I cannot believe that we are now heading into March. Crazy, huh? They say that times flies when you get older and I sure do believe it.
If you are connected with me via social media you already know that I will be co-presenting on the DIY Gallery: A Deeper Look into the 365 Artists 365 Days Project with Appleton art teacher, Elyse Lucas at the upcoming National Art Education Associations’ Convention in New York. This will be my second time presenting at the national level. However, this journey was not an easy one to achieve.
Since 2010 I’ve submitted a proposal to present at this convention and have been rejected 5 years in a row. After 3 rejections I started to wonder if it was even worth submitting. After all, no one likes to be rejected, right? I knew that if I wanted to achieve the goal of presenting, then I will have to keep truckin’ along until that day comes. That day came in 2015 when I presented at the NAEA Convention in New Orleans on this same project, however, it has a different educational twist. One of my professional highlights. It does pay to reflect, revisit, and re-submit.
Per NAEA: NAEA received a record number of presentations this year (2,263) and, once again, relied upon scoring criteria for the blind peer review and selection process. The blind peer review process requires careful thought and consideration in terms of Topic (relevant, timely), Description (content, engaging), Outcomes, and overall program balance. The caliber of this year’s presentations was excellent—making the acceptance of 784 sessions (approximately 35%) highly competitive. The average score for accepted presentations was 38 (out of a possible 40).
Presentation description:
This session shares a story of how a Wisconsin art teacher created a very unique art lesson by implementing the 365 Artists 365 Days Project into her curriculum. The DIY Gallery: A Deeper Look into the 365 Artists 365 Days Project inspired her high school art students to research, collaborate, and to design their own mock up art galleries. Their journey led them to organize and curate a real exhibition in North East Wisconsin with artists from this project. This presentation will discuss how the idea of creating a DIY Gallery started, how it brought two arts professional into the conversation, importance of educating students on the logistics of putting together a successful exhibition, how to work with artists, and to network with local businesses/gallery owners to determine a possible venue for a student led art exhibition. The 365 Artists 365 Days Project highlights contemporary artists from across the globe through an online interview platform. Since its inception in 2014, it has introduced artist on a daily basis via online and social media. To date, it has featured over 700+ artists working in various media, processes, and studio practices. The session will be set up as a two-person presentation; the Wisconsin art teacher and the founder of the 365 Artists 365 Days Project. A PowerPoint will be shared with the audience containing student testimonials, video, examples of students’ promotional designs, and Q & A. In addition to the project’s website, excerpts from Edward Winkleman’s How to Start and Run a Commercial Art Gallery will be implemented into the student led DIY Gallery lesson plan.
This time I am happy to be working with Elyse. She is in her 5th year of teaching art. I’m glad to be there to guide her through her first professional presentation at the national level. I love the idea of passing it forward and bringing talented educators into the world of sharing art, education, and passion with others on a larger stage.
FRANK JUÁREZ 