The Canadian Society for Education through Art / Société canadienne d’éducation par l’art (CSEA/SCÉA) is a voluntary association founded in Quebec City on September 18, 1955, by Charles Dudley Gaitskell and others, and is the only Canadian national organization which brings together visual art educators from all levels of education:  elementary, secondary college/university, artist/educators, art galleries/museums, community art education and others with similar interests and concerns.  Starting with 44 members, it has grown to several hundred members, including individuals, provincial affiliate associations, and library subscribers.

The CSEA/SCÉA became a registered Canadian charity in 1977, and is an institutional member of InSEA.

The North American Art Education Accord, signed by NAEA President Mark Hansen and CSEA/SCÉA President Rita Irwin on October 28, 1994, in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, formalized the mutual concerns of the two associations towards the advancement of art education in the two countries for the 21^st century.  The Accord focuses on an exploration of shared programs, benefits, and services to members, as well as the establishment of a communication system along the elected leadership of each association.  The Accord agreement (1994) removed the CSEA/SCÉA’s affiliate status and began treating it as a national art education association in the world community of national associations, but retained specific communication links with the NAEA.

CSEA/SCÉA represents art educators, students and artists in schools, universities, and art galleries.  We are dedicated to the visual arts as essential to student learning in schools, colleges, universities, community settings and other venues, because art education is the conduit to holistic human growth and development, both affective and cognitive.  The visual arts are implicit in and expressive of culture. Engagement in and with the visual arts has the power to transform who we are individually and collectively. CSEA/SCÉA believes students must engage in the visual arts conceptually, analytically, critically, reflectively, historically, culturally and creatively. We are committed to strong partnerships with provincial, national and international arts education organizations. CSEA/SCÉA promotes and supports seminal conceptions of theory, research and practice at our conferences, in our publications, and in art teaching and learning in all public and private education institutions in Canada.

CSEA/SCÉA Honourary Presidents:

1959-69     Charles Dudley Gaitskell (Ontario)

1974-84     Garnet W. Humphrey (Ontario)

1984-96     John Emerson (Ontario)

1999-04     Rita Irwin (British Columbia)

Honourary Members:

(Awarded for outstanding service to Canadian Art Education through a variety of activities.)

1956         Arthur Lismer (Quebec)

1957        Anne Savage (Quebec)

1957        Charles Comfort (Ontario)

1958        Lawren Harris (British Columbia)

1960        Alan Jarvis (Ontario)

1961        Donald Porter (Ontario)

1967        Louise Barette-Charlebois (Quebec)

1967        Howard Dierlam (Ontario)

1967        Murray MacDonald (Alberta)

1970        Elizabeth Harrison (Ontario)

1973        Charles D. Gaitskell (Ontario)

1973        Gwen Seary (Newfoundland)

1973        Margaret Messer (Saskatchewan)

1976        Irène Senécal (Quebec)

1977        Betty McLeish (Manitoba and British Columbia)

1978        Sam Black (British Columbia)

1979        Leslie J. Groome (Saskatchewan)

1979        Arnel Pattemore (Ontario)

1982        Ray Blackwell (Ontario)

1983        Betty Jacques (Quebec)

1985        Monique Brière (Quebec)

1986        Garnet Humphrey (Ontario)

1986        Penny Gouldstone (British Columbia)

1988        James Simpson (Alberta)

1989        Merv Kuzminski (Saskatchewan)

1991        Douglas Storey (Ontario)

1991        John Emerson (Ontario)

1993        Ronald N. MacGregor (British Columbia)

1993         Leah Sherman (Quebec)

1998         Christa Volk (Alberta)

2001         Roger Lee (Ontario)

2014         Fiona Blaikie  (Ontario)

2014         Graeme Chalmers (Ontario)

2014         Maria Derkacz (Manitoba)

2014         Stephen Elliott (Ontario)

2014         Judy Freedman (Quebec)

2014         Kit Grauer (British Columbia)

2014         Rita Irwin (British Columbia)

2014         Wendy Long (British Columbia)

2014         Carol MacDonnell (Alberta)

2014         Sharon McCoubrey (British Columbia)

2014         Cathy Mullen (Quebec)

2014         Harold Pearse (Alberta)

2014         Donald Soucy (New Brunswick)

2014         Cynthia Taylor (Nova Scotia)

2014         Nick Webb (Nova Scotia)

2014         Boyd White (Quebec)

2014         Bill Zuk (British Columbia)

2020        Miriam Cooley (British Columbia)

2021         Mary Blatherwick (New Brunswick)

CSEA/SCÉA Presidents:

