Professional Organizations by Major
Art Education
American Art Therapy Association (AATA) www.arttherapy.org
The AATA is an organization of professionals dedicated to the belief
that the creative process involved in art making is healing and life
enhancing, Its mission is to serve its members and the general public
by providing standards of professional competence, and developing
and promoting knowledge in, and of, the field of art therapy.
National Art Education Association (NAEA) www.naea-reston.org
To promote art education through professional development, service,
advancement of knowledge, and leadership. NAEA is a non-profit, educational
organization.
National
Education Association (NEA) www.nea.org
NEA is a volunteer-based organization supported by a network of staff
at the local, state, and national levels. At the local level, more
than 14,000 NEA local affiliate organizations are active in a variety
of activities as determined by the local members. These may range from
raising funds for scholarship programs to conducting professional workshops
on issues that affect faculty and school support staff to bargaining
contracts for school district employees.
Art History
Association
of Art Historians (AAH) www.aah.org.uk
The AAH serves a key role in shaping and securing the future study
of the history of art and visual culture. An elected Executive
Committee actively lobbies on important issues
such as education, funding, copyright and employment. AAH members are
represented by Members’ Groups for university
and college academics, school
teachers, students, independent
members and museum
and gallery professionals.
Western
States Art Federation (WESTAF) www.westaf.org
WESTAF, the Western States Arts Federation, is a nonprofit arts service
organization dedicated to the creative advancement and preservation
of the arts. Based in Denver, Colorado, WESTAF fulfills its mission
to strengthen the financial, organizational and policy infrastructure
of the arts by providing innovative programs and services to artists
and arts organizations in the West and nationwide.
English
Modern Language Association (MLA) www.mla.org
Founded in 1883, the Modern Language Association of America provides
opportunities for its members to share their scholarly findings and
teaching experiences with colleagues and to discuss trends in the
academy. MLA members host an annual convention and other meetings,
work with related organizations, and sustain one of the finest publishing
programs in the humanities. For over a hundred years, members have
worked to strengthen the study and teaching of language and literature.
The
Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) www.awpwriter.org
The mission of The Association of Writers & Writing Programs is
to foster literary talent and achievement, to advance the art of writing
as essential to a good education, and to serve the makers, teachers,
students, and readers of contemporary writing.
American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL) www.aaal.org
Founded in 1977, the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL)
is a professional organization of scholars who are interested in
and actively contribute to the multi-disciplinary field of applied
linguistics. AAAL members promote principled approaches to language-related
concerns, including language education, acquisition and loss, bilingualism,
discourse analysis, literacy, rhetoric and stylistics, language for
special purposes, psycholinguistics, second and foreign language
pedagogy, language assessment, and language policy and planning.
Academy of American Poets www.poets.org
The Academy of American Poets was founded in 1934 to support American
poets at all stages of their careers and to foster the appreciation
of contemporary poetry. To fulfill this mission, the Academy administers
a wide variety of programs, including National Poetry Month (April),
the largest literary celebration in the world; online educational
resources providing free poetry lesson plans for high school teachers;
the Poetry Audio Archive, a collection of over 700 recordings dating
back to the 1960s; and Poets.org, our award-winning website
which provides a wealth of content on contemporary American poetry
and receives a million unique users each month.
Rhetoric Society of America (RSA) http://rhetoricsociety.org
The purposes of the Society shall be to gather from all relevant fields
of study, and to disseminate among its members, current knowledge of
rhetoric, broadly construed; to identify new areas within the subject
of rhetoric in which research is especially needed, and to stimulate
such research; to encourage experimentation in the teaching of rhetoric;
to facilitate professional cooperation among its members, to organize
meetings at which members may exchange findings and ideas; and to sponsor
the publication of such materials dealing with rhetoric.
Council of Literary Magazines & Presses (CLMP) www.clmp.org
The Council of Literary Magazines and Presses serves one of the most
active segments of American arts and culture: the independent publishers
of exceptional fiction, poetry and prose. Literary magazines and
presses accomplish the backstage work of American literature: discovering
new writers; supporting mid-career writers; publishing the creative
voices of communities underrepresented in the mainstream commercial
culture; and preserving literature for future readers by keeping
books in print.
English Education
National
Council of Teachers of English www.ncte.org
The National Council of Teachers of English is devoted to improving
the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels
of education. Since 1911, NCTE has provided a forum for the profession,
an array of opportunities for teachers to continue their professional
growth throughout their careers, and a framework for cooperation to
deal with issues that affect the teaching of English.
Teachers
of English to Speakers of Other Languages www.tesol.org
TESOL, an association of English language educators who work with learners
from diverse cultural backgrounds in a wide variety of settings, is
uniquely positioned to give a coordinated, knowledgeable response at
the international, national, and local levels to issues affecting institutions
that foster the development of effective human communications.
