History

1998

• Jean Butler Agency created to stay connected to the arts, artists, and students.

1998–2003

• Jean Butler Agency operated as a part-time Arts in Education booking agency.

December 1998

• Jean’s first trip to Senegal: two-and-a-half-week research trip to Senegal, West Africa with all musician clients, Tony Vacca and Joe Sallins, plus three additional musicians. Set up a “virtual trip” website that students here accessed for a cultural exchange on our trip to Africa.

February 2001

• Jean took a three-and-a-half-week research trip to Egypt with storyteller Katie Green.

March 2003

• Began incorporation process, and began screening potential new artists.

July 2003

• Incorporated as a non-profit 501c3 corporation. The Board of Directors includes former Acton School Committee member Mary Ann Ashton; the General Manager of PTO Today Magazine Nancy Sousa; educator and arts advocate Rosie Latto; and Neal Butler, physicist.

2005–2006

• First Senegal-America Project cultural exchange.
• AAE, Inc. receives three-year Massachusetts Cultural Council Organizational Support Grant.

February 2007

• FIRST Student delegates on Senegal-America Project cultural exchange.

2006–2007

• Jean draws a small stipend for her work as President of AAE, Inc.
• All five represented artists are juried and accepted as Creative Schools Teaching Artists on the MCC roster.
• We continue to watch for high-quality artist educators to bring onto the AAE, Inc. roster.
• Our Senegal-America Project Cultural Educational trips to Africa have been enthusiastically received. We are currently planning two to three trips per school year.

2007–2008

• 35th Parallel joins artist roster