Saturday

* 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 – 12:00 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.

Exhibitions Highlight: Stop by the PAEA Retiree/Fellows table (conveniently next to the coffee station) for: Discard to Discovery, A Free Maker Space!

In the spirit of sustainability, experimentation and discovery, stop by the FREE Make and Take table. You can stay and play or take and make at home on your own time. We offer a variety of reusable materials, good conversation and fun!

8:00 - 9:50 AM - Legacy Breakfast - Jackie Thomas - Mountain Laurel Room, John F. Thompson Professional Development Center

Jackie Thomas is a prominent fiber artist, retired art educator, and administrator from the Williamsport Area School District in Pennsylvania. Her textile work—frequently focusing on diversity, interdependence, and her own ancestry—has been featured in exhibitions like the Susquehanna Art Museum's DOSHI Gallery and Pennsylvania College of Technology's gallery.

Her distinguished career and artistic contributions to the Pennsylvania arts community include:

Signature Exhibits: Notable textile works and installations such as "I Am, We Are" and "I Have More Rights Inside the Pueblo; I Have More Rights Outside the Pueblo" have earned critical acclaim, including honors at regional "Art Alive" exhibitions.
The Science of Fibers: She is known for curating experimental art collections and organizing educational workshops, like those supported by the Clinton County Arts Council at The Station Gallery in Lock Haven, PA.
Professional Leadership: An active member of the Pennsylvania Art Education Association (PAEA), Thomas has regularly showcased and discussed how contemporary art highlights societal barriers and social change.

8:00 - 8:50 AM - Breakout Sessions

Art Is Education: Why Art Belongs at the Center of Every School's Future-Ready Strategy - Room 201

Haley Parker - Art of Ed

Make the case for art education with research-backed evidence, experience a student-centered lesson firsthand, and leave equipped to activate advocates for your program.

Keywords: Creativity, Authenticity, Human-skills, Advocacy

Bridging the Gap: Examining Student Teacher Readiness in Art Education Clinical Practice - Room 205

Lindsay Esola

Exploring art education student teacher readiness through mentor teacher and supervisor perspectives, highlighting preparation gaps, emerging trends, and practical strategies for strengthening clinical experiences.

Keywords: Art Education, Student Teaching, Teacher Preparation, Clinical Experience

Community, Collaboration, and Creativity: How a Cardboard Arcade Engages a School - Room 207

Geena Teodecki, Aysel Tuna

Cardboard arcades can encourage choice, craftsmanship, and collaboration. By partnering with Design Lab, we teach Universal Design and Engineering while creating a school-wide arcade!

Keywords: Universal Design, Choice, Collaboration STEAM

8:00 - 9:50 AM - Ticketed Workshops

Body and Soul: Body Mapping Storytelling in the Art Classroom - Room 161

Ann Holt, Teresa Sehkon, Eric Anthony Berdis, Youngjoo Kim, and some PAEA student chapter preservice art education students

In this interactive multimodal workshop, participants explore body mapping as an arts-based strategy for identity- exploration, storytelling, well-being, and culturally responsive teaching through hands-on activities.

Keywords: body mapping, identity exploration, social-emotional learning, cultural storytelling, disability justice, health and wellness education, environmental awareness, and community-based inquiry

Quick, Cheap, and Easy: No-Fuss Silkscreens - Room 253

Melissa Jenkins - Centered Earth

Learn a simple, immediate method for creating original designs using screen printing techniques. We’ll cover material selection and cost-saving alternatives, then engage hands-on to create and print your own single-color design. You’ll leave with knowledge and samples for integrating this technique into your classroom, plus resources to adapt screen printing for different media and applications.

Keywords: screen printing, printmaking, silkscreen, 2-D art, community art

Creative Constraint: Collage Within Limits - Room 259

Sue Jenkins

In this playful and creative hands-on paper collage workshop, participants will discover the power of working with creative constraints to create a work of art.

Keywords: Collage, "Creative Constraint," Playful, Insightful

9:00 - 9:50 AM - Breakout Sessions

Augusta's STEAM Academy - Room 201

Abigail Dearden

Learn about the Demuth Museum of Art's newest STEAM program, Augusta's STEAM Academy with a lecture and a hands-on workshop!

Keywords: Classroom-in-residence, STEAM, cooking, gardening

Beyond the Bulletin: Expanding Interactive Displays for School-Wide Engagement - Room 205

Benjamin Hoffman

Explore new ways to transform everyday school spaces into hubs of creativity, competition, and connection.

Keywords: Display, Bulletin, Advocacy

Students’ Perceived Challenges of Peer Feedback and Recommendations for Feedback Practices - Room 207

Caitlin Meixell

Students may struggle to give effective peer feedback because they lack trust in themselves, their peers, or their classroom culture. This session shares research-based insights from an eighth-grade art classroom on students’ perception of peer feedback and offers strategies for teachers to cultivate a culture of feedback.