National
Education Association (NEA) www.nea.org
NEA is a volunteer-based organization supported by a network of staff
at the local, state, and national levels. At the local level, more
than 14,000 NEA local affiliate organizations are active in a variety
of activities as determined by the local members. These may range from
raising funds for scholarship programs to conducting professional workshops
on issues that affect faculty and school support staff to bargaining
contracts for school district employees.
Fine Arts
American Art Therapy Association (AATA) www.arttherapy.org
The AATA is an organization of professionals dedicated to the belief
that the creative process involved in art making is healing and life
enhancing, Its mission is to serve its members and the general public
by providing standards of professional competence, and developing
and promoting knowledge in, and of, the field of art therapy.
College Art Association (CAA) www.collegeart.org
The College Art Association supports all practitioners and interpreters
of visual
art and culture, including artists and scholars, who join together
to cultivate the ongoing understanding of art as a fundamental form
of human expression. Representing its members' professional needs,
CAA is committed to the highest professional and ethical standards
of scholarship, creativity, connoisseurship, criticism, and teaching.
National
Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD) http://nasad.arts-accredit.org
The National Association of Schools of Art and Design was established
in 1944 to improve educational practices and maintain high professional
standards in art and design education.
National Sculpture Society (NSS) www.nationalsculpture.org/nss/default.asp
Today, NSS continues to encourage excellence in sculpture throughout
the United States, to which end its programs are directed. Regular
meetings, gala weekends, educational programs and exhibitions bring
artists together for conversation and networking. NSS publications, Sculpture
Review and the NSS News Bulletin, keep members and friends
of sculpture abreast of the latest developments.
The American Ceramic Society (ACerS) www.ceramics.org
The American Ceramic Society is a 108-year-old non-profit organization
that serves the informational, educational, and professional needs
of the international ceramics community.
History
American
Studies Association (ASA) www.theasa.net
Members approach American culture from many directions but have in
common the desire to view America as a whole rather than from the perspective
of a single discipline.
American Historical Association (AHA) www.historians.org
The American Historical Association (AHA) is a nonprofit membership
organization founded in 1884 and incorporated
by Congress in 1889 for the promotion of historical studies, the
collection and preservation of historical documents and artifacts,
and the dissemination of historical research. As the largest historical
society in the United States, the AHA provides leadership and advocacy
for the profession, fights to ensure academic freedom, monitors professional
standards, spearheads essential research in the field, and provides
resources and services to help its members succeed.
American
Association for State & Local History www.aaslh.org
AASLH is the ONLY national organization dedicated to the field of state
and local history. It is a membership association - A home for institutions
and people who work in the field of state and local history. AASLH
provides leadership and support for its members who preserve and interpret
state and local history in order to make the past more meaningful to
all Americans.
National Council on Public History (NCPH) www.ncph.org
The National Council on Public History (NCPH) works to advance the
professionalism of public history and to advocate enhanced public
and governmental support for historical programs.
Organization of American Historians (OAH) www.oah.org
The Organization of American Historians, founded in 1907 as the Mississippi
Valley Historical Association, is the largest
professional organization for the investigation, study and teaching
of American History. It serves a membership of 11,000 college and university
professors, high
school teachers, students, archivists, public historians, and institutional
subscribers such as libraries, museums, and history societies, as well
as individual and institutional foreign members.
History Education
National
Council for the Social Studies www.socialstudies.org
National Council for the Social Studies is an association
of over 25,000 educators who have come together to strengthen the
social studies profession and social studies programs in the schools. NCSS
Members take advantage of award winning publications, recognition
programs, conferences, information services, and special offers.
Whether you're looking for lesson plans, textbooks, or new insights,
you'll find it in NCSS.
National Education Association (NEA) www.nea.org
NEA is a volunteer-based organization supported by a network of staff
at the local, state, and national levels. At the local level, more
than 14,000 NEA local affiliate organizations are active in a variety
of activities as determined by the local members. These may range from
raising funds for scholarship programs to conducting professional workshops
on issues that affect faculty and school support staff to bargaining
contracts for school district employees.
Humanities
Americans
for the Arts www.artsusa.org
Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit organization
for advancing the arts in America. With 45 years of service, we are
dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating
opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all
forms of the arts.
Society
of American Archivists (SAA) www.archivists.org
The Society of American Archivists (SAA) is North America's oldest
and largest national archival professional association. SAA includes
more than 3,400 individual and institutional members concerned with
the identification, preservation, and use of records of historical
value. SAA members work in a variety of repositories, including those
associated with colleges and universities, businesses and corporations,
historical societies, museums, libraries, religious organizations,
as well as local, state, and federal government agencies' in all geographic
regions of the United States and in more than 30 countries.
