In NYC!

I’m in New York City! And so excited to be attending the National Art Education Convention. It has been a whirlwind of activity. My roommate Susan Bartman and I took a 7:25 am flight Thursday from Detroit. Linda Tyson, from Oakland U, was also flying in and we shared a taxi into the City. The Hilton is huge and grand.

 Jean Shin

After our arrival we made it to our first sessions by 11 am. One of my very favorite art educators, Olivia Gude, was co-presenting. Her session considered Questions of Identity and she shared about “Space & Place” (meaning-making with perspective!) and “The Complex Characters of Disney” (most of us ban them in our rooms, don’t we?). She also shared a lesson that used student cell phones as source material. She will soon be posting these lessons on NAEA’s Digication site.

Jean Shin was next. She is nationally recognized for her monumental installations that transform everyday objects into elegant expressions of identity and community. Not an artist I was familiar with; I totally was fascinated by her work.

No trip to NYC would be complete without a visit to the MOMA, just around the corner from the convention. And entry was free with our badges! To see so many iconic art works “in person”  that we know and use was awesome. I hope to get back before I return home.

The Secondary Division Awards honored members who excelled as leaders. In her acceptance comments, Diane Scully said, “We never know whose lives we are going to touch so we need to tread lightly, carefully and passionately.”

In the evening, Michigan educators (at least 30 of us) met up in the lobby to walk over to Thalia for drinks and snacks. It was a great way to end the day!

More later…