1955-56     Charles D. Gaitskell (Ontario)

1956-57     Louise Barette-Charlebois (Quebec)

1957-58     James A. S. Macdonald  (British Columbia)

1958-59     Betty Jacques (co-president)(Quebec)
1958-59     Laurent Morin (co-president)(Quebec)

1959-60     Donald C. Mackay (Nova Scotia)

1960-61     Garnet W. Humphrey (Ontario)

1961-62     Eli Bornstein (Saskatchewan)

1962-63     Garnet W. Humphrey (co-president) (Ontario)
1962-63     Louise Barette-Charlebois (co-president) (Quebec)

1963-64     Murray MacDonald (Alberta)

1964-65     John J. Tokaryk (Ontario)

1965-66     Clive Roberts (New Brunswick)

1966-67     André Beaulieu-Green (Quebec)

1967-68     John Hatcher (Manitoba)

1968-69     Gwen Seary (Newfoundland)

1969-70     Raymond C. Blackwell (Ontario)

1970-71     Sam Black (British Columbia)

1971-72     Arnel W. Pattemore (Ontario)

1972-74     Leslie J. Groome (Saskatchewan)      *

1974-76     John Emerson (Ontario)

1976-78     Evelyn Blakeman (Alberta)

1978-80     Joan MacLeod (Alberta)

1980-82     Patti Higgins (Nova Scotia)

1982-84     Merv Kuzminski (Saskatchewan)

1984-86     Christine Regehr (British Columbia)

1986-88     John Henry Martin (Ontario)

1988-90     Wyn Davies (British Columbia)

1990-92     Monique Brière (Quebec)

1992-96     Rita Irwin (British Columbia)

1996-98     Judy Freedman (Quebec)

1998-00     Roger Lee (Ontario)

2000-02     Stephen Elliott  (Ontario)

2002-04     Harold Pearse (Alberta)

2004-08     Sharon McCoubrey (British Columbia)

2008-10     Fiona Blaikie (Ontario)

2010-14      Miriam Cooley (Alberta)

2014-22      Peter Vietgen (Ontario)

2022-          Kathy Mantas (Ontario)

2022-          Joanne Ursino (British Columbia)

• Starting in 1973 presidential terms are for two years.

National Conferences (1955-1986):

1955          Québec City, Québec

1956           Winnipeg, Manitoba

1957           Toronto, Ontario

1958           Vancouver, British Columbia

1959           Montréal, Québec

1960           Halifax, Nova Scotia

1961           Windsor, Ontario

1962           Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

1963           Montréal, Québec (with InSEA)

1964           Edmonton, Alberta

1965           Ottawa, Ontario

1966           Fredericton, New Brunswick

1967           Montréal, Québec

1968           Winnipeg, Manitoba

1969           St. John’s, Newfoundland

1970           Toronto, Ontario

1971           Vancouver, British Columbia

1972           Windsor, Ontario (with NAEA)

1973           Regina, Saskatchewan

1974           Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

1975           Québec City, Québec

1976           Hamilton, Ontario

1977           Calgary, Alberta

1978           Halifax, Nova Scotia

1979           London, Ontario

1980           Victoria, British Columbia

1981           Edmonton, Alberta

1982           Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

1983           Toronto, Ontario

1984           Winnipeg, Manitoba

1985           Montréal, Québec

1986           Vancouver, British Columbia

National Conferences (1987 to the present), with Gaitskell Memorial Speakers:

(Gaitskell Memorial Speakers, named in honour of the CSEA/SCÉA’s founder, Charles Dudley Gaitskell, are invited to give a presentation in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the field of Canadian Art Education.)

