Friday

* Schedule is subject to change

Act 48 Credit Information

Most sessions qualify for Act 48 credit. If a session does not qualify for Act 48 credit, it will be indicated in the session description. Conference participants will receive an email after the conference with links to google forms they must complete to receive Act 48 credit. All forms must be completed by October 31, 2026. PAEA will report the hours to PDE in November, 2026. Please contact Jill Anders at directorofprogramming@paea.org if you have Act 48 questions.

7:30 AM – 4:30 PM – Registration - Bush Campus Center Lobby

8:00 AM – 4:00 PM - Exhibition Hall - Penn's Inn

Coffee and Tea, provided by the PAEA Retirees and Fellows, is available in this room. Say hello when you stop by to grab a cup.

8:00 AM – 4:30 PM - Penn College Gallery - Madigan Library

ON EXHIBIT: the work of Paul Lehr

The Gallery at Penn College serves as a cultural asset to Pennsylvania College of Technology and local communities. The Gallery provides the opportunity for the appreciation and exploration of contemporary art, and encourages critical thinking and meaningful experiences.

Exhibits typically include a meet the artist reception and gallery talk. Entries are juried and selected by a committee of dedicated faculty, staff and artists from the community. The Gallery also oversees the College's permanent art collection.

8:00 - 8:15 AM - First Time Attendees Welcome and Introductions - Mountain Laurel Room, John F. Thompson Professional Development Center

Join us for a warm welcome and introductions to the day.

8:15 - 9:25 AM - PAEA General Membership Meeting and Awards - Mountain Laurel Room, John F. Thompson Professional Development Center

9:30 - 10:20 AM - Breakout Sessions

Student Publication - Stories Untold Vol. 1 - Room 205

Ryan Hnat

Publishing Student Voices: Turning Student Art and Writing into a Collaborative Book Project

This presentation explores the process of creating and publishing a student-produced literary and visual arts book at the high school level. Through an open call for submissions, students submitted more than 140 works of visual art and creative writing. From this collection, students participated in the juried selection process, narrowing the publication to six written works and forty pieces of artwork.

Keywords: Student Publishing, Arts Education, Literary Magazine, Student Voice, Collaborative Learning

Reimagining The Art Classroom as a Third Space: Supporting Regulation, Agency, and Belonging - Room 207

Elizabeth Myers

This presentation examines how reimagining third spaces within the art classroom supports emotional regulation and agency, fosters belonging, and offers practical strategies for creating student-centered art environments outside of traditional instruction

Keywords: Third Space, Student-Agency, Belonging, Emotional Regulation

9:30 - 11:20 AM - Ticketed Workshops

Chomp, Build, Create: Building Studio Habits of Mind Through Choice-Based Cardboard Construction with the ChompSaw - Room 161

Chelsea Cramer

This presentation introduces elementary art educators to developmentally appropriate sculpture and construction experiences using the ChompSaw with elementary students.. As a choice-based art teacher, I have found that providing authentic tools and open-ended building opportunities empowers young artists to take ownership of their learning while developing creative confidence, problem-solving skills, and fine motor abilities. A hands-on making experience will allow participants to use the ChompSaw themselves and create a three-dimensional abstract cardboard sculpture adaptable for their own classrooms.

Keywords: ChompSaw, cardboard, choice, skillbuilder, SHoM

Sketchbooks as a Permission to Play and Relational Inquiry in the Classroom - Room 253

Erin Welsh, Eric Anthony Berdis

Bring your sketchbook and join the conversation! This session explores sketchbooks as spaces for inquiry, experimentation, reflection, connection and creative growth. Participants will share strategies, assignments, and teaching experiences that foster idea development, risk-taking, and learning through process, while considering how sketchbooks support artistic thinking in the classroom.

Keywords: Sketchbooks, Collaboration, Exchange, Artist-Books, Drawing Strategies

Weaving in the Art Room - Room 259

Amanda Seanor

Learn the INs and Outs of weaving in the art classroom! Gather insights on where to start so you can teach weaving to your students.

Keywords: hands-on, weaving, middle school, all ages

Felted Bookmarks - Penn's Inn

Jen Deaton - United

Learn the basics of needle felting while creating a unique felted bookmark. This beginner-friendly class covers shaping wool, exploring color and texture, and needle safety.

