Did you know that Saturday marked The Art of Education’s fourteenth online conference? It’s true! Over 2,000 registered attendees viewed and participated from around the world–all from the comfort of their own homes!
The Presentations
The day was jam-packed with dozens of incredibly relevant topics and one very special presenter–contemporary artist CJ Hendry–who discussed her career, her incredible work, and her upcoming exhibition. All in all, there were 20+ dynamic presentations curated to match the needs of art teachers and to provide the freshest and newest ideas happening right now in art education.
In addition, every presenter made sure all teachers walked away with something relevant to their practice, whether they taught Pre-K, high school, or anything in between!
The Freebies!
The SWAG box for this conference was nothing short of amazing! Teachers couldn’t wait to share the pictures of the goodies delivered right to their doors. The box included samples from Art to Remember, Blick, Chroma, Mayco, Nasco, Sketch for Schools, Square 1 Art, and more!
In addition, other companies provided hundreds of dollars in online discounts and freebies. And that was just the start! Art Ed Radio host Tim Bogatz hosted the event and gave away thousands of dollars in materials and giveaways throughout the day.
The Hourly Breakdown
We want to give you a complete look at all the conference details, so here it is—the hour-by-hour breakdown! Check out the outstanding presenters, the best information, and some inspiring tweets and photos from our attendees!
Hour 1: Making Your Program Visible
The first hour of the conference was all about strategies to help you make your art program more visible in your school and in your community. The conference started with Debi West, and she shared ways to extend learning through summer art camps. She was followed by Kerri Waller, who gave strategies for advocacy, and Caroline Gardner, who gave a tutorial on Shibori fabric dyeing. The hour was closed by Levar Robinson, who shared how he amplifies students and their voices through murals.
Hour 2: Exploring with Digital Art
When the second hour rolled around, presenters shared some of their best ideas for incorporating digital art. From new apps and technology to e-learning and everything in between, it was all here!
Hour 3: Reaching Out to Your Community
After a quick break, Amanda O’Shaughnessy shared ideas for making multiples with printmaking and ceramics.
Making my own art while watching the @theartofed online conference. If you haven’t heard of this amazing resource you should check them out! #ArtEdNow #printmaking pic.twitter.com/WXrX72v2T5
— Katina Comery (@ArtwithMrs_C) February 1, 2020
O’Shaughnessy was followed by Caitlyn Thompson, who gave an engaging and entertaining talk about bookbinding. The hour ended with great talks from Yvonne Lopez Taylor on printmaking and fashion and Jordan DeWilde on bringing contemporary art into your curriculum.
Hour 4: Taking a More Intentional Approach
The fourth hour began with an amazing keynote presentation from contemporary artist CJ Hendry. She talked about her career, her art, and her incredible colored pencil drawings and exhibitions. It was entertaining, inspiring, and motivating!
Great pres. by CJ Hendry @theartofed #ArtEdNow. Loved what she had to say about creativity and hard work – "Creativity is one part of the picture." and "The wrong decision is better than no decision."
— Susan Dalton (@Art_DaltonSu) February 1, 2020
Following CJ was Sarah Krajewski, talking about the benefits of using an art room mantra. The hour closed with Abby Schukei sharing strategies for teaching watercolor and Kathy Dang discussing mindfulness in the art room.
Hour 5: Simplifying the Process
Art Ed Now’s final hour was all about simplifying your teaching life. The hour started off with a BIG announcement–AOEU’s new FLEX Curriculum!
https://twitter.com/artsmart64/status/1223703156925902855
Watch for the full debut of FLEX on Tuesday, February 4th!
Jeanne Styczinski showed painted paper techniques that your students will love, and Nic Hahn shared a negative space botanicals lesson she designed for Art to Remember. Rachel Albert closed the conference by sharing some of her favorite art teacher hacks!
All of these presentations had takeaways teachers will use the rest of this school year and beyond!
Join us this Summer!
It was a great day of learning for teachers, and we look forward to doing it all again this summer. We hope you’ll join us because participants definitely found the conference worth their while:
Now it’s time to put these ideas to work! Use what you saw at the conference to inspire your teaching and inspire your students. Work yourself out of the winter doldrums and reinvigorate the energy in your classroom with all of these new ideas.
Hope to see you next time!
Click here to register for Art Ed NOW Summer 2020–you don’t want to miss it!
Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.
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