Bang #27 Art Gallery

Are you creative and would like to share your original work with other DKG members? Then the Art Gallery is for you! The DKG Gallery of Fine Arts is an online publication and display of DKG members’ creative works.

Creative works are submitted in one of four categories: Visual- photography, painting/pastel, drawing, crafts, mixed media, sculpture, Video- dramatics, film making, oratory, dance, Writing- poems, essays, short stories, and Music- original composition. This spring 223 pieces of work were submitted by 126 artists. 184 works were accepted and displayed on the DKG website.

On the Art Gallery site, you will find an artist interview blog, rubrics for each category, and several helpful documents to assist you in successfully submitting your creation.

Pieces of work are accepted two times a year; January 15 - February 15 and August 15 – September 15. The Arts and Humanities Jury is accepting original works soon. Will your creative work be chosen to be displayed this fall? Get more Bang for Your Buck$ and share your talent on the Art Gallery!

Spotlight on DKG Arts Gallery Blog Artist – Jane Tanner, Chi, New York

For this Art Gallery blog, we are delving into the realm of needlecraft with spotlighting Jane Tanner, from New York, and her piece of art intitled ‘Divisions.’

1. Tell us about yourself as an educator and an artist.

I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in kindergarten. My fifth grade math teacher walked on water in my eyes and I wanted to be just like her. In the late 1970s, math teachers were a dime a dozen. Permanent substitute positions for three years in middle school mathematics as well as a year teaching computer science and low-level mathematics at the high school level gave me teaching experience.

Onondaga Community College, part of the State University of New York, asked me to apply for an open position in their Business Administration Department. I would be teaching data processing. I was hired the same day I interviewed and thus began a 36-year career teaching computer information systems and mathematics.

Many people have influenced me on my needle arts journey. My mother taught me how to knit when I was five. A college roommate was latch-hooking a rug. A math teacher was cross-stitching in the faculty dining room during lunch. I needed to experiment with all of these!

Stamped cross stitch was my stepping stone into the world of needle arts. When my family went on summer vacations, I would be able to choose something to keep me occupied. This is one of the pieces I stitched when I was around 8.

This was the beginning of my nearly 60-year obsession of creating art using a needle. For the past 20 plus years, I have belonged to the Embroiderer's Guild of America (EGA) and the American Needlepoint Guild (ANG). These two guilds have allowed me to meet like-minded stitchers as well as experiment with many different types of needle art.

2. How did you decide on this form of art to work with?

My love of mathematics carries over from my professional life into my personal life. Counted canvas work such as ‘Divisions’ is full of geometry including circles, lines, and symmetry.

Twenty years ago, my world consisted pretty much of counted cross stitch. Joining the two guilds has opened up a world of different types of stitching such as blackwork, hardanger, pulled and drawn thread, counted canvas, beading, the list goes on.

If a project involves using a needle, I am interested!

3. What was your inspiration in picking this project and how did you go about doing it?

 

‘Divisions’ was offered at the 2017 ANG Seminar; it immediately appealed to me because of the blues and purples in it. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the seminar as I was still working at the time. The designer Debbie Rowley offered this again as an online class this summer and I jumped at the opportunity to take it.

It is satisfying to watch a blank piece of canvas or other fabric take on a new appearance as the stitching progresses.

4. What is the best piece of advice given you as an artist or that you can give to someone else?

Don't be afraid of making your project your own. Ted Sorensen said, "You will never experience personal growth if you fear taking chances." Normally, I am a rule follower in life and in stitching I try to follow the instructions I am given. In the past few years, I have relaxed the need to follow the rules in stitching and have tried experimenting with changing colors or the actual design. This is encouraging me to design my own pieces.

5. In your view, what is the value of the creative arts in education?

Having taught mathematics for 40 years, I was very aware of the relationship among Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). According to the U.S. Department of Education website, “In an ever-changing, increasingly complex world, it's more important than ever that our nation's youth are prepared to bring knowledge and skills to solve problems, make sense of information, and know how to gather and evaluate evidence to make decisions." Now our students are encouraged to think creatively and thus STEAM emerged with the ‘A’ representing the arts.

In the liberal arts mathematics courses taught at my college, students are required to submit a project of their choosing for a major portion of their final grade. The goal of this project is to incorporate mathematical thinking into a real-world activity. Projects have included knitting, crocheting, cross stitch, model building, quilting, to name a few. As a result, students connect mathematics with something that they are interested in. They may then dislike mathematics a little less when the realization hits them that math is everywhere and is not to be feared.

6. Do you have anything else that you would like to share?

One thing that I have learned is to not be discouraged when a "mistake" has been made. As long as the mistake has taught you something, it isn't a mistake but a learning experience. With a project, it is sometimes necessary to rip out your work so you can get it correct. But sometimes mistakes may lead to something beautiful or an idea for another project. Designers have long realized this and, in fact, there is a "mistake stitch" in knitting and counted canvas needlepoint.

