ADCI to host regional arts education conference

Art educators and community members will gather on the Wichita State campus this month for an art education conference organized around the theme "building a civil society through art."

The United States Society for Education through Art regional conference will take place July 27-29. Click here to download the brochure and complete your conference registration.

Portland-based fiber artist Marie Watt will deliver the keynote address on Saturday and lead an afternoon sewing circle. Participants will collaborate on the creation of a community empowerment quilt. The Saturday-only registration option includes Watt’s keynote and workshop as well as lunch and snacks.

Picture of Marie Watt with information about her keynote address and sewing circle workshop.

Watt’s work draws from history, biography, protofeminism and Indigenous principles. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in painting and printmaking from Yale University.

Paul Sproll will deliver the keynote address on Sunday. He serves as the head of the Rhode Island School of Design’s department of teaching + learning in art + design. Sproll is dedicated to the development of progressive practices in art and design teaching and learning in K-12 schools and community-based settings.

ADCI faculty Kristin Beal, Robert Bubp, Jim Hellman, Claudia Pederson, Lori Santos and Levente Sulyok will be participating in panels or leading breakout sessions throughout the weekend.

“Art is an inclusive and humanizing force that is rich with activism and social critique inspiring change in individuals and the world,” said Lori Santos, ADCI associate professor of art education and conference organizer. “As educators, we must use our creative tools to express our needs and rights to our individual narratives, empowering thoughtful critique across differences, thus transforming our mural of humanity as we build a civil society.”

For questions about registration, please contact Teruko Mitchell in the WSU Conference Office at 316-978-6493.