Join Teaching Artist Circle (TAC), for an event for Teaching Artists and Arts Administrators to connect, mix and mingle.
Join Teaching Artist Circle (TAC), for an event for Teaching Artists and Arts Administrators to connect, mix and mingle, plus learn more about Proposition 28. Prop 28 is an approved ballot measure that will provide additional funding for arts and music education in all California K‑12 public schools (including public charter schools) by annually allocating funds from the state General Fund.
Hear speakers Pauline Crooks, Zaquia Mahler Salinas, and Shayla James discuss what they know about Prop 28 so far and how that could affect Teaching Artists and Arts Organizations. We hope you join us for this networking and topical event.
With support from the California Arts Council (CAC), Teaching Artists Guild (TAG) of California is a sponsor of this Teaching Artist Circle event through The CAC Project. This event is led by Shayla James, a Regional Network Teaching Artist at the Teaching Artists Guild for The CAC Project. Learn more about the Regional Networks at TAG here.
Speakers:
Pauline Crooks
Pauline is the Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator for the San Diego County Office of Education, a position she has held since January 2016. She works to ensure every child has the opportunity to experience the arts to build empathy and self-awareness in order to see the many assets they bring to their community and the world. Pauline received a B.A. in music education from The Ohio State University, a master’s degree in teaching from National University, and a master’s degree in educational administration from Concordia University. She is a National Board-Certified Teacher in early and middle childhood music and has been a music educator for 28 years. Pauline is the leader of Arts Empower San Diego, a partnership between the San Diego County Office of Education and a coalition of nonprofit arts organizations, community partners, and school districts to champion arts education in all schools across the County.
Zaquia Mahler Salinas
DISCO RIOT Director and Co-Founder, Zaquia Mahler Salinas (she/her), was born and raised in San Diego. She believes that revolution is possible through a collective awakening of mindful, embodied art practice, and that dance is a critical tool for building a better world. Zaquia wears many hats: administrator, producer, choreographer, performer, and educator. She has been choreographing and producing work since 2011; her art and life practice is grounded in cultivating responsiveness to the present moment, community building, and the magic of collaboration. With movement as the central medium, her work is a mixture of dance, text, and video, in both live and digital platforms, connecting audiences to visceral, intimate, thoughtful, and introspective narratives. Zaquia is a big fan of lifelong learning and holds a BA in Dance with Honors from UC Santa Barbara (2011), an MFA in Dance: Creative Practice with Honors from Saint Mary’s College of California (2017), 500 hour yoga teacher certification (2012/2019), a certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of San Diego (2021), and a California Single Subject Teaching Credential for Dance (2022).
Shayla James
Shayla James (she/her) resides in San Diego on Kumeyaay Land. She balances her time as a teaching artist, arts administrator, and researcher in the arts and culture sector. Her work is rooted in community and collaboration with others across disciplines. She enjoys being a facilitator in youth and adult creative spaces.
She is the creator and co-lead of Teaching Artist Circle, a community space that centers Teaching Artist voices of San Diego County. She is also a multi-instrumentalist with over 15 years of experience in the performing arts as a performer and educator. She is the owner of Sempre Music Studio, a creativity focused studio that offers a flexible, responsive and trauma informed music curriculum. Additionally, she has been a teaching artist with multiple local San Diego organizations.
She is currently the Director of the San Diego Creative Youth Development Network, overseeing network operations, programming and strategic planning. She is also a Research Associate at RISE Research & Evaluation. Her research focuses on arts assessment and evaluation, racial and cultural equity in the arts, cultural policy, and social emotional learning. Ms. James is currently the Secretary for the San Diego Regional Arts and Culture Coalition (SDRACC) board. She is Chair Emeritus of Rising Arts Leaders San Diego. She is also a committee member of the Arts, Culture, and Design Committee for the Port of San Diego and the Arts Empower Advisory Committee.