Having said that, I love mathematics because solutions are either right or wrong - not exactly creative. But there can be creativity in mathematics when one examines the elegance in getting to the solution.

Having a Voice by Voting at Convention

 

Carol Herzog

As a member of the Society, I not only belong to DKG but DKG also belongs to me. I make the Society what I want it to be. I am responsible for making changes to the governing documents so that they reflect how I would like to see the Society function.

I can propose amendments to the Society documents by completing the Proposed Amendments Form when it becomes available each biennium. After it is reviewed by the International Constitution Committee and the Administrative Board, my amendment is then published in the DKG NEWS for other members to consider. When it is presented for a vote to the convention, I have the right to speak to my amendment. Making my voice heard is one-way DKG belongs to me.

Not only do I have the right to speak to an amendment that I propose, but I can speak to any amendment that is presented to the convention. I can speak for or against any amendment. It is important for me to step to the microphone and share my opinion. I might have a perspective of which no one else has thought. Then I, as a member, get to cast my vote. I have a voice in what we do as a Society.

The Constitution and International Standing Rules are available on the DKG website for each member to review and consider where and what she feels should be amended to reflect how we function as a Society of the members and for the members. All proposed amendments are published in the March/April issue of the DKG NEWS. Please read through them, be prepared to discuss them, and vote on them to let your voice be heard as a member of DKG.

Gifts of DKG

At this time of year many of us are thinking of the gifts we can give to others and the gifts we are hoping to receive 😊. While most gifts bear a financial cost there are so many that don’t.

Which of these gifts have you given to DKG?

●     Served in a leadership role in your chapter, state organization, and/or international

●     Introduced other educators to DKG and brought them into the Society

●     Mentored others as they stepped up to leadership roles in DKG

●     Supported the DKG International Educators Foundation

Which of these gifts have you received from DKG?

●     An opportunity to further develop your leadership skills in a friendly environment

●     A group of women who support you in your professional and personal life

●     The opportunity to meet and interact with other educators from 17 countries from around the world

●     The opportunity for professional development via conventions/conferences and DKG publications

●     An opportunity to receive scholarships and grants

What do you see as the top gift you have received or given to DKG? Please add a comment below.

Membership Basics Series #1 Who Qualifies for Membership in DKG

 

Our DKG International Constitution gives us some guidelines about membership:

Article III Membership 

Section A. Membership

1. Membership in The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International shall be by invitation. A member inducted into the Society becomes a member of the international Society in addition to a state organization and/or a chapter.
2. An individual becomes a member of the Society when she pays her dues.

Section B. Classification

1. An active member shall be a woman who is or has been employed as a professional educator at the time of her election. An active member shall participate in the activities of the Society.

So, what does that mean? A member should be a woman who is a professional who is or has been an educator at the time of her election. Educators can be found in traditional as well as in non-traditional places. You might ask yourself, “is this person’s primary focus on being an educator”? For example, a firefighter’s primary focus would be putting out fires and saving lives. However, there may be a woman who is a firefighter, and her job is to do fire safety programs for children. She could be a prospective DKG member. Another example is a doctor. If she is teaching students, then she could be a prospective DKG member. If the doctor is seeing patients only, then diagnosing and making them well is her focus. School administrators and counselors can easily be overlooked for membership as they might not be teaching now. Check to see if they were an educator at some point as many begin in the classroom. Remember that being a member of DKG is an honor for a woman who is or has been employed as a professional educator at the time of her election.

Perhaps the chapter membership committee might like to present a program on possible places to look for members and if they qualify. Brainstorm and create a list of possible educators. Then ask, do these ladies qualify for membership? What do you think? What would your chapter think? Is their primary focus on being an educator?

2. Reserve membership shall be granted only to a member who is unable to participate fully in the activities of the chapter because of physical disability and/or geographic location.

a. Reserve status shall be granted by a majority vote of the chapter.

b. A reserve member, so requesting, shall be restored to active membership.

3. An honorary member shall be a woman not eligible for active membership who has rendered notable service to education or to women and is elected to honorary membership in recognition of such service.

4. Collegiate members shall be undergraduate or graduate students who meet the following criteria:

a. Undergraduate student collegiate members shall

(1) be enrolled in an institution offering an education degree and have the intent to continue academically and professionally in the field of education; and

(2) be enrolled within the last two years of their undergraduate education degree.

b. Graduate student collegiate members shall have graduate standing in an institution offering an education degree and have the intent to continue academically and professionally in the field of education. When a collegiate member starts her career as a paid educator, she will pay active member dues and become an active member. If a collegiate member does not pursue a career as an educator, her membership will expire upon graduation or withdrawal from the education degree program.