1987 Halifax, NS (with NSATA) – Donald Soucy (New Brunswick)

1988 Calgary, AB (with ATAFAC) – Joan MacLeod (Alberta)

1989 Ottawa, ON (with OSEA) – Raymond Blackwell (Ontario)

1990 Regina, SK (with SSEA) – Wynona C. Mulcaster (Saskatchewan)

1991 Toronto (Rexdale), ON (with OSEA) – Annie Smith (Ontario)

1992 Sidney, BC  [Symposium only]  [N/A]

1993 Montréal, QC (with AQESAP & InSEA) – Ronald MacGregor (British Columbia)

1994 Regina, SK (with SSEA) – Norman C. Yakel (Saskatchewan)

1995 Toronto, ON (with OSEA) – Joan M. .Vastokas (Ontario)

1996 Fredericton, NB (with NBVAEA) – Kit Grauer (British Columbia)

1996 Regina, SK (with SSEA) – Roger Lee (Ontario)

1997 Montréal, QC (with AQESAP/PAAT) – Suzanne Lemerise (Québec)

1998 Calgary, AB (with ATAFAC) – Graeme Chalmers (British Columbia)

1999 Halifax, NS (wit NSATA) – Nick Webb (Nova Scotia)

2000 Toronto, ON (with OSEA) – Roger Clark (Ontario)

2001 Toronto, ON (with OSEA) – Steven Campbell (Ontario)

2002 Saskatoon, SK (with SSEA) – Grier Swerhone

2003 [No conference held] [N/A]

2004 Happy Valley Goose Bay, NL (with ASIC/NLTA) – Harold Pearse (Alberta)

2005 Edmonton, AB (with ATAFAC) – Ann Calvert (Alberta)

2006 Winnipeg, MB (with MAAE) – jan jagodzinski (Alberta)

2007 Toronto, ON (with OSEA) – Bill Zuk (British Columbia)

2008 Montréal, QC – David Pariser (Québec)

2009 Vancouver, BC (with BCATA) – Robert Dalton (British Columbia)

2010 Toronto, ON (with OSEA) – Rita Irwin (British Columbia)

2011 Fredericton, NB (with NBVAEA) – Cynthia Taylor (Nova Scotia)

2012 Edmonton, AB (with ATAFAC) – Michael J. Emme (British Columbia)

2013 Montréal, QC(with CAGE) – Moniques Richard (Québec)

2014 Halifax, NS – Ron Shuebrook (Ontario)

2015 Montréal, Québec [Members’ Forum only] [N/A]

2016 Victoria, BC (with BCATA) – Panel of Artists (British Columbia): Butch Dick, Chris Paul, Angela Marston

2017 [No conference held] [N/A]

2018 Winnipeg, MB – Pam Patterson (Ontario)

2019 Vancouver, BC (with InSEA) – Boyd White (Québec)

2021 Virtual Conference – no Gaitskell Memorial Speaker

2022 Ottawa, ON (with OAEA/AOEA) – Mary Blatherwick (New Brunswick)

2024 Halifax, NS – Ray Cronin (New Brunswick)

The CSEA/SCÉA Awards Program:

The CSEA/SCÉA Canadian Art Educator of the Year Awards honour art educators who have made significant contributions to the field of art education in Canada.  At the time of writing, there are six national awards:  The Ronita deBlois Canadian Art Educator of the Year (Grades K to 8); Canadian Art Educator of the Year (9-12); Canadian Art Educator of the Year (Higher Education); the CSEA/SCÉA Community Art Education Award; the CSEA/SCÉA Dissertation Award; and the CSEA/SCÉA Masters Thesis Award.  In addition, an art teacher from each province can be recognized with a CSEA/SCÉA Provincial Affiliate Award.  Awards are presented each year that a National Conference is held.

International Projects:

In 2011, 2014, and 2017, the CSEA/SCÉA participated in the international student art exhibition Eksperimenta!, held triennially in Tallinn, Estonia.  Art works by students from across the country were selected to be part of the exhibition.  Several students and art educators representing the CSEA/SCÉA participated in the events which surrounded the exhibitions.

Provincial Association Liaison:

The CSEA/SCÉA strives to create connections and networks between all provincial associations of art teachers.

Graduate Student Members:

Graduate students are a vital part of the CSEA/SCÉA.  A graduate student symposium is held at each conference, after which graduate students are invited to submit their work to be published in a special issue of the Canadian Art Teacher.

CSEA/SCÉA Journal Publications

Canadian Review of Art Education:

Published once or twice a year from 1972 to the present, this publication presents reviews and reports on speculative or empirical matters of a scholarly nature in art education.  Volumes 1-3 were called Research; Volumes 4-13 were called Canadian Review of Art Education Research; and Volumes 14 to the present are called Canadian Review of Art Education / Revue Canadienne d’éducation artistique.

