2025 NYSATA ED&I Position Statement
In recent days and weeks, we have witnessed efforts by those in power to restrict equitable education resources, instill fear, stifle artistic expression, and strip away tools that shape identity, connection, and social-emotional growth. In the wake of these recent attacks on education, equity, accessibility and inclusivity across our nation, the NYSATA ED&I Committee is compelled to issue the following statement reaffirming NYSATA’s commitment to free and equal access to authentic art education opportunities for all children across our state and our nation. We will continue to fight and do all we can to keep all we have worked so hard for and continue to build stronger alliances.  

Arts education is essential. Arts education generates cultural experiences, constructs knowledge, and builds an integrated understanding of self and community. Through artistic expression, students explore ideas, emotions, and perspectives across time and cultures, envisioning new possibilities that help them make sense of the world. As arts educators, we defend and advocate for all students through the arts. We empower students to express ideas freely through any and all fears. We shape identity, foster critical thinking, and build cultural understanding.    

NYSATA members are encouraged to stand firm in our commitment to providing an arts education rooted in compassion, creative expression and one’s authentic identity. By embracing our diverse cultures and maintaining inclusive spaces, we reaffirm our dedication to an education free from censorship and bias. We are shaping global citizens—innovative, socially aware, and emotionally intelligent.  

Now more than ever, we remain committed to amplifying our voices to protect arts education for today’s students and for generations to come. Let us continue the courageous conversations amongst our organization’s members, within our schools, and with our students. Let us continue to empower all students to dream, question, and innovate.  

Let us remain steadfast and resilient in the face of adversity. We have the power to create change. Let us not be swayed by those in power who seek to divide us. Instead, let us reaffirm our commitment to supporting all students through arts education and to the values that bring us together year after year to learn, grow, and advocate for the arts in education.  

Every action, no matter how small, sparks change. Even the smallest ripple can build a wave. Thank you for supporting NYSATA’s mission as we continue to lean on one another and navigate these waves together.

2026 IDEAS Workshop June 19-21 (Juneteenth Weekend)
Join us for an immersive experience with a community of artists and art educators committed to IDEAS; fostering inclusive, diverse, equitable, accessible, and safe learning environments. The IDEAS weekend workshop will provide space for collaborative dialogue, interdisciplinary experimentation, and reflective art making. Participants will leave with an empowered understanding of how IDEAS principles intersect with arts education history and practice, as well as innovative tools for enacting change in their own teaching, creative work, and institutions. CTLE certificate provided. 

CLICK HERE for Detailed Agenda

CLICK HERE to Register

Registration fee includes train ticket to Art Barge, meals* and all materials. Lodging and Saturday dinner on your own.

Payment and Cancellation Policy: Please secure any permissions/payment agreements from your school district prior to registering. Once you register, your space is reserved and you are responsible for payment. No cancellations unless a replacement participant is found. In the event a replacement is found, a refund minus $25 cancellation fee will be refunded. No refunds can be made after May 1.

NEED LODGING?
Holiday Inn Long Island-Islip Arpt East
1730 N Ocean Ave, Holtsville, NY
(631) 758-2900
4.2 miles from PAC/MOCA

Fairfield Inn Medford Long Island
2695 Route 112, Medford, NY
(631) 447-6200
5.8 miles from the PAC/MOCA

AirBnB options Patchogue

Introducing Black Artists: Art As Voice, Story, and Identity
In honor of Black History Month and in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the NYSATA ED&I Committee is excited to share a PowerPoint slide deck highlighting influential Black artists representing historical and contemporary practice. 

This slideshow honors Black History Month 2026 by highlighting the contributions of Black artists in the United States and the vital role they play in shaping American art and culture through shared stories of identity, creativity, resistance, joy, and community. The included prompts encourage students to look closely, think critically, and reflect on how art communicates personal and collective experiences. Please feel free to use it, adapt it, and pass it along to your colleagues.

Why Recognize Black History Month?
Black History month exists to recognize, honor, and correct the historical omission of Black contributions from traditional narratives of U.S. history and culture. It began as a response to exclusion, providing dedicated time to center stories that were too often ignored or marginalized. Today, Black History Month serves both as a celebration and a call to action: a reminder to acknowledge the past honestly, to elevate Black voices in the present, and to commit to inclusive teaching and learning year-round. 

Why is Learning about Black Artists Important?
Dr. King reminds us that “the function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.” Art has always been a powerful space for that work and for amplifying voices, stories, and perspectives that matter. As we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we are reminded that education, creativity, and courage are powerful tools for change. 

Learning about Black artists benefits all students. It supports representation and affirmation for Black students while building cultural understanding, empathy, and historical awareness for others. Ensuring that curricula reflect the full spectrum of artistic voices and experiences encourages students to question whose stories are told, whose are missing, and how art helps shape cultural memory.

