Dan Hunter Named 2010 Friend of Art Education by MAEA

Dan Hunter, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts, Sciences & Humanities, was named "Friend of Art Education" by the Massachusetts Art Education Association. The MAEA award is given annually to a leader who has made significant contributions to the field of art education in Massachusetts.

The "Friend of Art Education" award for 2010 was presented at an awards luncheon on Saturday, November 14, 2009 during the MAEA Fall Conference at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. MAEA is a member of the National Arts Education Association, with a mission to represent, inform and support art educators, and to promote art education throughout Massachusetts.

MAASH is pleased to announce Dan's receipt of this award, which recognizes the effort he's made to promote the arts in Massachusetts schools through the Creative Challenge Index and his consistent support of arts education in his speeches. Last month, the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Education recommended favorably legislation creating the Creative Challenge Index, which will support creativity in every Massachusetts school.

The Creative Challenge Index measures the overall environment of a school by assessing how many opportunities it provides for creative and critical thinking. The Creative Challenge Index will help to establish guidelines to foster creative thinking and innovation for the 21st century.