This publication was a print journal until Volume 42.1 (2014).  Starting with Volume 42.2 (2015), it became an on-line only journal, freely available at crae.mcgill.ca.

Canadian Art Teacher / Enseigner les arts au Canada:

Canadian Art Teacher / Enseigner les arts au Canada has been printed once or twice a year since 2000. Since 2020, it has been available as a digital journal.

It is a refereed publication dedicated to the promotion of quality art education throughout Canada.  It continues the tradition, started in its predecessor, The Annual Journal, of including an insert featuring the work of a Canadian artist, and providing teaching ideas related to the artist.

The Annual Journal:

The Annual Journal was published from 1970 to 1999, and presented the current thinking and action in Canadian art education in the areas of curriculum, methodology, policy, and other matters in art education.

The CSEA/SCÉA Newsletters and Viewpoints:

Newsletters were published several times a year between 1958 and 1993, containing news about conferences and other matters of interest to CSEA/SCÉA members.  Beginning in 1994, and continuing for several years, the CSEA/SCÉA combined with the BCATA to publish the journal Viewpoints.

CSEA/SCÉA Book Publications:

The CSEA/SCÉA has published several books, including the following:

1975:  A History of the Canadian Society for Education through Art (1951-1975),
by Ronald N. MacGregor

1980:  Canadian Art Education in the 1980s: an appraisal and forecast
By Ronald N. MacGregor

1996:  Art Education: Issues in Postmodernist Pedagogy
By Roger Clark
Published in collaboration with the NAEA

1997:  The CSEA National Policy and Supporting Perspectives for Practice Guidelines / Politique nationale de la SCÉA et orientations des perspectives de mise en application
By Rita L. Irwin, translation by Francine Gagnon-Bourget

1997 and 2001:  ReVisions: Readings in Canadian Art Teacher Education (2^nd edition)
Edited by Rita L. Irwin and Kit Grauer

1998:  Women Art Educators IV:  Herstories, Ourstories, Future Stories
Edited by Elizabeth J. Saccà and Enid Zimmerman

2000:  L’enseignement des arts plastiques: recherches, theories et pratiques
Sous la direction de Francine Gagnon-Bourget et France Joyal

2000:  Répertoire Mondial des collections et des fonds d’archives de l’art enfants (2e) / World Directory of Collections and Archives of Children’s Art (2^nd edition)
Edited by Rita L. Irwin and Nancy Retallack-Lambert

2003:  Women Art Educators V: Conversations Across Time
Edited by Kit Grauer, Rita L. Irwin, and Enid Zimmerman
Published in collaboration with the NAEA

2005: StARTing With… (2^nd edition)
Edited by Kit Grauer and Rita L. Irwin

2007:  ReVisions: Readings in Canadian Art Teacher Education (3rd edition)
Edited by Rita L. Irwin, Kit Grauer, and Michael J. Emme

2008:  Canadian Art/Works: A Resource for Primary, Junior, Intermediate and Senior Teachers
By Fiona Blaikie

2011:  StARTing With… (3^rd edition)
Edited by Kit Grauer, Rita L. Irwin, and Michael J. Emme

2011:  What Works: Innovative Strategies for Teaching Art
Edited by Mary Blatherwick and Harold Pearse

2018:  StARTing With… (4^th edition)
Edited by Kit Grauer, Rita L. Irwin, and Michael J. Emme

2024: StARTing With… (5^th edition)
Edited by Kit Grauer, Rita L. Irwin, and Michael J. Emme

CSEA/SCÉA E-Book Publications:

2014:  The Drawing Path for Children
By Bob Steele
A joint publication of the CSEA/SCÉA and InSEA

2016:  Emergent Art Education: Next Directions in Canadian Research
Edited by Alison Shields and Michael J. Emme

2018:  Good Question: Arts-Based Approaches to Collaborative Research with Children and Youth
Edited by Michael J. Emme and Anna Kirova

2020:  StARTing With… (4^th edition)
Edited by Kit Grauer, Rita L. Irwin, and Michael J. Emme

2024: StARTing With… (5^th edition)
Edited by Kit Grauer, Rita L. Irwin, and Michael J. Emme