OLYMPIA — March 12, 2009 - Arts advocates will be celebrating their platinum anniversary later this month.

Hundreds of artists, arts professionals, school administrators, principals, arts educators and classroom teachers from across Washington state will gather March 20-21 for ArtsTime, a biennial arts education conference celebrating its 20th anniversary.

The conference, which will be held at Foster High School in Tukwila, will include workshops, presentations, performances and a trade show. It offers educators the opportunity to better equip themselves professionally to help students reach the state’s arts essential academic learning requirements.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn has repeatedly stressed the value of arts education. “We know that arts education allows students to learn and practice skills and behaviors that foster ‘out of the box’ thinking and creative problem solving,” he said. “Those skills will be crucial to innovation in the 21st century.

“If we are dedicated to preparing all students, we must be sure that all schools have access to a well-rounded arts program. We want every student engaged, not just most. I urge all school districts to ensure that all students have access to the highest quality opportunities in arts education.”

This year’s conference theme is “Inspiring Imagination! Creativity, Innovation and Compassion!”

“We think this will be a transformative event for everyone,” said AnnRené Joseph, ArtsTime conference facilitator and program supervisor for the arts in the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. “We hope that the excitement and creativity generated by the conference will spread across the entire state.”

Alvin Law, inspirational speaker and author, will be the keynote speaker Friday, March 20, at 11:00 a.m. Patrick Dunning, visual and performing artist, will give the keynote Saturday, March 21, and share his signature project. Both keynote speakers credit the arts and arts educational experiences as being significant in their life success.

Washington Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Alan Burke will address the conference Friday, March 20 at 4:15 p.m.

The Arts have been an integral part of complete education for the “whole child” in Washington’s learning goals since 1993. State and federal law make the arts a core academic subject area. The arts are part of the state’s high school graduation requirements.

Beginning with the 2008-09 school year, districts will begin to report progress in the arts to the state.

OSPI cooperates and supports the sponsoring arts organizations for this biennial conference, which include ArtsEdWashington, Dance Educators Association of Washington, VSA Arts of Washington, Washington Alliance for Theatre Education, Washington Art Education Association and Washington Music Educators Association.

For detailed information on the ArtsTime conference, contact AnnRené Joseph at (360) 725-6365 and/or register at www.artstime.org.