Interior Design
American
Society of Interior Designers (ASID) www.asid.org
ASID is a community of people—designers, industry representatives,
educators and students—committed to interior design. Through
education, knowledge sharing, advocacy, community building and outreach,
the Society strives to advance the interior design profession and,
in the process, to demonstrate and celebrate the power of design
to positively change people’s lives. NAU has a student chapter
of this organization.
Interior Design Society of America (IDSA) www.idsa.org
As the voice of the profession, IDSA advances the positive impact of
design on business and society while directly benefiting members
by evolving into the world's most effective design organization.
International Interior Design Association (IIDA) www.iida.org
The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) is a professional
networking and educational association of more than 10,000 Members
in 8 specialty Forums, 9 Regions, and more than 30 Chapters around
the world committed to enhancing the quality of life through excellence
in interior design and advancing interior design through knowledge.
Modern Languages
American Association of Language Specialists (ACTFL) www.actfl.org
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
is the only national organization dedicated to the improvement
and expansion of the teaching and learning of all languages at
all levels of instruction. ACTFL is an individual membership organization
of more than 9,000 foreign language educators and administrators
from elementary through graduate education, as well as government
and industry.
American Foreign Services Association (AFSA) www.afsa.org
AFSA's principal missions are to enhance the effectiveness of the Foreign
Service, to protect the professional interests of its members, to
ensure the maintenance of high professional standards for both career
diplomats and political appointees, and to promote understanding
of the critical role of the Foreign Service in promoting America's
national security and economic prosperity.
Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association (RMMLA) www.rmmla.wsu.edu
The RMMLA was formed to promote critical inquiry, teaching, and research
in the fields of languages, literatures, and the humanities by holding
a convention every Fall for the presentation and discussion of papers
in these and related fields, and by regularly publishing a print
and an electronic scholarly journal, the Rocky Mountain Review of
Language and Literature and the Rocky
Mountain E-Review respectively.
Music/Music Education
American Federation of Musicians (AFM) www.afm.org
We are the largest organization in the world representing the interests
of professional musicians. Whether negotiating fair agreements, protecting
ownership of recorded music, securing benefits such as health care
and pension, or lobbying our legislators, the AFM is committed to
raising industry standards and placing the professional musician
in the foreground of the cultural landscape.
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) www.ascap.com
ASCAP is a membership association of more than 300,000 U.S. composers,
songwriters, lyricists, and music publishers of every kind of music.
Through agreements with affiliated international societies, ASCAP
also represents hundreds of thousands of music creators worldwide.
ASCAP is the only U.S. performing rights organization created and
controlled by composers, songwriters and music publishers, with a
Board of Directors elected by and from the membership.
Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) www.mtna.org
The mission of Music Teachers National Association is to advance the
value of music study and music making to society and to support the
professionalism of music teachers.
Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) www.suzukiassociation.org
The Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) is a coalition of teachers,
parents, educators, and others who are interested in making music education
available to all children. The SAA provides programs and services to
members throughout North and South America. The SAA is governed by
a Board of Directors and managed by a staff in Boulder Colorado. With
the International Suzuki Association (ISA) and other regional associations,
the SAA promotes and supports the spread of Dr. Suzuki’s Talent
Education.
The
National Association for Music Education (MENC) www.menc.org
As the premiere music education association in the United States, the
Music Educators National Conference (MENC) is devoted to assessing
and improving the state of music education in schools on all levels.
American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) www.acdaonline.org
American Musicological Society (AMS) www.ams-net.org
College Music Society (CMS) www.music.org
National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) www.nats.org
Society for Ethnomusicology www.webdb.iu.edu/sem/scripts/home.cfn
Society for Music Theory (SMT) http://societymusictheory.org
Philosophy
The American Philosophical Association (APA) www.apa.udel.edu/apa/index.html
The American Philosophical Association was founded in 1900 to promote
the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and
scholarly activity in philosophy, to facilitate the professional
work and teaching of philosophers, and to represent philosophy as
a discipline. Having grown from a few hundred members to over 10,000,
the American Philosophical Association is one of the largest philosophical
societies in the world and the only American philosophical society
not devoted to a particular school or philosophical approach.
Association
for Symbolic Logic (ASL) www.aslonline.org
The Association for Symbolic Logic is an international organization
supporting research and critical studies in logic. Its primary function
is to provide an effective forum for the presentation, publication,
and critical discussion of scholarly work in this area of inquiry.
North American Society for Social Philosophy (NASSP) www.pitt.edu/~nassp/nassp.html
The purpose of the North American Society for Social Philosophy is
to facilitate discussion between social philosophers on all topics
of interest, primarily by sponsoring conferences and publications.
The
Law & Society Association www.lawandsociety.org
The Law and Society Association, founded in 1964, is a group of scholars
from many fields and countries, interested in the place of law in social,
political, economic and cultural life. Members bring training
in law, sociology, political science, psychology, anthropology, economics,
and history as well as in other related areas to the study of socio-legal
phenomena. Among its activities, the Association publishes the Law & Society
Review, sponsors annual conferences and educational workshops,
and fosters the development of academic programs in law and society
around the world. For students and new scholars, the Association encourages
participation in its workshops and mentorship program.
