Miami Sophomore Reilly Powers presented a session entitled, “Radical Education: Using Community Arts for Social Impact” at the Ohio Art Education Association (OAEA) conference about her work on the Electric Root Festival (ERF) on November 11, 2022. ERF is a free-to-attend festival centered around “bringing together campus and community for a day of Radical Joy, Radical Hospitality, and Radical Community” (ERF Facebook).

Photo From Electric Root Festival (Miami University Digital Assets: Miami University Marketing & Communication)

In spring 2022, the event was a major success and brought together over 1,000 people. It was Miami-driven, incorporating nearly 300 students, faculty, and staff from Design Thinking and Principals, IMS 254, ART 195, IMS 259, THE 394/AMS 310Z, CCA 201, CCA 302, IMS 452, MAP, Miami Art Museum, Miami University Gospel Singers, and the Tammy Kernodle Trio.

Photo From Electric Root Festival (Miami University Digital Assets: Miami University Marketing & Communication)

Powers worked on an art-making activity with her intro to Art Education class centered around the Electric Root Festival. She wrote conference proposals to OAEA and the National Art Education Association (NAEA) to “present to other professionals about how incorporating community art and social movements into a classroom can lead to fantastic student growth.” Both of her proposals were accepted. What once started as a class project, grew into something much bigger.

Photo provided by Stephanie Danker

OAEA is the leading professional membership organization exclusively for visual arts educators in Ohio. Members include elementary, middle, and high school visual arts educators; college and university professors; researchers and scholars; teaching artists; administrators and supervisors; and art museum educators. OAEA’s mission is to build a community for visual art educators by promoting professional growth and leadership.

(Photo provided by Stephanie Danker; This photograph pictures first-year student Isa Obradovich, who presented in a preservice panel along with students from the Ohio State University  and Kent State University;  her focus was on her work with social media and the effects data has on teaching.)  

In order for Powers and others who presented to have been accepted, they were required to have their proposal peer-reviewed and from there they could create and present their topics. Powers’ topic was focused on bringing art from the community into the classroom, something inspired by their communities.

"When teachers incorporate community art into their lessons students see the true power of their work and the impact they can make on their communities," Reilly Powers said.

Alivia Link also presented at the conference about the importance of substitute teaching and had a really positive experience throughout. Link said, “Substitute teaching has been such a great learning experience for me and there is nothing that can prepare teachers more than actually being in charge of a classroom. It is also a great way to figure out what grade levels you like best!” Link presented at OAEA to ensure that other students would understand how influential this opportunity could be.

Powers will present again in April at the National Art Education  Conference (NAEA) in San Antonio, Texas. While her focus will be on similar content, Powers will be changing a few aspects in order to allow her work to encompass a larger conference and community. Powers learned a lot about the vitality of reflection and what it means to teach other people and discovered that “Through just reflection and research so much can be learned!” (Powers.) The ERF will be back for a second iteration in Oxford on April 29, 2023.

To learn more, visit www.ohioarted.com.

(Photo provided by Stephanie Danker; This photograph also pictures Alivia Link and Lauren Butts who presented about the importance of substitute teaching in college)