"Owning the Art Show: How to Conduct a Student-Lead Art Show" is a presentation style workshop where participants will learn how to plan, prepare, and present a school-wide art show that focuses on student ownership and accountability. In this workshop, teachers of every experience level will learn how to empower students to plan an art show that centers student voice and the school community. We will cover everything from how to encourage students to take on responsibilities related to curating and displaying art, to organizing, storing and displaying the art in a "Wow!" worthy way.
In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn how child artists’ monster drawings can become the starting point for soft sculpture, social-emotional learning, cross-age collaboration, and community connection. Based on a project in which young students explored emotions through The Color Monster and created monster drawings that older students transformed into handmade plushies, participants will practice translating an “ish-style” drawing into a small felt plush object while considering both creative interpretation and responsibility to the original young artist. Participants will sketch or work from a sample monster design, create a simple pattern, begin sewing and stuffing a plushie, and discuss classroom adaptations; a $8–10 materials fee is requested to cover felt, stuffing, thread, needles, pattern paper, and embellishments.
How can we help students see deeper meaning and purpose in their artwork? Through examples from graphic design, photography, drawing and painting, and Fine Arts Seal implementation, participants will explore strategies for using reflection, storytelling, and portfolio development to help students connect creative work to personal interests, future goals, and real-world opportunities. The session includes student work analysis, reflection activities, and discussion.
Discover how a cross-school & zone partnership transformed imaginative kindergarten drawings into dynamic three-dimensional sculptures created by high school students, highlighting the power of process and vertical curricular alignment. Participants will explore the project’s development, view student work, and engage in a brief collaborative brainstorming activity to adapt the model for their own settings. (For this project, 60 student pieces of artwork were created in total: 20 drawings, 20 clay sculptures, and 20 written creature origin stories. One "exhibit" consists of three works, one 2D, one 3D, and one write-up. We will showcase multiple exhibits of the Collaborative Creatures project at our presentation.)
Ready to bring your walls to life? This workshop introduces teachers to mural basics, bold beginner friendly lettering, and the behind the scenes essentials like proposals, budgeting, and planning. Come sketch, experiment, and leave with creative ideas and real world tools you can use right away with your students or your own projects.
