Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1962, Licia completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2012. Her artistic practice focuses on dimension, texture and multimedia processes such as paper bead making, crocheting with wire, painting, drawing and gold leaf to name just a few. Priest is very interested in the use of traditional, “craft” techniques to create what is considered “fine art”. The process she uses in this body of art is called Paper Tole. She takes the photographs, then manipulates the imagery through color changes, merging imagery, and altering line, space and shape. She makes duplicates of the images and cuts, stacks and shapes up to 50 layers to create high relief sculptures that have a level of depth and complexity that echoes the depth and complexities of African norms that connect her with the land and people she loves so much and chooses to depict in her work. 

Abi Paytoe Gbayee is an Assistant Professor of Art Education at the University of Northern Colorado and the Pacific Region Vice President for the National Art Education Association. With 18 years of K–12 art teaching before moving into higher education, she brings energy, humor, and practical strategies to her work with educators. Abi is passionate about helping teachers grow as leaders, whether through organizing conferences, mentoring new professionals, or designing creative, standards-based learning experiences. She believes leadership is a shared journey and is excited to inspire others in her talk, “Getting Involved in Leadership.” 

IAEA's 2022 book study course was based on Almost Lost Arts: Traditional Crafts and the Artisans Keeping Them Alive by Emily Freidenrich, Narayan Khandekar, and Margaret Shepherd. Our book study included a virtual opening session, six weeks of exploring new materials and techniques, a curriculum development component, creative activities built around traditional crafts and Idaho artists, and a virtual closing session.

With over two decades of experience making and teaching art, Hiep Nguyen has facilitated numerous community-based art projects for thousands worldwide. For IAEA’s Fall Conference he used his dynamic, fun-loving, and non-judgmental facilitation style to teach a variety of workshops that focus on collaboration in the classroom.  For more information about him and his process please visit www.circlepainting.org. 

Keynote Presentation by Liz Byron, Author and Educator

Liz Byron strives to be a compassionate and culturally responsive art educator. She is a dynamic presenter, author, and the K1-8th Grade Visual Art, Special Education, and ESL Teacher at a Boston Public School where her students describe her as kind and strict. She has presented on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) at numerous conferences, professional development workshops, and taught graduate-level courses on UDL, most recently as a teaching fellow for the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Liz shares some of her experiences in her book, Art for All: Planning for Variability in the Visual Art Classroom. She has six professional teaching licenses and education degrees from Boston College, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Lesley University.

The Fall 2020 conference was a one-day virtual event. Over 70 art educators from across the state joined us for Fill Your Cup: Mindfulness and Emotional Wellbeing. Presenters provided project inspiration, guidance on wellbeing and mindfulness in the classroom, and tips for distance learning. Presentations featured pre-recorded videos, some with live Q & A sessions, as well as live talks and demonstrations. The keynote speaker was Leah Clark, Performing Arts Educator from Boise, Idaho. Her presentation focused on making mindfulness exercises part of daily classroom routines. Throughout the day, Leah shared strategies for incorporating mindful thinking, stress management, and awareness into the lives of students and teachers. Idaho’s Teacher of the Year awards were presented and recipients were celebrated following the final session of mindfulness and gratitude. All conference recordings, slides, and handouts were available to attendees after the conference via a website link.