Pennsylvania Art Education Association records

In 1835, The Quakers established in Philadelphia what is believed to be the very first public schools. Throughout most of the 1800s, art was not an area of study, but the industrialization of the late 1800s-early 1900s caused an interest in artistry and design. Two areas of art study surfaced in the schools: 1) art for industry; 2) art as a profession. Not until the early 20th century would there be any attempts to unite art educators.

In Pennsylvania, Dr. C. Valentine Kirby, a state art educator, and Dr. Claude Rosenberry, a state music director, travelled around to various art and music classrooms in the commonwealth to promote a unification of teachers in art related fields. The organization of art teachers was a difficult process at first, but Dr. Kirby eventually made significant gains. One such success was The Lawrence County Art Teachers Association. Being a part of the Central Western Pennsylvania PSEA, The Lawrence County organization met annually at the PSEA district meetings, but in between they participated in regular studio and curriculum workshops. Besides the Lawrence County group, Allegheny, Westmoreland, Bedford, Cambria, and other county art organizations attended and met at the PSEA distric meetings. PSEA district meetings, at which the county art organizations would meet, were an early form of an annual conference for art educators.

Early conferences provided much needed information, workshops, and demonstrations, but attendance was poor due to travel and accomodation expenses. As a result, sales and supply houses were invited to rent exhibit space at the conferences. Still, the conferences were not well attended given the large number of art educators in Pennsylvania. Eventually, Pennsylvania Art Education Associations broke away from the Pennsylvania State Education Association, and became the PAEA. Around 1954, Dr. Viktor Lowenfield and his staff contributed their organizational and leadership skills to make the annual conference a success. At the same time, the director of art for the Pennsylvania department of Education, Mr. Clyde McGeary, contributed to a renewed interest in art at all levels of education. With the help of these influential people, PAEA membership increased, and the PAEA became the represenative for the interest of art in the commonwealth.By the 1950s, the PAEA was often called upon to promote the goals of Art Education whenever curriculum groups met to design new programs and methods of instruction.

The 1960s saw a divergent art community. Many traditional beliefs and methods for teaching art were being challenged, and new programs and philosophies were rapidly appearing. The outcome was individuality rather than the unity of the past. This has forced the PAEA to adapt to divergent thought and practice. In the 1980s, Art Education experienced another surge of unity with the introduction of Discipline Based Art Education, but after further research and implementation, opponents of this program have surfaced. The PAEA may be faced with another period of debate and individuality within the field.