First meetings and other reasons for art teachers to travel.

When asked to serve on the Advisory Board for SchoolArts magazine, I reflected upon my thirty-five years as an arts educator and examined what qualities I bring to the position. I have discovered that the common thread has been my passion for travel and meeting new people--those "first meetings" that have led to powerful collaborations with fellow professionals.

My first significant "first meeting" occurred as a junior at Virginia Commonwealth University. I was assigned an advisor who would change my life, Priscilla Hynson. For the first time at VCU, I had found someone with whom I connected. I loved her passion for art education. She challenged me to jump into teaching art, to take students out of their comfort zone, and to always be open to new people and new ideas. And finally, to travel outside the U.S.--"I can't tell you why but you must travel."

In 1981, I was able to take Priscilla's advice and travel abroad for the first time. For six weeks I traveled throughout Greece. With each new breathtaking view I thought, how can I share this feeling with my students? Through viewing my personal slides, my students could see that we could travel outside the world of our daily routine. I became addicted to travel and seeking new adventures. My next trips were to Egypt, Israel, Italy, and England.

In 1997, I selected a Crizmac trip to Mexico with Stevie Mack. I tried a group trip with an organized tour. My second important "first meeting" occurred at dinner that first evening at the San Angel Inn just across the street from the former homes of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. I happened to be sitting by a young woman from Denton, Texas. She introduced herself as Nancy Walkup, who then worked for an art education institute in Texas called NTIEVA. She was working on publishing her interviews with Texas Southern University artist John Biggers on a website, ArtsEdNet. In total shock, I introduced myself as an arts educator from Virginia who was working on my project partnership with the Hampton University Museum developing a teacher symposium The John Biggers-Viktor Lowenfeld Connection. along with the opening of the nationally traveled exhibition The Art of John Biggets "View From the Upper Room."

What a fortuitous meeting! I found a connection that would evolve into a lasting personal and professional relationship. Nancy and I began working together on a shared Biggers project and Ishe became a presenter at the Hampton symposium. This collaboration strengthened both our understandings of the artist.

Most recently, I have been authoring teacher units based on my travels to Africa. 1999, I took a trip to Cote d'Ivoire. At that time I had no idea the country would shortly fall into civil war that would leave Cote d'Ivoire unstable and divided. Shortly after returning to my office, our Foreign Language Coordinator shared with me a copy of the newly adopted French textbook. There in front of me were photos of Cote d'Ivoire just like what I had witnessed in person. French students were now experiencing the study of the French language in the francophone countries of Africa.

This was another "first meeting" of an interdisciplinary collaboration which would lead to securing grant funds for the creation of a publication, which we would use to present professional development opportunities to both art and French teachers. The funding allowed us to use a quality publisher to turn my selected photos into transparencies and copy my video on the topic of a women's pottery coop in a small Baule village. As a result, students could see the entire hand-building process, and the decoration and firing of the clay vessels on location.

Another "first meeting" that translated into an opportunity to share two perspectives was based on my 2004 trip to Mali, collaborating with an African Studies professional consultant and trip leader Pat Darish. We will be using the interdisciplinary connections between art and social studies as the unifying theme for an educational resource.

As I have discovered, the world holds great opportunity for those who choose to move out of their routine. "I can't tell you why--but you must travel." Thanks Priscilla.

Janet Payne is the visual and performing arts coordinator for Stafford County Public Schools in Virginia. [e-mail].