One of the main considerations is for your chapter to be open to different possibilities of educators. This is a chapter decision. Each chapter has the right to their own viewpoint of who they invite to membership based on our governing documents. When your chapter begins venturing out of your comfort zone, it is important that all members welcome the new member and embrace her as an educator. If you are in a very traditional chapter begin with the discussion of what areas of education your members might be willing to invite for membership. Remember we are not limited by our Constitution but by our members.

EEC/DKG@UN: A Cornucopia of Resources for Our Educators

 

All of you are already doing and completing such outstanding work which brings me to another topic, “The Excellence In Education Award.” As chair of the awards committee of CTAUN, I have heard through discussion with my EEC colleagues many, many, many examples of excellence in teaching that have been demonstrated by our own members. In light of the lockdown and the lack of information as to when UN headquarters might reopen again to NGO’s, I would like to at some point during a future CTAUN webinar set in place a time frame for an outstanding lesson or project that occurred during the course of this unending pandemic. I know they are out there, I have heard some of them and you know who you are…

So, give it some thought. I have heard some of the many ways you have improvised to get lessons done and they should be heard by others. You can send to my personal email your thoughts, lessons and projects, along with photos of yourself and students as you worked your way through almost two years of the impossible - Eileen Venezia (evap114@aol.com). What I have seen during this pandemic were educators working the hardest to continue to teach while they themselves were accommodating to the shock. Many children have been endangered by the loss of school buildings as a place of refuge. Teachers are overworked, and along with the economy, education must be listed as one of the domains in need of post-pandemic aid.

 

In closing, take a look at (google) “Teachers Are Not Alright: How The Covid-19 Pandemic has taken a toll on its Nation of Teachers.”

 

Eileen Venezia
International EEC Member
UN/NGO

 

World Fellowship Student Receives Help from Canada

Beta Chapter, Calgary (Alberta State Organization) invited World Fellowship recipient Isbel Gonzales, a PhD student at the University of Calgary, to present her research on November 20, 2021. Her research focuses on an in-depth understanding of the role of hormone prolactin in the growth of breast cancer cells in the bones, stimulating the process known as bone metastasis. This understanding is extremely critical because approximately 70% of breast cancer patients in advanced stages of the illness develop this type of metastasis, which frequently stimulates fracture and bone pain affecting the wellness of patients.

Isbel’s parents and grandmother live in Cuba. Her family is unable to access common medications used to improve their health and wellbeing. To support this World Fellowship student, Beta Chapter is preparing a care package of “over-the-counter medications” that Isbel can send home to her family in Cuba. Specifically, the members are collecting pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin); cough suppressants such as dextromethorphan-(Robitussin); antihistamines such as Claritin and Reactine; and vitamins such as Jamieson products and others.

Art Gallery Submission Tips!

The DKG Gallery of Fine Arts submission will open next on January 15, 2022.  You are encouraged to enter and review tips for submitting, and do’s and don’ts to help you understand common errors members make. 

Tips and Reminders for Submitting to the DKG Gallery of Fine Arts 

Do’s and Don’ts for Submission

Keep the conversation going, please use the comment section below to suggest new topics, ask questions, or give us your input. 

 

Bang #24 Subscriptions, #25 Vendors/Exhibitors, Bang #26 Sponsorship

Another non-dues revenue source of income for DKG happens when outside organizations subscribe to the Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin International Journal for Professional Educators and the DKG Bulletin: Collegial Exchange.  The Society receives a portion of the fee paid for the subscription. 

A DKG affiliate vendor or vendor and a DKG affiliate exhibitor or exhibitor, who participate in the Marketplace at conferences and conventions, provide non-dues revenue for the Society and help offset costs of the event. 

A vendor, exhibitor, or outside business can:

• Sponsor an international conference or convention
• Advertise in the Collegial Exchange
• Have a banner ad on the DKG website
• Place an ad in the Convention Program 

There are many levels of sponsorship from $1,000 to $15,000. Depending on the level of sponsorship, opportunities may include: 

• Title sponsor for the convention—convention naming possibility
• Inclusion of the company name in pre-convention publication
• Advertisement in the convention program book
• Sponsorship of a conference activity i.e. main stage speaker, pre-convention meeting, professional seminar
• Recognition in convention signage and announcements
• Meal and honor seating at the celebration luncheon
• Vendor/Exhibit tables in the Marketplace
• Formal introduction to conference attendees
• Electronic communication to event registrants through the DKG App
• Advertising on social networks including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the Society website as appropriate

Special sponsorship options also include:

• Lanyard sponsor
• Gift sponsor
• Cyber Center sponsor
• Event Sponsor
• Customize your own 

For more information about these opportunities visit the DKG home page.  In the banner select About Us and then click on Sponsor Us.  As you can tell there are many ways that DKG can be supported with non-dues revenue from subscriptions, vendors/exhibitors, and sponsorships.  That truly is a “More Bang for Your Buck$” opportunity.