Responding & rebuilding amidst dual pandemics: an interview with state fine arts coordinators Alysia Lee & Dale Schmid

Abstract

This paper examines the response and rebuilding efforts of two state fine arts coordinators amidst dual pandemics: COVID-19 and systemic racial injustice. In March 2021, Ms. Alysia Lee, Education Program Supervisor for Fine Arts Education for the Maryland State Department of Education and Dr. Dale Schmid, recently retired Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator for the New Jersey State Department of Education, outlined the scope of their work at the onset, and throughout, both pandemics. Ms. Lee and Mr. Schmid provided reflections regarding their state organization’s initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting an expressed need for resources, professional learning, and community support. While the interview was originally conceived to gain Ms. Lee’s and Mr. Schmid’s reflections on their state arts organization’s initial responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conversation ultimately centered their dedication to issues of racial and social justice in arts education. Portions of the interview wherein issues of equity, access, and anti-racist and justice-based practice are discussed are included in full. The paper concludes by centering Ms. Lee’s and Mr. Schmid’s voices in offering possibilities for future policy and practice.

Keywords:

• COVID-19 pandemic
• systemic racial injustice
• equity
• access
• justice-based practice
• anti-racism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sean Grier

Alysia Lee– Education Program Supervisor for Fine Arts Education for the Maryland State Department of Education.

Ms. Lee leads the Fine Arts Office of the Maryland State Department of Education where she shares her vision of equity and excellence for Maryland public schools across five arts disciplines: music, dance, visual arts, theater, and media arts. Lee is also the Founder and Artistic Director of Sister Cities Girlchoir (SCG), the El Sistema-inspired, girl empowerment, choral academy in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey.

Dale Schmid, Ed.D.– Recently retired Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator for the New Jersey State Department of Education.

Dr. Schmid is a Research Fellow for The Arnhold Institute for Dance Education Research, Policy & Leadership and adjunct faculty for the EdD Dance Education Program at Columbia University, Teachers College. He is co-facilitator of the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards and senior advisor to Dance Entry Level Teacher Assessment initiative; a national endeavor to codify dance teacher preparation through data collection and consensus building. He is a Past-President of the National Dance Education Organization and State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education; a longstanding member of the National Arts Education Policy Working Group and Arts Education Partnership Advisory Panel (Washington DC); and served as Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator for the New Jersey Department of Education for 22 years. Other leadership roles include the Executive Steering Committees of the Arts Education Partnership; Arts Ed NJ, and NJN Public Broadcasting Authority, among others.