Arts and Administration third year graduate student and Nonprofit Management Certificate candidate, Thea Vandervoort, attended and presented at the International Society for Education Through Art Research and Development Congress in Heidelberg, Germany on July 17-20, 2007. Her presentation, entitled, “University-School Arts Education Partnerships and Curriculum-Based Model Programs: A Case Study of the Sustainability of ArtsBridge at the University of Oregon,” was very well received by those in attendance. Several professors from national and international universities requested Vandervoort’s research paper. In addition, a representative from the Finnish National Board of Education was very inspired by her presentation and requested the paper and further information. Vandervoort was also asked to collaborate on research by a congress attendee from Israel.
Vandervoort describes the experience as, “amazing, and a wonderful opportunity to meet and befriend arts educators, university professors, and advocates from around the world, while making many valuable professional contacts. It opened my eyes to the creativity, vastness, and scope of international arts education practices, inspiring me to pursue a career in international arts administration and education. I hope to travel around the world to develop university-school arts education partnerships via the ArtsBridge America model.”