SUNDAY

Sunday 11:10am-12:10pm

Premier Speaker Kandy Lopez (she/her)

Room: Auditorium

“Presentation of Self” 

Born in New Jersey, she moved with her family to Florida at a young age. She received her BFA and BS from the University of South Florida, concentrating in Painting and in Marketing and Management. She received her MFA with a concentration in Painting from Florida Atlantic University in 2014. She has taught at Florida Atlantic University, Daytona State College, and is now teaching as an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, Media and Arts at the Halmos College of Art & Sciences at NOVA Southeastern University.

As an Afro-Caribbean visual artist, Lopez is eager to be challenged materialistically and metaphorically when representing marginalized individuals that inspire and move her. Her works are created out of the necessity to learn something new about her people and culture. Lopez is interested in developing a nostalgic dialogue between the artwork and the viewer. If she’s not learning from her materials and how it affects the message, it's not worth creating.

Bets Charmelus (he/him)

Room: Great Hall Side B

“Listening For Real: Tools for Bearing Witness”

In this session, my aim is to delve into the concept of listening as a fundamental aspect of bearing witness. We will examine some of our biases related to listening and our engagement in the act of listening using questions inspired by Mae Early from the Bartol Foundation. I will also share some of my own history in learning to listen within a specific, authoritative setting, a Haitian protestant church, and how my expression of music has influenced my listening skills. Our conversation will encompass the ethical dilemma of trying to avoid voyeurism/surveillance when bearing witness. We will conclude by exploring the practice of holding space through RESS-Q, a technique taught in the Bartol Foundation's TIPTA course. 

*Sponsored by the Bartol Foundation

Qais Assali (they/them)

Room: Sarah Peter 210

“Branding Conflict”

Branding Conflict upends ideas of place, invisibility, erasure, nationalism, propaganda, war games, gender discourse, and resistance. Highlighting contemporary design practices and processes, this fragmented brand provides a sense of unity among unreconciled and conflicting groups to assist and debate collective image building.

This combined course and exhibition study Branding Conflict, focuses on access to design technologies, brand identity, and Marxism in relation to art (Miles 2017), advertising, culture, and place-branding; the exhibition functions, in poetic or interpretive terms, as a fragmented brand style guideline, a failed group identity for a region, “The Middle East”. Creating a fragmented brand for a disunited regional identity of which one of the prominent connections is shared experiences of and responses to geopolitical conflict, the artworks exhibit and study subvert notions of corporate identity, brand voice, and brand consistency. They take sides to refute imposed roles of oppression and victimhood for this un/brandable identity. This disjointed brand exhibition is armed with graffiti, posters, inflight magazines, lookbooks, wayfinding signage, and tattoos. Engaging commercial aesthetics, these works propel us to question: What exactly is the brand (for regional identity) fighting for?

Hanna Lee (she/her)

Room: Sarah Peter 202

“Imagining Past Survival: Play & Creativity as the Opposite of Survival Mode”

Attendees will learn about the intersections of mental health and art through presentations, art experientials, and communal dialogue. This session will explore themes around mental wellness, artmaking, and the necessity of play for children and adults, especially in such a historically fraught time. The presenter will draw from her background in both art education and art therapy to provide insight on the interrelatedness of survival, play, and creativity, as well as implications for the art classroom.

Tara Harrison (she/her)

Room: Sarah Peter 206

“21st Century Artists of the Global Majority in the Elementary Art Room”

Learn how to incorporate a diverse range of 21st century artists in your elementary art curriculum. Expand your students' ideas of what art is and who makes it. Leave with concrete lesson examples and curriculum resources to help you foster an inclusive learning environment where all students are valued. Featuring a self-portrait lesson connected to Mickalene Thomas and a hands-on tissue paper collaboration inspired by Maya Freelon.

Austyn de Lugo-Liston (he/him, she/her)

Room: Sarah Peter 207

"Drag, Play, and Flaymboyancy in the Elementary Classroom”

Engage in an interactive workshop designed to bring creativity, inclusivity, and fun into the elementary classroom setting. In this workshop, participants will explore the power of drag culture, play-based learning, and flamboyant expressions as tools to enhance student engagement and foster a welcoming environment.

Through a  hands-on activity and discussion, I will share the ways to incorporate elements of drag performance, playful learning experiences, and flamboyant self-expression into your teaching practices.