The Mission Continues: A New Editor-in-Chief

My first art education article was published in SchoolArts in April 1989, titled “A Guide to Planning an Arts Festival.” I was in my first teaching position, and I clearly remember how excited I was to get that first acceptance letter. Little did I know at the time how important SchoolArts would become to me, both personally and professionally.

A Personal Legacy

Almost exactly twenty years ago, at the 2004 NAEA National Convention in Denver, Wyatt Wade, publisher of SchoolArts magazine and president of Davis Publications at the time, invited me to become the editor-in-chief of SchoolArts. By that time, I was contributing to SchoolArts on a regular basis and had come to know Wyatt and the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Eldon Katter, through yearly interactions at NAEA conventions.

Twenty years later, the time has come for me to retire from serving as editor-in-chief, though I will continue to be a consulting editor for SchoolArts and work as an art education consultant and participate in state and national conventions. At present, I am the president of the NAEA Retired Art Educators Interest Group, and I will continue to advocate for art education.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of attending and participating in state and national conventions. None of the opportunities I had would have been possible if I had not made professional connections and personal friendships with other art educators at those events.

Being editor-in-chief of SchoolArts will always be my proudest professional accomplishment. I am grateful that I will have a legacy for the twenty years I have served. I am happy to know the magazine will be in the best hands when Frank Juárez becomes the new editor-in-chief, starting with the September 2024 issue.

Introducing Frank Juárez

Frank is an award-winning high-school art educator, artist, publisher, art coach, and former gallery director living and working in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Currently, Frank is art department chair at Sheboygan North High School and the publisher of Artdose magazine. His first contribution to SchoolArts was a ClipCard in March 2015. Since then, Frank has become a contributing editor for SchoolArts and has co-edited several contemporary themed issues and written the forward and contributions for SchoolArts Collection: Contemporary Art.

Frank has more than two decades of art education and arts management experience, organizing local and regional art exhibitions, community art events, and presenting at local and national levels on art education. I can’t think of an art educator who is better qualified to become editor-in-chief of SchoolArts than Frank. I am eager to see his first issue, and I know he’ll continue our mission to inspire creativity in K–12 art educators and students!