparate cultures and an opportunity to appreciate the value of differences."
The Travel Grant Committee was impressed by the range of applications they received this year and said, "We could see how passionate and excited you are about your teaching in the written proposals. The decision-making process was not easy, and we feel honored to work alongside such caring, thoughtful professionals."
Congratulations to Jamie Tara P'20 for her award!
The Travel Grant Committee
Gretchen Vice, Dean of Faculty
Nicole A. DuFauchard P'20, Head of School
Amanda Behen, Teaching & Learning Support Manager, 2019 Travel Grant recipient
Sarah James P'28'30, Second Grade, 2020 Travel Grant recipient
Rosa Vega, Kindergarten, 2021 Travel Grant recipient