Keywords: Wool Felted Bookmark

10:30 - 11:20 AM - Breakout Sessions

Youth Art Month (YAM) Informational Session: Ways to Celebrate and Advocate - Room 164

Brookye Keeney

YAM is held every March to highlight student artwork and promote art education. Learn about how you can participate in this statewide and nationwide celebration!

Keywords: Advocacy; state student art exhibit; flag competition

Deconstructing Anti-Immigrant Narratives and Reimagining Belonging. - Room 201

Richard Agbeze

This session explores how anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies shape students from immigrant households' sense of belonging and offers art educators practical strategies through visual analysis, storytelling, and artmaking to deconstruct migration narratives and create inclusive, culturally responsive classrooms that foster empathy, critical thinking, and student voice.

Keywords: Migration, Race, Rhetoric, Culturally Responsive Teaching, Storytelling

Practical Hope to Retain and Sustain [& Thrive] - Room 205

Andrea McDonough, Jes Noel

In an arts education landscape fraught with legitimate risk of burnout, desperate for relevant professional development, and hungry for strategies to retain and sustain, practical hope exists. Join to explore recent data on resilience and burnout, and discuss ways to prioritize the wellbeing of all stakeholders.

Keywords: burnout, wellbeing, data-driven

Story, Studio, and Soul: Artist Partnerships for Memory, Belonging, and Creative Connection - Room 207

Julia Hovanec

This session shares story-centered, artist-connected approaches that foster memory, belonging, creative connection, meaningful artmaking, and reflective practice in art education.

Keywords: Artist Partnerships, Story-Centered Pedagogy, Belonging

11:00 AM - 3:00 PM - VanGo! Museum on Wheels

Head to the front of the building to visit the VanGo! Museum on Wheels sponsored by the Susquehanna Art Museum. Explore the exhibition and ask about the VanGo! coming to visit your students at your school!

Founded in 1992 as a response to the needs of a rural student population with limited exposure to museum-quality arts and crafts, the VanGo! Museum on Wheels has since grown into a valuable re-source for the Central Pennsylvania region. The program gives students and community members an authentic art museum experience, while reinforcing existing curriculum and standards.

The current VanGo! Museum on Wheels is a 34-foot, custom Winnebago equipped with an onboard museum gallery. Visits include tours onboard the bus, group assemblies, and a hands-on activity. Exhibitions rotate on an annual basis.

11:30 AM - 11:45 AM - Boxed lunch pick-up

Boxed lunches ordered through online registration can be picked up in the lobby by the registration desk. If you did not pre-order a boxed lunch, lunch is on your own. Feel free to take your lunch into your region meeting, eat and fellowship with others from your local area!

11:45 AM - 12:20 PM - Region Meetings

Regions 1 & 5 - Room 161

Regions 2 & 3 - Room 201

Regions 4 & 6 - Room 253

Regions 7 & 10 - Room 205

Regions 8 & 9 - Room 207

Regions 11 & 12 - Room 164

12:00 - 8:00 PM - Maker Space

Gilmour Tinkertorium, PCT Campus

Carl Building Technologies Center, Rm. 104

The Gilmour Tinkertorium allows you to create ideas and bring them life using computers with design and creation software, 3D printers, a sublimation printer and heat presses, vinyl and paper cutting machines, and sewing and embroidery machines.

There's plenty of work space and a closet full of free supplies and materials for your projects!

12:30 - 1:20 PM - Breakout Sessions

Designing for Regulation: Engagement is a State, Not a Choice! - Room 205

Margo Wunder

Reframe engagement! Learn how nervous system states impact art-making. Explore practical strategies that support regulation, reduce disruption, and increase meaningful participation for all learners!

Keywords: regulation, trauma-informed, behavior, engagement, neuroscience science

Pressed for Success: Building a District-Wide Steamroller Print Festival - Room 207

Benjamin Hoffman, Amanda Seanor, Sarah Fidler

Discover how three art educators brought together more than 500 students to launch a district-wide printmaking festival that turned an entire school into a living print studio.

Keywords: Printmaking, Festival, Steamroller, Community, Collaboration

12:30 - 1:50 PM - Panel Session

Penn State Art Education turns 80!: Graduate Research Wayfaring the Archives - Room 201

Ann Holt, Genesis Fortner, Tawsif Al Mehran, Nikki Auhl, Eric Anthony Berdis, Youngjoo Kim, Cecilia Orozco Bogantes, Aatiqa Sheikh, Yi-Ning Zhao, Shijing Fu

Learn about archival wayfarings by graduate students critically tracing 80 years of art education stories and intellectual/pedagogical contributions, through archival ephemera, and dialogic exchange.