Religious Studies
American
Academy of Religion (AAR) www.aar-site.org
As a learned society and professional association of teachers and research
scholars, the American Academy of Religion has over 10,000 members
who teach in some 1,500 colleges, universities, seminaries, and schools
in North America and abroad. The Academy is dedicated to furthering
knowledge of religion and religious institutions in all their forms
and manifestations. This is accomplished through Academy-wide and regional
conferences and meetings, publications, programs, and membership services.
North American Association for the Study of Religion (NAASR) www.as.ua.edu/naasr
The North American Association for the Study of Religion (NAASR) was
initially formed in 1985 by E. Thomas Lawson, Luther H. Martin, and
Donald Wiebe, to encourage the historical, comparative, structural,
theoretical and cognitive approaches to the study of religion among
North American scholars; to represent North American scholars of
religion at the international level; and to sustain communication
between North American scholars and their international colleagues
engaged in the study of religion.
Theatre
Association
for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) www.athe.org
An advocate for the field of theatre and performance in higher education,
ATHE serves as an intellectual and artistic center for producing new
knowledge about theatre and performance-related disciplines, cultivating
vital alliances with other scholarly and creative disciplines, linking
with professional and community-based theatres, and promoting access
and equity.
Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festiva www.kennedycenter.org/education/actf/
The goals of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival are
to encourage, recognize, and celebrate the finest and most diverse
work produced in university and college theater programs; to provide
opportunities for participants to develop their theater skills and
insight; and achieve professionalism; to improve the quality of college
and university theater in America; to encourage colleges and universities
to give distinguished productions of new plays, especially those written
by students; the classics, revitalized or newly conceived; and experimental
works.
United States Institute for Theatre Technology www.usitt.org
USITT will be a prominent leader of Theatre Design and Technology
through our Conferences, Exhibitions, Awards, Publications and Research.
USITT will promote the best of design and technology through exhibitions,
which are widely distributed to new audiences; USITT will actively
promote and support research and development today that creates the
theatre of the future; USITT will honor the best of theatre design
and production through a nationally recognized awards program; USITT
Will be the documentary body for the history of design and technology
in the performing arts and entertainment industry; USITT
will continue to strengthen the organizational operations of the
Institute and the National Office; and USITT will
grow and provide valuable services to our membership.
Southeastern
Theatre Conference www.setc.org
Recognizing that the theatre arts are a necessary and expressive means
by which the human community may come to understand and celebrate itself
and that the southeastern United States has a rich cultural diversity
and legacy, SETC has as its purpose to provide services and educational
programs for those individuals and organizations engaged in theatre
in the southeast. Member states include: Alabama, Florida, Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia,
West Virginia (although not in our region, they are the largest auditioning
agent for student in the US).
Southwest
Theatre & Film Association http://swtfa.com/index
The Southwest Theatre and Film Association is the oldest regional
theatre association in the United States. Established in 1934, SWTFA
has the distinction of convening an annual conference since 1948.
SWTFA fosters interaction and exchange among those engaged in all
aspects of theatre and film through an annual conference, publications,
advocacy and support for its constituency in Arkansas, Arizona, Louisiana,
New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. SWTFA’S mission is to provide
networking, training and scholarship opportunities in theatre and
film while promoting innovative and outstanding achievements. The
general purposes of the Association are educational and charitable
and specifically represent SWTFA constituents in theatre and film.
These purposes include: providing opportunities for networking among
members; providing training opportunities in Theatre and Film; providing
scholarship opportunities in Theatre and Film; promoting innovation
in the fields of Theatre and Film; and recognizing outstanding achievement
in Theatre and Film
Casting Society of America www.castingsociety.com
The Society shall be dedicated to establishing a recognized standard
of professionalism in the industry; enhancing the stature of the
profession in the industry; freely exchanging information and ideas
among members; providing the opportunity to honor the outstanding
achievements of our members; and providing members with professional
support and resources.
Theatre Education
American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE) www.aate.com
AATE promotes standards of excellence in theatre and theatre education
and supports the power of the creative experience. AATE connects
educators, artists, researchers, scholars and administrators, and
provides opportunities for members to learn from each other, and
exchange and diversify their practices, their audiences, and their
perspectives.
National
Education Association (NEA) www.nea.org
NEA is a volunteer-based organization supported by a network of staff
at the local, state, and national levels. At the local level, more
than 14,000 NEA local affiliate organizations are active in a variety
of activities as determined by the local members. These may range from
raising funds for scholarship programs to conducting professional workshops
on issues that affect faculty and school support staff to bargaining
contracts for school district employees.