2025 PAEA Conference

Google says a NARRATIVE is "a spoken or written account of connected events; a story" but as visual arts educators we know that art can be a powerful vehicle to share narratives and tell stories. We know that art is a window to both our past and our present & that the art room can be a safe place to critically examine whose stories are told and who gets to tell them. As visual arts educators we have the privilege to support countless young people through their journey of self-expression, aiding them in finding their voice, communicating their ideas, and inspiring a whole new generation of narratives to make art that is also a window to our future.

How do you interpret the word NARRATIVE? Have you addressed this with art-making or art-teaching? How do you address story-telling in your classroom?  Do you create personal works that tell a story? 

There are so many ways to get involved in this rich conference theme:

1. We invite you to submit a conference proposal to share your best-practice, lessons, ideas, and stories. Sessions can be lecture-based, interactive, panel discussions, hands-on, etc. Never presented before? Email us at secretary@paea.org or region1@paea.org! We all have something valuable to share; consider Pittsburgh 2025 being a safe place to try it out : )

2. Consider attending our pre-conference event on Thursday, October 9th at The Children's Museum, where the inspiration for our conference theme was born; each of the buildings on their campus telling the story of Pittsburgh's history. 

3. Connect with the complex narratives told through the work of Andy Warhol at our off-site event on Friday, October 10th.

4. Use your PAEA conference gift right on site, visually depicting a narrative through a featured zine making workshop led by local artist, Jen Blalock.

5. We know that art educators are artists too. We invite you to submit a piece of art to our Educator Art Show to be held at Standard Clay in Carnegie, PA. Your piece can stand alone or include a written narrative. Link for the Google Form submission is forthcoming and will be due August 10th. The closing reception on Saturday October 11th will also include a tour of the clay factory!