Keywords: history of art education, doctoral research, Penn State, archival research

1:00 - 3:00 PM - Self-Guided Tour

The Victorian House at Pennsylvania College of Technology was dedicated on June 14, 1997, after more than two years of work by students, faculty, and staff. It was renovated in the summer of 2014, with updates to the guest rooms, rotunda, and exterior.

The Victorian House hosts special guests to campus – including visiting chefs, lecturers, and prominent figures – for overnight stays. It is also used to host various events dedicated to growing Penn College's student scholarship fund.

12:30 - 2:20 PM - Ticketed Workshops

Tinker, Twist, Balance: Finding Equilibrium Through Calder-Inspired Kinetic Sculpture - Room 161

Sunnylee Mowery

Drawing from a successful classroom-tested lesson for grades 3–5, participants will create Calder-inspired kinetic sculptures while exploring balance, experimentation, and creative inquiry.

Keywords: hands-on, kinetic, balance

Bringing Art Conservation to the Classroom: A Case Study - Room 253

Andrea Keefe

In this hands-on session, explore a school/non-profit collaboration that piloted a standards-aligned curriculum introducing art conservation/preservation concepts through interactive, student-centered activities.

Keywords: Art Conservation in the Classroom

Hear It. See It. Make It: A Hands-On Synesthesia Experience - Room 259

Leslie Grace

Experience how music, emotion, and abstract art intersect through a hands-on synesthesia lesson. Participants will create layered watercolor compositions inspired by sound while exploring strategies for teaching abstraction, student voice, and cross-disciplinary connections. Walk away with a ready-to-use lesson that blends creativity, structure, and meaningful reflection.

Keywords: synesthesia, watercolor, music, interdisciplinary

Embroidery Embellished Portraits - Penn's Inn

Todd McGill - Blick Art Materials

Drawing and embroidery combine in this workshop. Perfect for introducing embroidery, this workshop focuses on adorning a graphite portrait with colorful, imaginative embroidered embellishments. Stitch guide provided.

Keywords: Textiles, Drawing, Embroidery, Exploration, SEL

1:30 - 2:20 PM - Breakout Sessions

PAEA Research Poster Party: Reception of Fresh Ideas and Innovations - Room 164

The PAEA Higher Education Division invites you to our inaugural PAEA Research Poster Party! Join us for 50 minutes of cutting-edge research sharing in an informal setting. Be prepared for the reception of fresh ideas and innovations from:

Sue Jenkins: Creative Explorations in Augmented Reality: AR Stickers, Posters and Wayfinding
Sue Jenkins: Ode to Cats: Foundation Year Group Art Project
Andrea McDonough: TAG a Future Art Educator
Gabi Rost-Tallman: PCE’s and Art Education: How art classrooms foster community-based positive childhood experiences
Elizabeth Myers: Reimagining The Art Classroom as a Third Space: Supporting Emotional Regulation, Student-Agency, and Belonging

Finding Your People: Mentorship, Belonging, and Burnout Prevention for Art Educators - Room 205

Jes Noel

Burnout thrives in isolation. Grounded in original research, this session explores how mentorship and professional community combat attrition and sustain educators at every career stage.

Keywords: Mentorship, Burnout Prevention, Educator Retention, Professional Community, Belonging

Should we be grading effort? A collaborative investigation of a controversial grading practice. - Room 207

Leslie Gates

Effort is a common criterion listed on rubrics used to grade student work in art classrooms. Strong arguments against grading effort exist, and yet, the practice persists. In this lively session, we will work together to re-examine grading effort in service of a more intentional and reflective assessment practice.

Keywords: assessment, effort, reflection, grading

2:30 - 3:20 PM - Breakout Sessions

Vulnerability in the High School Art Room: Educating Others on Mental Illness Through Art - Room 164

Jennifer Rodgers

This lecture will explain how art is used to communicate, foster self-expression, and mental health advocacy in the high school art classroom.

Keywords: Art, Mental Health, Investigation, Creation

From Wondering to Research: Accessible Classroom Action Research - Room 205

MaryJo Rosania-Harvie

Art educators are action researchers! They notice, question, adjust, and reflect. Classroom Action Research helps make that thinking visible, intentional, and shareable.

