New York City Art Teachers Association/UFT

NYCATA/UFT is the sole professional organization for art educators in New York City and Region 8 of the New York State Art Teachers Association (NYSATA). Our members include K-12 public school art teachers, common branch and special education licensed teachers, non-public school art teachers, art administrators, and university and museum art educators with expertise in sculpture, photography, film, fashion, advertising, architecture, drawing, painting and other visual arts.All UFT members in these categories are members without a fee and are entitled to vote in any NYCATA/UFT election.

Our mission is simple: to encourage and support art educators in their profession and to advocate for quality art programs at all levels of education and in our communities. We accomplish this by:

1. keeping abreast of policies and legislation that affect our field, disseminating information about them and responding to them in writing to appropriate policy-makers;
2. sponsoring activities and events that highlight the work of art students and art educators and the process and content of art education;
3. informing our colleagues, school communities and legislators of our philosophy, purpose and activities by disseminating our materials at the UFT Spring Conference and New Teacher city-wide meetings and by exhibiting student art work in the NYSATA School Board show and Albany Legislative Exhibit;
4. participating in the Chancellor's Advisory Board on the Arts (if it exists); and
5. collaborating with other organizations that share our concerns to develop a strong political voice, provide increased opportunities for art educators and students, and raise awareness in our society about art education resources and the critical need for art education for all students.

We also provide professional development for art educators by sponsoring meetings, conferences, retreats and trips that meet the professional needs of our members and a forum for them to network and socialize with each other.

Finally, we aim to recognize outstanding art students, art educators, and artist-teachers by sponsoring annual NYCATA/UFT Student Art Awards, student art exhibitions, artist-teacher exhibitions and receptions and awards ceremonies. We also recognize outstanding art educators, administrators and advocates at our annual conference and work to raise awareness of outstanding school art programs.