VAEA Conference, Harrisonburg, Virginia, 2023
Another Virginia Art Education Conference has come and gone, and I’ve got a renewed appreciation and love for not just my profession, but for Harrisonburg, Virginia. It’s been a long time since I’ve last been there, and while it’s not nearly as artsy as Richmond (where we had the conference last year), it’s got a genuinely friendly warmth and historic charm, not to mention some amazing places to eat. I didn’t do any workshops or presentations this time around, and preferred instead to check out what other art educators had to offer, much of which was very inspiring - a highlight being artist Steve Prince’s incredibly moving keynote presentation (third photo). My good friend of over thirty years, @emscottart’s “Get To Work” talk was highly motivating as well, and it was so great to watch someone I consider a brother, deliver such an awesome talk. Another highlight was being able to sell lots of my work at the Artisans Market, which I posted about over at @splotchmonsterisland, and meet some wonderful people. I’m so grateful that the organizers of this conference recognize that many of us art teachers are also artists and crafters, and gave us a platform and an opportunity to get our stuff out there in the world. I also found a Greenberry’s Coffee Co, which has a very special, personal significance in that @krisloyaart and I would go to the one that used to be in Leesburg every weekend, when we lived there, and split a blueberry scone between the two of us, over a coffee. Luckily, the one on the JMU campus still serves the exact same, incredible scones, which I made a point to get both Friday and Saturday morning. Anyway, I learned so much and ate too much and had so much fun over the past several days, and it’s hard to believe it’s over already - it all went by way too quickly. Already looking forward to next year’s event! #vaea #vaea2023 #harrisonburg #arteducation #arteducator #artteacher #artteachers #artteachersofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #artistoninstagram #art #harrisonburgva #greenberryscoffee #artteacherlife #dmvartist #loudouncountyartist #loudounart
VAEA Conference, Harrisonburg, Virginia, 2023
Another Virginia Art Education Conference has come and gone, and I’ve got a renewed appreciation and love for not just my profession, but for Harrisonburg, Virginia. It’s been a long time since I’ve last been there, and while it’s not nearly as artsy as Richmond (where we had the conference last year), it’s got a genuinely friendly warmth and historic charm, not to mention some amazing places to eat. I didn’t do any workshops or presentations this time around, and preferred instead to check out what other art educators had to offer, much of which was very inspiring - a highlight being artist Steve Prince’s incredibly moving keynote presentation (third photo). My good friend of over thirty years, @emscottart’s “Get To Work” talk was highly motivating as well, and it was so great to watch someone I consider a brother, deliver such an awesome talk. Another highlight was being able to sell lots of my work at the Artisans Market, which I posted about over at @splotchmonsterisland, and meet some wonderful people. I’m so grateful that the organizers of this conference recognize that many of us art teachers are also artists and crafters, and gave us a platform and an opportunity to get our stuff out there in the world. I also found a Greenberry’s Coffee Co, which has a very special, personal significance in that @krisloyaart and I would go to the one that used to be in Leesburg every weekend, when we lived there, and split a blueberry scone between the two of us, over a coffee. Luckily, the one on the JMU campus still serves the exact same, incredible scones, which I made a point to get both Friday and Saturday morning. Anyway, I learned so much and ate too much and had so much fun over the past several days, and it’s hard to believe it’s over already - it all went by way too quickly. Already looking forward to next year’s event! #vaea #vaea2023 #harrisonburg #arteducation #arteducator #artteacher #artteachers #artteachersofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #artistoninstagram #art #harrisonburgva #greenberryscoffee #artteacherlife #dmvartist #loudouncountyartist #loudounart