2010–14 Board Election
Jean M. K. Miller, Towson University
Jean M. K. Miller, Towson University
Statement: My involvement with CAA has included acting as the Professional Practices Committee’s task-force chair for revisions to the MFA Standards (2008) and the creation of the Standards and Guidelines for Academic Art Administrators (2009). In addition, I presented the MFA Standards revision process at the committee’s panel in Los Angeles in 2009. I was also a recent member of the Nominating Committee.
As a CAA representative at the Americans for the Arts’ “Arts = Jobs Summit,” part of the 2009 Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, DC, I advocated for increased funding for the National Endowments for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities and encouraged participation by our elected leaders in the Senate Cultural Caucus. Over the years, I have participated in CAA mentoring activities, interviewed many prospective faculty members, and have been interviewed myself. In fact, my first job interview at CAA in 1990 resulted in an on-campus invitation and ultimately my first tenure-track position.
Priorities for CAA include these areas:
- Emerging Arts Professionals: CAA must continue to build programming and strengthen support mechanisms for our members as they navigate the evolving landscape of higher education and life as arts professionals
- Diversity: CAA has made great strides in diversifying its membership and should continue promoting full representation. Other priorities include expanding CAA’s vocabulary of interdisciplinary and collaborative processes; developing guidelines for best environmental practices; exploring relationships among the arts, communication, and media; and sustaining meaningful global partnerships
- Advocacy: It is important that CAA raise its profile in Washington, DC, and at the state levels. This challenging task requires vigilance and preparation to stay informed about current events related to the art and humanities; energetic political lobbying; and exploring relationships with potential allies. As we seek to honor CAA’s one-hundred-year history and begin planning strategically for its next one hundred years, advocacy must be a high priority
Biography: A CAA member since 1989, Jean M. K. Miller earned her MFA degree in painting from California College of the Arts in 1990 and her BFA in painting from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. Additional graduate-level studies include Harvard University’s Management Development Program; New York University’s Arts Administration Study Abroad Program; and Long Island University’s Summer Graduate Studio Program.
In January 2010, Miller will assume the position of associate dean for administrative affairs in the College of Visual Arts and Design at the University of North Texas in Denton. From 2004 to 2009, she acted as chair of the Department of Art and Design, Art History, Art Education at Towson University, located in the greater Baltimore area. Her work in civic engagement and interdisciplinary opportunities at Towson includes participation in the Cherry Hill Learning Zone community partnership in Baltimore City; the (proposed) School of Emerging Technology; the Asian Arts and Cultural Center; the Center for Adults with Autism; and the Center for Arts, Media, and Social Action.
In 2008, Miller was president of the National Council of Art Administrators; she previously served as secretary in 2006–7. Other professional affiliations include the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Americans for the Arts, the International Council of Fine Arts Deans, and the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.
Miller’s paintings are represented in public and private collections in the United States and Asia. Grants awarded include the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Award, state arts board grants, and several project grants for creative work.
