Tekelia C. Kelly, a STEAM teaching artist at the Tennessee Arts Commission, has been chosen as one of a select group of teachers to attend the 2021 Tennessee Arts Academy, Inspiring Learning, Changing Lives.
The Academy, the nation's premier summer teacher training institute for K–12 arts education, will officially open on July 11. Normally hosted on the campus of Belmont University in Nashville, this year’s event will be a “virtual” learning experience. More than 325 K-12 public and private school teachers from across the state will participate in the weeklong session.
2021 marks the Academy’s 35th anniversary.
The Academy core faculty consists of 20 nationally recognized professors, academic instructors and artists assembled from leading universities, schools and arts institutions from throughout the United States. They will teach a diverse range of classes in music, theatre, visual art and dance as well as special classes in arts leadership and administration. An additional 60 presenters will offer single focus classes during the six-day event.
"There will be many special moments throughout the week, starting with TAA’s opening performance on July 11 by the highly acclaimed classical saxophonist, Steven Banks," officials said. "Other major highlights of the week include a speech on Monday to the TAA participants by noted composer and pianist Gabriela Lena Frank, followed on Tuesday with a presentation by the celebrated contemporary American artist Beverly McIver. On Wednesday, Broadway script writer, Hollywood screenwriter and author Rick Elice (Jersey Boys) will address the participants. A high spot of the week will occur on Wednesday night when Broadway star Aaron Lazar hosts Bravo! A Virtual Evening with Stephen Sondheim and Friends: Honoring America’s Arts Teachers. The show will feature interviews with Stephen Sondheim, along with tributes in word and song to Sondheim from Vanessa Williams, Stephen Colbert, Kate Baldwin and many others. Rounding out the week will be a performance on Thursday by Ballet Memphis company members and a presentation on Friday of three scenes from recent Cumberland County Playhouse productions. Three virtual art exhibitions including Through the Achromatic Lens: Gary Chapman, featuring work by professional artist Gary Chapman; The Best of the Best Tennessee Student Art Exhibition; and Connections: Tennessee Art Education Association Member Exhibition, a juried show composed of Tennessee educator artwork, will complete the Academy’s special event offerings.
"Because arts instructors often have higher than normal class loads, the teachers and administrators who annually attend the Academy directly reach anywhere from 150,000 - 200,000 students the following school year in classrooms all across the state. The Tennessee Arts Academy has impacted over three million Tennessee students and trained more than 7,500 teachers in its 35-year history. The Academy's advanced curriculum, cutting-edge methodology and unique philosophical perspective maximize participants' learning experiences. With renewed energy and knowledge, Tennessee Arts Academy educators are better equipped and motivated to raise achievement standards and affect positive and lasting change for Tennessee students, providing them with the necessary skills to become creative and productive members of our work force and society."