September Updates

As we begin another school year consider several upcoming opportunities, including the annual PAEA conference at Seven Springs Resort with a special visit to Falling Water.  The conference runs from Friday, October, 31st - Sunday, November 2nd.   Details may be found here.

Also, if you are looking for opportunities to exhibit your own artwork, you may want to consider applying to Mercyhurst University's upcoming exhibit, Shaping the Future: Pennsylvania Artist Educators.  Details for this show, open to both two and three-dimensional artists, may be found here.

Finally, don't forget to consider sending student artwork to be displayed at Falling Water during the upcoming conference (both digital and actual works will be on display).  This is an excellent way to build and encourage on-going support for your art program and encourage students whose work is selected.  Find information and requirements here.

Thoughts from the AP Annual Conference 2014

I hope this finds you having a relaxing summer.  I attended the AP Conference and sat in on terrific workshops geared towards studio art teachers.  As I only teach the AP Drawing Exam, I was pleased to learn more about the AP Two-Dimensional Art Exam.  There are lots of reasons to consider teaching it.   Are there teachers out there who teach both and would like to share their thoughts about it here?

Also, I was very excited to be reminded about a program I looked at a few years ago- VoiceThread- and see how useful it could be for the art studio setting.  Teachers can mark up work and allow students to either write or record opinions (moderated by the teacher) that relate to the work.  This could be a great way to conduct class critiques outside of class time, if time is tight.  Were any others at the conference?  It would be great to hear your thoughts about it!

Annual PAEA Conference Details…and last chance to submit a conference proposal

Mark your calendars for this year's PAEA Annual Conference which will take place from October 31st - November 2nd in Seven Springs, PA.  The site is located near Falling Water, where parts of our conference will take place, including the student art exhibit.

 Registration will open July 16th.  For those of you who are still considering presenting at the conference, you have a few more days to submit your proposals, which are due by Thursday, July 10th.  Details about presenting, registering, and all other conference-related information may be found here: http://www.paeaconference.org.

AP Annual Conference to be held in Philadelphia July 9 - 13

This year the College Board is holding the annual AP conference in Philadelphia.  For those of you who teach AP there are arts-related sessions that may interest you to check out.   The conference will run from July 9th - July 13th; the main conference dates are July 11th and 12th. Early-bird registration is open and ends on April 30th.  Hope to see you there!

Opportunity for Media Arts and Design Students

I received a link about a competition for students of media arts and design to participate in MAD Festival held at West Liberty University in West Virginia.  There are many categories that students may enter, including animation, vide documentary, graphic design and photography.  Entries will be accepted until March 20th.  If interested, check out their link here for more information.  If anyone out there has participated in this before, let me know how it worked out!

Design four pairs of Vans and compete for prizes

Registration now open to design Vans.  Their site states:

The first 2,000 U.S.-based public or private high schools (Sorry no home schools or community programs may enter), to register for Vans Custom Culture according to our official rules will receive four pairs of Vans shoes (106, Sk8-Hi, Slip On and Authentic) to customize!

Each pair must be customized to represent one of four themes: Action Sports (Defined as boards and bikes, not stick and ball!) Music, Art, and Local Flavor (Inspired by your surrounding community, city or state). ONE THEME PER PAIR!

Details may be found here.

YAM-time!

It's that time of year to start thinking about work to submit for Youth Arts Month.  This is an excellent way to promote your art program both within your school community and in the state capitol.  Details may be found at the PAEA YAM page.  Deadline for images to be submitted to your regional collector is Friday, February 14th.

17th Annual National K12 Ceramic Exhibiition

Here's an upcoming opportunity to enter your students' ceramics in the upcoming National Conference on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference.  Details may be found here.  The deadline is January 13th, 2014.