Partners in the Arts update
Reignite, Reimagine, Repeat: 30 Years of JOI
This June 9-13, 2025, Partners in the Arts (PIA) celebrates a major milestone: Its 30th annual summer institute. The course has been held on campus at UR through SPCS since 1995, and was renamed the Joan Oates Institute (JOI) in 2011 in honor of PIA founding co-chair Joan Oates’ significant support.
For three decades, JOI has brought together educators, artists, and community experts to reignite all of our creativity and deepen learning in “the best PD ever.” Nearly 1,300 educators have experienced the transformative learning experience that JOI provides, re-discovering how we learn and aligning that process to their content by designing wonder.
This year’s institute features the return of cartoonist, writer, educator, JOI 2015 presenter, and 2019 MacArthur Fellow, Lynda Barry. Her work empowers educators to unlock writing, visual communication, and storytelling in every learner. “I love teaching,” Barry says. “What I’m doing isn’t even teaching. It’s showing people that they already know how to do this stuff. I love to watch them blow their minds with their own minds.”
There are three ways to engage with PIA and JOI at the Modlin Center this June:
- Learn: Register now for JOI, for graduate credit or professional learning
- Attend: Join us for Lynda Barry’s talk and book signing on Tuesday, June 10 at 7:00 p.m. (free and open to the public, registration required)
- Celebrate: Join us at a JOI happy hour on Friday, June 13 from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. All educators, artists, and community members are invited. RSVP by June 6.
Educators of all types, disciplines, and grade levels are invited to join this joyful, transformational experience. Rediscover your creative voice, build lasting partnerships, and design instruction that resonates long after the school day ends.
Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a thriving learning community 30 years in the making.