Keywords: Peer feedback, feedback structures, Master’s thesis research study, student agency, classroom culture

10:00 - 10:50 AM - Breakout Sessions

Teachers as Artists - Room 201

Ryan Hnat

Teachers as Artists: Why Creative Practice Matters in Art Education

Keywords: Teacher as Artist, Art Education, Creative Practice, Educator Exhibition, Professional Growth

One Program, Many Audiences: Tailoring Your Data-Driven Advocacy Message for Every Stakeholder - Room 205

Jes Noel

Same data, different audiences. Learn to translate student outcomes into compelling advocacy that moves school boards, administrators, families, and communities to act.

Keywords: Arts Advocacy, Stakeholder Communication, Data-Driven Decision Making, Program Sustainability, Strategic Messaging

Managing the Mess: Stress and Burnout Solutions for Art Teachers - Room 207

Sarah Swanson

This presentation is based on research taken from various mental health and science experts and applied to the field of art education. The purpose of this presentation is to apply this knowledge specifically to art teaching and how it can help educators increase job satisfaction and retention to the profession. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Crisis Intervention, “Cathedral Thinking,” Self-care and the Neuroscience of Art are all explored. Of particular focus to the presentation is how this knowledge has personally guided the career of the presenter through more than twenty years working with students with behavioral irregularities.

Keywords: Burnout, teacher retention, self-care, job satisfaction

10:00 - 10:20 AM - Panel Session

Preservice Research Panel: Sharing New Stories in Art Education - Room 164

Eric Anthony Berdis, Various Preservice Students

Student opportunities are foundational to art education. This panel invites PAEA preservice art educators to share brief presentations on research, storytelling, world-building, and emerging pedagogies.

Keywords: Art Based-Research, Undergraduate Stories, Teaching and Pedagogy

10:00 - 11:50 AM - Ticketed Workshops

Relational Artmaking in a Community Context Serving Unhoused Adults - Room 161

Kristin Baxter

What changes when we recognize shared human vulnerability? Participants engage in dialogue-based artmaking and create layered multimedia drawings inspired by a community Art Circle serving unhoused adults.

Keywords: Relational Artmaking; Belonging; Dialogue; Community Engagement; Restorative Practices

Soft Symbols: The Ins and Outs of Needle Felting - Room 253

MaryJo Rosania Harvie

Explore needle felting through hands-on making, examples, and idea sharing while we work! Participants will create a felted symbol/patch while brainstorming classroom-ready strategies.

Keywords: needle felting, soft sculpture, wool sculpture, symbolism

Neurographic Art: a meditative and restorative process - Room 259

Andrea Klein

Learn about the origins and practice of Neurographic Art. Create your own neurographic work of art in a peaceful atmosphere. Suitable for all ages. Paper, sharpies, and a limited number of markers, and colored pencils will be available for participants to use. Participants are encouraged to bring along their own preferred art supplies as well.

Keywords: Neurographic hands-on mindfulness

Depth Perception - Penn's Inn

Todd McGill - Blick Art Materials

Discover and illustrate strategies for creating the illusion of depth in art within the pages of a simple tunnel book.

Keywords: 2D, 3D, Drawing, Papercraft, Cutting

11:00 - 11:50 AM - Breakout Sessions

Drawing Essentials v2.0 - An Analog and Digital Drawing Experience - Room 201

EJ Herczyk

This presentation explores integrating digital drawing with traditional drawing to better prepare art and design students for advanced study and future careers.

Keywords: drawing, digital drawing, design, digital art, technology

Sketchbook for Self-Care - Room 205

Leah Shuck

Learn how online sketchbook meetings help PA art educators uplift and hold one another accountable to make the time to do the thing that we love...make art!

Keywords: SEL, Artist and Art Educator, Self-Care

Expanding Visual Literacy Strategies: Bridging Art and Other Content Areas - Room 207

Forrest Walter - Art of Ed

Explore innovative ways to incorporate visual literacy strategies both inside and outside the art classroom. We will delve into the importance of visual literacy in our increasingly visual world with practical examples, focusing on strategies or activities that can be seamlessly integrated into art classes and other content-area classrooms.

Keywords: Visual Literacy, Cross Curricular Connections, Implementation

12:00 - 12:15 PM - 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 division meeting, eat and fellowship with others from your same level!

