The Conference Built for Art Teachers
July 31 – August 2, 2026
Art Ed NOW delivers the ideas, inspiration and flexibility every art teacher needs right now.
How the Conference Works
Friday Evening
Kickoff Party
July 31
7–9 p.m. CT
Saturday
The Main Event
August 1
10 a.m. – 3 p.m. CT
SUNDAY & BEYOND
The After Pass
August 2
Year-Long Access
Summer 2026 Featured Presenter:
Oliver Jeffers
You know The Day the Crayons Quit. Oliver Jeffers, the illustrator behind it, will bring his signature wit and insight to a conversation for art educators. He’ll explore creativity through curiosity and imperfection and leave you with ideas to bring straight back to your classrooms.
Summer 2026 Presenters
Here is the first round of presenters joining this year’s conference.
More educators, artists, and experts will be added soon.
Nadia Fernandez-Castillo
How to Adapt Lessons for Any Grade You Teach
Chay Ross
Digital Art in Action: Engaging High School Students with Creative Technology
Jessica Stuver
Creative Transformations: Making Learning Come Alive
Chris Hodge
Why Art is the Most Important Class
Jackie Jablecki
Visual Journals as Creative Practice
Lindsey Bailey
Creating with Cardboard Costumes
Khadesia Latimer
Delicious Dreamscapes Artmaking
Venise Keys
An Art Teacher’s Guide to Creative Wellness
Because art teachersdeserve it.
Attend live to have a chance to win from $10,000+ in cash and prizes.
Your year of on-demand learning.
Revisit conference presentations and additional bonus content for a full year after the event.
Check Out the Materials List
Our Summer 2026 Art Ed NOW Kickoff will feature two artmaking opportunities–one for elementary teachers and one for secondary. Elementary teachers will explore an Intuitive Line Painting lesson, while secondary teachers will dive into a Nature Takeover lesson. Do some drawing, painting, or both with open-ended lessons that will spark creativity and new ideas for your classroom!
During the Main Event, you’ll have even more chances to create. Khadesia Latimer will kick things off with a Delicious Dreamscapes lesson from AOE’s FLEX Curriculum that you can work on as you listen throughout the day. Later, Jackie Jablecki will share her best ideas for utilizing visual journals for your creative practice, and Karla Scarff will end the day with a session on making mandalas–these sessions will let you work throughout the conference and continue your artmaking after!
Register Today
Want Your Registration Covered?
Most Art Ed NOW attendees get their registration paid for by their school or district. Use our ready-to-send email template—no stress, just copy, paste, and personalize.
District Registration for Art Ed NOW
Want Your Visual Arts Team to Attend?
Explore district registration to bring energizing, flexible professional development your team can access all year long.
Need to pay by P.O.?
Email your P.O. with participant names and email addresses to help@theartofeducation.edu, and our team will handle the rest.
*Please check with your district to see how PD hours earned at Art Ed NOW may work for you. Graduate credit is not available for this event, as the Art Ed NOW Conference falls outside of the University’s DEAC accreditation.
