Superintendent Reykdal congratulated students participating in this year’s High School Art Show and noted,

“It is always so powerful to see our students express themselves in this way, and their thoughtful approaches remind us of art’s power to grow our students’ creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking skills.”

You can see the entire program here.  You can see all of the entries in this year’s art show here.   

Beyond an abundance of amazing visual art, this year’s show also featured the performing arts. We’d like to thank the Mount Vernon High School Mariachi and Grupo Folklorico, student officers from Washington State Thespians and the Port Angeles High School Video Production program.

A New Brand for the Art Show:

This past fall, high school students were invited to attend a workshop on branding produced by OSPI and the Washington Art Education Association. There, students learned about branding and logos and then developed concepts for a new brand to be unveiled during the 50th Annual Superintendent’s High School Art Show in Spring 2023.

Their concepts were adapted to three new brand identities for the show and are now being put to the public to select from. Take a look at the three brand identities and vote for your favorite. The winner will be unveiled in fall 2022.

We appreciate the many, many people and organizations who come together to make the art show possible. In particular, we want to thank the coordinators of the regional art shows at the Educational Service Districts across the state, and the Washington Art Education Association (WAEA), who has been a longtime partner with the art show in recognizing excellence in the visual arts.

Thank you for all that you do in service of the arts in education,

Janet Hayakawa, Associate Director 
The Arts - Dance, Media Arts, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Janet.Hayakawa@k12.wa.us
Cell/Text: 360-764-6157

Jacob Reeves “Old Capitol” | Superintendent’s Award

Olympia High School (Teacher: Joshua Everson), Olympia School District, ESD 113

Margot Massey, “Georgia on My Mind” | Governor’s Award

Sophia Rusk, “Myna Birds” | Honorable Mention Award

Innovation High School (Teacher: Rebecca Silva Clinard),

Pride Schools, ESD 101

Fiona Whitaker, “Jewel Chest with Drawer” | Honorable Mention Award

Olympia High School (Teacher: Katie Jahner),

Olympia School District, ESD 113

Malia Ohira, “Solid to the Touch” | Honorable Mention Award

Auburn Riverside High School (Teacher: Kyle Rees),

Auburn School District, ESD 121

If you would like to have your students participate in the 2023 Superintendent’s HS Art Show, please contact your local Educational Service District.

Conference for PreK-Grade 3: August 2 - 4

The National Endowment for the Arts has approved OSPI for a Grants for Arts Projects award to support The Washington State Teaching Artist Training Lab (TAT Lab).  TAT Lab provides workshops, resources, and mentorship to arts educators across the state. TAT Lab is a collaborative project with ArtsWA and the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Statewide Convenings

Your voice is important to the development of arts education in WA.  If you are interested in meeting with peers from across the state, The Arts office is convening groups over Zoom during the school year to address current and emerging issues with arts education. Clock hours are available.  If you’d like to participate, please contact:  TheArts@K12.wa.us Meetings will resume in September.

WA Art Educators’ Collaborative  – This statewide group welcomes arts educators, teaching artists and arts students to engage in conversation about issues related to arts education. This group meeting once a month. 

District Arts Administrators – This group is for those who have district level responsibilities for oversight of arts standards and assessment, professional development for the arts, and/or implementation of in-school arts education.  Currently, this group meets bi-weekly for an hour.

National Call for Performing Arts Students

The U.S. Department of Education is issuing a call across the country for student performing artists who are currently enrolled in elementary, secondary or post-secondary education interested in showcasing their talent – virtually or in-person at internal and external Department-hosted events. Performances include, but are not limited to: bands, color guards, choirs, dancers, poets/spoken word artists, theatrical performers, soloists. Click here to learn more. Email questions to studentart@ed.gov.

Arts for All—Join the Movement!       

OSPI, the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA), Inspire Washington,  Arts Ed Washington and the Creative Advantage have formed the Arts for All (A4A) Coalition to ensure that all PreK-12 students in Washington State have access to quality arts learning.  A4A seeks to achieve this by developing statewide arts leadership, collecting and analyzing arts education data, and supporting educators and teaching artists through professional learning opportunities. Sign up to stay informed.