12:15 - 12:50 PM - Division Meetings

Elementary - Room 164

Middle Level - Room 205

Secondary - Room 207

Higher Education / Administration - Room 201

Museum - Room 253

Preservice / Emeritus - Room 259

1:00 - 1:50 PM - Breakout Sessions

Wheel Throwing at Any Age - Room 164

Melissa Jenkins - Centered Earth

Some say that kids are too young for the potter’s wheel, but we don't think so! By prioritizing process over product and playing to their strengths, students of all ages can have positive experiences with wheel throwing. This session will present repeatable steps that empower teachers to expand clay in their K-12 classrooms.

Keywords: clay, ceramics, pottery, wheel throwing, K-12

Building Community in Cyber Art Through National Art Honor Society - Room 201

Jillette Smith

Learn how to create a virtual NAHS chapter that builds community, fosters leadership, and celebrates student achievement in cyber art programs.

Keywords: Cyber art education, National Art Honor Society, virtual community, student leadership, inclusive practices

Awe in Art Education - Room 205

Andrea McDonough

Moments of awe can be sparked through wonder and occur throughout our lifespaces. In the classroom, these moments can ignite learning, authentic connection, and critical thinking. Join us to define awe, share related research, and offer practical strategies to integrate awe, belonging, curiosity, and joy into the learning journey.

Keywords: awe, wonder, creativity, wellbeing

Teaching Together: Creative Partnerships That Shape Strong Classroom Communities - Room 207

Wendy Milne

This session highlights how creative teaching partnerships enrich learning, build strong classroom communities, and model respectful connection through examples from elementary art and community collaborations.

Keywords: Collaboration, Partnerships, Reflection, Interdisciplinary Teaching

1:00 - 2:50 PM - Ticketed Workshops

Access by Design: Supporting Young Disabled Artists - Room 253

Lauren Stichter

Support the next generation of Disabled artists through thoughtful lesson design. Use a UDL planning tool to increase accessibility, remove barriers, and expand creative engagement.

Keywords: Universal Design for Learning (UDL), accessibility, inclusive pedagogy

Print, Press, Peel: Foam Sheet Marker Monoprints for Every Grade Level - Room 259

Leslie Grace

Join a hands-on workshop exploring foam sheet and marker monoprints as an accessible printmaking process for all grade levels. Participants will create vibrant prints while learning classroom-ready strategies that are budget-friendly, inclusive, engaging, adaptable, easy to implement, and support student creativity, experimentation, and artistic voice.

Keywords: monoprint, printmaking, foam print, markers

Draw Together - OFF-SITE @ The Bunny Hole - Transportation is on your own

Emily Armstrong

A Drawing Party! Collaborate on large drawings or create small solo pieces at The Bunny Hole, the pop-up micro-venue & art project of Emily Armstrong. Participate in communal creativity and learn more about The Bunny Hole project; the production & impact of participatory experiences, art parties, and swaps.

2:00 - 2:50 PM - Breakout Sessions

Learning from Unknown Teachers: Wayfaring Archives of Art Education - Room 201

Kim Youngjoo, Carly Sherman, Eric Anthony Berdis

Through archival reflection drawings, wayfaring, and speculative methodologies, participants reconsider children’s popular media drawings as culturally entangled practices beyond developmental narratives.

Keywords: History, Archives, Wayfaring, Children's Drawings

Whose art is it? Exploring Authorship, Robotics, and the Soul of Art - Room 205

Jamie Linn Brown

Can a robot create art with soul? Explore an innovative 8th-grade art project where students used coding, robotics, and contemporary art to investigate creativity, authorship, and artistic value in the age of AI. Discover practical strategies for integrating STEAM, critical inquiry, and meaningful artmaking into today's middle school classroom.

Keywords: STEAM, technology, authorship, experimentation, mark-making

Disengagement as Adaptation: Reframing Engagement in High School Art in Special Education - Room 207

Margo Wunder

From “Ugh” to Aah!” Learn practical strategies for engaging unmotivated high school students. Reframing perceptions can transform participation and rebuild student investment in creative learning.

Keywords: engagement, participation, adaptations, special education

5:00 - 7:00 PM - Featured Speaker Guadalupe Martinez @ Lycoming College Art Gallery

Transportation is on your own. A light hors d’oeuvres reception will be served.

Sensorial Visualities: Embodied Research as Expansive Pedagogy

This workshop invites educators to explore Martinez’ evolving concepts of sensorial aesthetics and expansive pedagogies as radical tools for transforming art-making and collective relating. Through a multidisciplinary approach involving movement, touch, performance and expressive arts, as well as land-nature connection, participants will engage in embodied research to unearth ancestral wisdom and nurture the creative-body within the learning environment. By privileging the body as a primary site of knowledge, this session aims to animate new ways of being that foster healing and expand consciousness in and out of the classroom.

This program will be facilitated by Marisa C. Sánchez, PhD, Assistant Professor of Art History at Lycoming College.

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