2025 TAB-St. Louis

Teaching for Artistic Behaviors Workshop

✅ Workshop Questions: StlTabChoice@gmail.com

✅ Registration questions: TAB@moaae.org

✅ Follow the Regional-Saint Louis TAB/Choice Art Education Group on Facebook @STLTAB

✅ Follow the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education on social media @moartsed

Meet the Instructors

Abby Birhanu

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Bio: Abby (she/her) is an artist and educator with a passion for fostering creativity and confidence in her students. With experience teaching middle and high school, she believes deeply in the transformative power of art education. Abby embraces choice-based art and Teaching Artistic Behavior (TAB) pedagogy, empowering students to shape their artistic journey while nurturing their creativity.

Her involvement in the Fulbright Teachers Exchange Program, where she served as an exchange teacher to the United Kingdom, was a pivotal experience that reinforced her dedication to cross-cultural learning and teaching. Abby loves traveling and actively takes opportunities to engage in educational and cultural exchange opportunities.

Kari Schepker Mueller

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Bio: Kari is in her 25th year of teaching visual arts in the Maplewood Richmond Heights School District. During those 25 years, she has spent time in the studio with students spanning preschool through eighth grade. In her current position, she serves as the Atelierista for pre-K through second grade at MRH Early Childhood Center.

She has been using the pedagogical approach for over 15 years facilitating high-level creative thinking and beautiful artwork within a very diverse student body. Kari’s thoughts on art education curriculum were quoted in Engaging Learners Through Artmaking: Choice-Based Art Education in the Classroom book by Katherine M. Douglas and Diane B. Jaquith.

Kari has presented at Midwest Educational Technology Conference, Fine Arts Regional Council, The Big Event for Teachers at the St. Louis Art Museum, the National Art Education Association Conference, and numerous MO State Visual Art Conferences. She has offered personalized professional development to several school districts throughout Missouri and Illinois. Kari was named an Emmerson Educator of the year for the state of Missouri and the MRH School District Teacher of the year. Kari is also a proud member of the STL TAB Regional Professional Development group that presents in conjunction with MAAE throughout the region.

Elizabeth Williams

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Bio: Inspired by her high school art teacher, Elizabeth Williams has been happily teaching for the past twenty five years. With a Bachelors and Master's degree in Art Education from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Ms. Williams has taught kindergarten through high school artists in Illinois, Iowa, and for the last sixteen years she has taught at Meramec Elementary in Clayton, Missouri.

It was while squeezing in one last NAEA session thirteen years ago, that Elizabeth sat mesmerized hearing about and seeing images of Anne Bedrick's magical TAB art studio. This fortuitous moment transformed Elizabeth's art pedagogy. Her art studio became student-centered and artwork became relevant and meaningful to students. Alongside her colleague Maryellen Picker, she became part of a grass-roots TAB community as St. Louis art teachers started to gravitate towards this choice-based approach. This workshop was born out of these early collaborations. .

Elizabeth is also involved in Art21 Educators, a professional learning community that supports innovative curriculum with Contemporary Art, artists and themes. Ms. Williams believes deeply about the importance of arts education in both formal and informal educational settings and welcomes teachers both hesitant and excited about the TAB approach.

2025 TAB-stl Workshop Details

June 4-5, 2025 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Directions to the Workshop Site

Meramec Elementary School

400 S Meramec Ave, Clayton, MO 63105

Google Maps

Additional details:

Parking: Park in the lot to the north of the building. Don't park in front of the building.
Entering the Building: Front door
Registration: near front door
Art Room location: Signs and presenters will point you to the art room hallway.

Helpful Hints - What to wear. What to bring. Food & Beverage Details. click for more info

Start: The workshop begins at 9 a.m. each day.

End: The workshop ends at 3:00 p.m. both days. This allows space for questions and casual conversation, off-site.

Bonus time: Wednesday evening, (around 3-6 p.m.) you are invited to join us for a happy hour at the Boat House. Please consider joining us for more informal TAB talk and appetizers.

What to wear? Comfy clothes - casual
What to bring? Many participants find that having a laptop and phone are helpful.
About food and beverages:
- A water bottle filling station will be onsite.
- Want a different type of (school appropriate) beverage?
  Feel free to bring it with you!
- Email cynthia.phelps@moaae.org with specific dietary concerns or allergen issues.
What else to know? If we think of it - we'll add it here.

