Miranda Kent is a dedicated art educator and working artist that graduated in 2020 from SUNY New Paltz with a Bachelor's Degree in Art Education, a Minor in Psychology, and a Studio Concentration in Ceramics. During undergrad, they worked their way up to becoming the Art Education Student Association’s President their Senior year, graduated from the Emerging Leaders program in 2017, and curated and hung multiple Art Education student centered art shows on campus. Miranda immediately started teaching at Glens Falls High School during the 2020-2021 school year post college and is now wrapping up their 6th year of teaching Ceramics I and II, Sculpture I and II, Advanced 3D Design, and Studio Art, now as a tenured art teacher. After completing their undergraduate degree and starting their professional teaching career, they then went on to receive a Master's Degree in Art Education from SUNY New Paltz in 2023 before receiving their Permanent NYS Teaching Certification. While actively teaching during grad school, they wrote a compelling case study on positive mental health development through ceramic artmaking and made a meaningful thesis portfolio of ceramic artworks that was then included in the "BANG! The Mess of Making" show alongside their peers. 

Miranda's true passion resides in providing students with inclusive, modern art education practices, topics, and art history, and diversity in being the one of the only openly LGBTQ+ teachers in their district. To further these initiatives, they have been advising Glens Falls High School’s Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) for four years and deeply value being able to give their students a safe, welcoming environment within the school daily. They've also taken on other leadership roles such as being an Advisor of the High School Art Club, being the Diversity Coordinator in their district's WIDE Committee (Wellness, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity) for three years, being trained in Restorative Talking Circles with Mediation Matters, joining the NYSATA EDI Committee in 2024, and finally securing a NYSATA board position through becoming the Chair of the new LGBTQ+ Alliance Committee in 2026.

In the Glens Falls community, Miranda is known for their dedication to supporting their students both academically and personally through unwavering empathy, patience, and belief in the potential of every student. Their compassionate approach to art education helps to build confidence in their students, especially for students that belong to various marginalized groups. Beyond the art classroom, they actively show up for students at arts and other school events, bring their joy of artmaking into the community through public art projects, and participate on a district wide scale in the Art Department’s yearly K-12 Art Expo, with the goal of fostering a strong sense of artistic and communal belonging.

Although Miranda deeply cares for all of their students and their role as an art educator, they are particularly connected to standing up for and uplifting the voices of vulnerable and disadvantaged youth; especially those who identify as queer or trans. As a young queer and non-binary person, they experienced bullying for their identity throughout grade school, which eventually became the spiritual drive they needed to step up and do more for this community in spite of what they experienced. In Miranda’s teaching philosophy, they send a clear message: “I want to be at least one adult in each of my student's lives that sees value in them, no matter if they enjoy art or not”. This message carries through in all that they do as an art educator, and as a person. It only takes one adult, one conversation, or one unspoken sign of support to be the change in a queer or trans youth’s life to prevent them from falling into the false narratives our government continues to reinforce to kids who are impressionable and are just trying to figure out who they are and what their role is in this world. Miranda argues that the art education classroom is one of the most open, connective, and uniquely human educational spaces that lends itself to self-discovery, developing confidence, and having productive dialogue that other subject teachers may not have time to get to in their classes. Moving forward, Miranda welcomes any and all NYSATA members to step up and be the change by joining the LGBTQ+ Alliance Committee, whether they are part of the LGBTQ+ community or not. We are always stronger together than we are alone, so please consider joining them in this journey to better support queer and trans youth across our beautiful state of New York.

Rationale
As stated in the NYSATA mission statement, promoting the viability, versatility, and accessibility of art education across New York state can yield strong results legislatively, collaboratively, and artistically. In order to best address the goals of this organization, there must be a focus on allowing all art educators the same access and support to encourage their growth, passion, and drive for professional development and expansion of pedagogical ideologies. By offering our members the EDI Committee, we begin to expand this access to a wider net of educators, allowing marginalized communities and allies alike in our field the ability to provide their students and coworkers with more diverse artistic and educational resources that transfer far beyond the art classroom. In this fight for being as inclusive and non-discriminatory as possible, Miranda argues that a Committee specifically for LGBTQ+ Alliance through NYSATA stretches this arm of support to queer and trans youth and art educators during the unsafe and uncertain waves we are navigating, which can be life-saving and life-changing beyond comprehension.

Purpose Statement
In simple terms, the purpose of the LGBTQ+ Alliance Committee is to foster pride, equality, access to education, and develop deeper respect for all Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer communities within the field of Art Education in New York and further. This collaborative group is open to any and all LGBTQ+ art educators in NYS, as well as any allies passionate about supporting this diverse community in and out of educational spaces that are members of NYSATA and/or attend the NYSATA Conference. This Committee is poised to actively work against misrepresentation and bias within our culture and shift our pedagogical practices to produce safer spaces for all students in our schools and wider society. 

Although this may shift with more members as time goes on, we on the LGBTQ+ Alliance Committee are dedicated to:

• Affirmation: We affirm the identities of all art educators and students, while also acknowledging and raising awareness to the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals specifically. We also prioritize the diversity of involved individuals and how their experiences may be influenced by their race, religion, ethnicity, age, ability status, social class, and further social characteristics, in addition to gender identity and sexuality.

• Collaboration: We believe in uplifting the voices, opinions, and goals of LGBTQ+ art educators, students, and their allies in order to strengthen this committee in the most collaborative way possible.

• Community: We celebrate and honor the LGBTQ+ community across New York and strive to represent as many regions as possible in our advocacy work in order to build community connections throughout the state.

• Education: We honor the possibilities and necessity of LGBTQ+ education and aim to provide as many resources as possible to NYSATA members in order to start grassroot change through the championing of art educators. 

• Respect: We respect the thoughts, feelings, concerns, and joys of our LGBTQ+ art educators and students and are committed to valuing others by accepting individuality and demonstrating both courtesy and mutual regard.