Diverted Flight Path: The California Art Education Association’s Progress Toward Sustainable Runways

Art education associations across the United States have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the force of societal change has impacted all aspects of both the personal and professional lives of teachers. Leadership that is elected and currently serving during this point of inflection find themselves in turbulent positions that demand adaptation to stay relevant as well as “flight plans” that responsibly steward organizations toward sustainability and future succession. As COVID-19 moves into an endemic phase and art educators shift their practice toward embracing the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and access (EDIA), the California Art Education Association (CAEA) has taken bold action to confront contemporary challenges. In this article, I share a perspective on organizational change that both traces the evolution of EDIA work within CAEA and provides a preliminary flight plan that outlines current activities and potentialities for future sustainable initiatives.