Wednesday Optional GATHERING
3- 6 p.m. gathering at the Boat House in Forest Park - Wednesday June 4, 2025

EW 50514 Syllabus_Teaching for Artistic Behaviors 2025.pdf

Graduate Credit (optional)

Graduate Credit from Lindenwood University is available for an additional fee. Enrollment and payment of fees is handled directly through Lindenwood. The fee for graduate credit is $75 per hour. This course is 1 Credit Hour (15 hours of learning).

Any completed coursework according to the syllabus should be sent via email to the group email at StlTabChoice@gmail.com

Nearby Lodging/Hotel and Restaurant Information

HOTELS

Clayton Plaza Hotel & Extended Stay

address: 7750 Carondelet Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63105

Phone: (314) 726-5400

Drury Inn

Located in: The Promenade at Brentwood

Address: 8700 Eager Rd, Brentwood, MO 63144

Phone: (314) 968-3704

Homewood Suites

Address: 8040 Clayton Rd, Richmond Heights, MO 63117

Phone: (314) 863-7700

Sheraton Clayton

Located in: University Tower

Address: 7730 Bonhomme Ave, Clayton, MO 63105

Cheshire Inn

Address: 6300 Clayton Rd, St. Louis, MO 63117

Phone: (314) 647-7300

Restaurants

Presenter picks:

- Ivy - 14 N Meramec Ave Unit A Clayton, MO 63105 Great coffee to get your day started!
- City Coffee and Creperie 36 N. Brentwood Blvd. Clayton, MO 63105
- Kaldi 187 Carondelet Plaza Clayton, MO 63105
- Cafe Manhattan 505 South Hanley Road, Clayton, Missouri 63105
- High Point Drive In
- Garbanzo

Other Things to do in the Lou

St. Louis Art Museum - One of the gems of St. Louis, SLAM contains three-stories of paintings, sculptures and cultural objects with both ancient and modern materpieces from all over the world. The museum is located in Forest Park, St. Louis' largest city park which also houses the St. Louis Zoo, Jewel Box Arboretum, The Missouri History Museum and St. Louis Municipal (outdoor) theatre. SLAM is visited by up to a half million people every year. Admission is free through a subsidy from the cultural tax district for St. Louis City and County.

Address: 1 Fine Arts Dr, St. Louis, MO 63110 - googlemaps

Located in: Forest Park - Hours: (closed Monday) 10 AM- 5PM daily; 10AM - 9PM Friday

Laumeier Sculpture Park

Laumeier Sculpture Park is a 105-acre open-air museum and sculpture park located in Sunset Hills, Missouri, near St. Louis and is maintained in partnership with St. Louis County Parks and Recreation Department. It houses over 60 outdoor sculptures and features a 1.4-mile walking trail, and educational programs. Wikipedia

Address: 12580 Rott Rd, Sappington, MO 63127

Hours: 8am-8pm daily

Mildred Lane Kemper Museum

The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum is an art museum located on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis, within the university's Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. Founded in 1881 as the St. Louis School and Museum of Fine Arts, it was initially located in downtown St. Louis. It is the oldest art museum west of the Mississippi River. The Museum holds 19th-, 20th-, and 21st-century European and American paintings, sculptures, prints, installations, and photographs. The collection also includes some Egyptian and Greek antiquities and Old Master prints. source: wikipedia

Location: One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130 googlemaps
Hours: Closed Tuesday; Monday, Wed-Sunday 11:00am-5pm

Gallery 210 an art museum located on the campus of the University of Missouri St. Louis. Features student and faculty art in addition to traveling exhibitions.

Location: 7801 Rosedale Dr, St. Louis, MO 63121 googlemaps
Hours: Tues- Saturday 11am-5pm closed Monday/Tuesday

Discounts available

We encourage school/district teams to attend!
We also recognize pre-service teachers have limited funds.

We offer a financial incentives as listed below.

Returning attendees can register at a discounted rate of $250 per person.
Teams of 4-7 people can register at a discounted rate of $250 per person.
Teams of 8 or more people can register at a discounted rate of $225 per person.
Students and pre-service teachers can register for $225 per person.

Contact director@moaae.org to receive an invoice for the appropriate amount.

Refund/Cancellation Policy

We realize that extraordinary circumstances may affect your plans to attend. If we receive a request for cancellation by May 19, 2025, we can award either workshop credit or refund 100% of your registration fee. If we receive a request for cancellation by May 26, 2025, we can refund 50% of your registration fee. Refunds or credits for future workshops after that date will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.