Keywords: action research, classroom research, artist-teacher-researcher

How to create, maintain, and sustain a Choice-based elementary art program. - Room 207

Aliza Herman

What is Teaching for Artistic Behaviors, and how does an art educator transform their art program into a student-centered, choice-based art program?

Keywords: Student-centered choice based art

2:30 - 3:50 PM - Panel Session

Navigating New Frontiers in Art Education Together - Room 201

Wanda Knight, PAEA Distinguished Fellows

Who controls art education's future? Through shared research and spirited dialogue, educator-visionaries map creative, ethical, and technological horizons—igniting purpose, inviting every voice into the reckoning.

Keywords: AI in Art Education, Equity and Student Well-Being, Sustainable Futures in Art Education, Future of Art Education

2:30 - 4:20 PM - Ticketed Workshops

Go Slow: Crochet and Needle Felting as Mindful Making - Room 253

Jenni Sweitzer, Andrea McDonough

Engage with two artist-educators who have fully embraced the power of slow craft. Slow down, regulate, and transform your classroom through needle felting and crochet.

Keywords: Slow down and craft

From Recognition to Advocacy: Empowering Art Educators Through OVAC and Action - Room 259

Jillette Smith

Interactive workshop helps art educators leverage OVAC awards, reframe worthiness, and create advocacy postcards inviting legislators while promoting equitable, culturally responsive storytelling and program visibility.

Keywords: Arts advocacy, OVAC awards, educator leadership, community engagement, culturally responsive practice

3:30 - 4:20 PM - Breakout Sessions

Curiosity Didn’t Kill the Cat—It Fed their Soul ! A Free mini Make ‘n Take. - Room 164

Lisbeth Bucci

Free, fun, mini make/take includes all materials, presenter’s curiosity and self-care narrative, a variety of interest driven activities, generating a path of discovery and experimentation.

Keywords: hands -on, experimentation, free, fun, self -care

Adaptive Art: Everyone can create - Room 205

Geena Teodecki

Art is for everyone! Expect inclusive lessons, techniques, and curriculum to support students with disabilities in adaptive art. Discuss materials and ideas to support inclusion.

Keywords: Adaptive, Inclusion, Natural Environment Teaching, Process-based

Classroom as Studio as Lab: How Are Artists Like Scientists? - Room 207

Haley Parker - Art of Ed

Discover how artistic and scientific inquiry intersect. Through hands-on material exploration and reflective discussion, educators gain practical strategies to position their classrooms as studios and labs.

Keywords: Artistic Inquiry, Studio Practice, Experimentation

5:00 - 9:00 PM - Members Mart - New Trail Brewing

Transportation is on your own.

6:00 - 8:00 PM - Featured Speaker - Raine Valentine @ the Pajama Factory in the Clerestory Ballroom - Transportation is on your own.

Art and the Soul: Indigenous Ways of Knowing, Connection, and Collective Creation

This presentation explores the profound connection between art, spirituality, and the soul through the lived experience of an Indigenous artist educator Raine Dawn Valentine. Drawing from Indigenous ways of knowing, teaching, and creating, this session invites participants to consider art not only as a product or skill, but as a sacred practice—one that supports healing, identity, belonging, and interconnectedness.

The presenter will share her personal journey as an Indigenous educator and intuitive artist, reflecting on how spirituality informs her creative process, teaching philosophy, and classroom practice. Grounded in Indigenous perspectives, the session highlights the belief that all things are connected—people, land, spirit, and creation—and that art is a powerful way to make those connections visible and felt.

Central to the presentation is the Flower of Life, a sacred geometric symbol found across cultures and throughout history. Participants will explore the symbolism of the Flower of Life as a visual representation of unity, balance, and the interconnected nature of existence, and how this aligns with Indigenous teachings that emphasize relationality and collective responsibility.

The session will culminate in a collaborative, community-based art-making experience. Participants will work together to create a large-scale Flower of Life mural, embodying the very principles discussed throughout the presentation. This shared creative act serves as both a reflection and a practice—demonstrating how communal art-making can foster connection, mindfulness, and a deeper understanding of art as a soulful, transformative experience.

This session is designed for educators seeking to reconnect with the deeper purpose of art education and to bring more meaning, intention, and collective spirit into their teaching practice.

Youtube Videos: Community Mural of the Flower of life:

https://youtu.be/t932rnIyxM0?si=Sa6Uh2VRni7yK0fy

https://youtu.be/-b165ILsg1c

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