What’s included in the slide deck:

• A curated collection of historic and contemporary Black artists
• Visual examples to support discussion, analysis, and art making
• Ready to use or modify for your own curriculum and projects
• Elevate Black voices, stories, and artistic contributions
• Support culturally responsive, equity-focused art education
• Spark dialogue around artist connected to identity, justice, creativity, culture, storytelling and voice

Each slide can be used as a starting point for lessons, discussions, studio projects, and cross-curricular connections, making it adaptable for elementary, middle, and secondary classrooms. We hope this resource supports you in creating learning experiences that not only teach art skills, but also nurture empathy, understanding, and student voice throughout February and beyond, inspiring you to add more artists you find valuable and personalize this deck for your own students.

National Art Education Association (NAEA) 
NYSATA aligns with NAEA in our joint committment to being an inclusive community and to better reflect the students and communities we serve. 

CLICK HERE for NAEA ED&I Resources

New York State Education Department (NYSED)

NYSED has developed a Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education (CR-SE) Framework and Resources

CLICK HERE for NYSED ED&I Resources

CLICK HERE for CR-SE Framework & Resources

 
Contemporary Indigenous Digital Artists Curriculum Resources
This resource is designed to be flexible and adaptable to a variety of curricular settings. The thematic modules below could be included all together in a chosen sequence in a focused course, or one or more could be explored à la carte. Teachers can navigate the database of artists either by browsing the gallery below or navigating the menus above organized by tribal/community affiliation, material practice, and thematic focus.

CLICK HERE for the Resources  

2024 76th Annual NYSATA Conference 
Held at the DoubleTree Hotel, 225 Water Street, Binghamton, NY

Click the image to view slide show developed to honor the Indegenous People and Culture, both historical and present, around the conference site.  

• do the difficult and ongoing work of examining and making recommendations for dismantling systemic inequities that reinforce inaccessibility, stagnate membership, and foster a general resistance to new perspectives, particularly as a means for inciting organizational change within NYSATA
• ensure equal access to the benefits of membership and positions of leadership for all
• increase the capacity of art educators to enact change that ultimately fosters greater diversity, equity, inclusivity, and accessibility throughout their circle of influence and within their own  professional practice
• serve students and support educators—including those who are often marginalized due to their identity including but not restricted to cultural race, ethnicity, class, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, special needs and other characteristics
• identify, guide, and support opportunities for professional development in local, regional, and state level Initiatives such as NYSED’s Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education guidance
• work with NYSATA leaders and program coordinators to evaluate the accessibility of NYSATA programs and to provide students with equitable opportunities for success
• establish goals by targeting and identifying areas for improvement regarding equity within the NYSATA community in order to create and maintain a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment
  
  

Jennifer Grasso-Moise
ED& I Committee Chair

Jenn Grasso-Moise is a Visual Arts Educator in the Brentwood Union Free School District. She serves as Vice Chair of NYSATA Region 10 and was named NYSATA Region 10 Art Educator of the Year (2025) in recognition of her leadership, advocacy, and commitment to equity-centered art education.

Jenn’s work is grounded in culturally responsive teaching and the belief that art education is a powerful vehicle for identity, voice, and social understanding. As an ED&I leader, she is committed to fostering inclusive spaces where students and educators feel seen, supported, and empowered to engage in meaningful equity-focused dialogue and action. Her leadership emphasizes representation, accessibility, student voice, and the amplification of historically marginalized perspectives within arts education.

Jenn brings a global and multicultural lens to her leadership, informed by travel, lived experience, and ongoing professional learning. She is deeply committed to reflective practice, mentorship, and collective growth, and views ED&I work as an evolving, shared responsibility that requires courage, listening, and sustained action. She designs and leads student-centered initiatives that connect artmaking to community engagement, social justice, and visual storytelling. She collaborates with educators, artists, and organizations at the local, state, and national levels, including the federally funded PEACE Project, the Local Learning Network, and the National Art Education Association, where she serves as the New York State Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Liaison and is a member of the Connected Arts Network Professional Learning Community. Through partnerships with global organizations such as the Creative Visions Foundation, along with numerous regional arts and community organizations, Jenn sustains meaningful collaborations that ensure equity and belonging are not add-ons, but foundational to the work. She is equally committed to elevating student voice beyond the classroom, regularly supporting student participation in exhibitions, publications, and art competitions, and ensuring access to authentic audiences and public platforms as a core component of equitable arts education.

All persons eligible for NYSATA membership who have an interest and meet the criteria for serving on this important leadership team are encouraged to apply. ED&I Committee members must demonstrate a commitment to social justice work as it supports NYSATAs mission. We ask for a two year commitment to the committee work. 

Relevant Experience:

• maintains or is establishing a leadership track record with wide-ranging experience in equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives
• has a personal history of committed struggle against underrepresentation in social and professional contexts, and/or experience teaching/working successfully with underrepresented populations
• advocates for equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (willing to stand up and speak out on behalf of others who are marginalized or disenfranchised)
• participates with other organizations, groups, or institutions who are doing equity, diversity, and inclusion work
• has research experience and/or a strong interest in research

Committee Members are accepted on a rolling basis as needs arise.  Scan below or use the link to apply to the committee. 

NYSATA ED&I Committee Application