By Shereen Ashai News Editor
The River Hill art department hosted a conference for the Maryland Art Education Association on October 17th. Each year, the statewide conference attracts a variety of teachers from all over Maryland and provides art educators with opportunities for professional development by allowing presenters to share knowledge about art curriculums.
Throughout the day, teachers engaged in hands-on workshops, sessions, or lectures. There was even an event for a curriculum slam and teacher awards. Perhaps the most anticipated event of the day was the spotlight session and the keynote speaker. During the spotlight session, participants learned about basic monoprinting and printing techniques by using various materials. The printing can then be incorporating into a lesson plan for collaging, journaling, or mixed media.
The keynote speaker for the day was Phil Hansen, an internationally recognized multimedia artist. As a commercial artist, Hansen has worked with companies like Skype, Mazda, and Disney. Hansen is also the founder of the Goodbye-Art Academy, an art education program that consists of educational videos for teachers and students. Through this new type of instruction, the program strives to allow students to explore their artistic passions through personal empowerment.
The conference also served as a valuable opportunity for teachers to see how art is promoted in other schools through art advocacy. This experience allowed educators to learn about innovative new ways to integrate art into their classrooms using pedagogy—the methods associated with education and instruction. The conference at River Hill drew approximately 500 teachers.
River Hill was chosen among all the high schools in Maryland by Gino Molfino, a former River Hill art teacher for 10 years. Molfino, now the head of the Maryland Art Education for all the fine arts in Howard County, felt that River Hill would be the perfect choice for the conference. However, that put a lot of pressure on the host school. River Hill art teacher, Jen Smith, explainedthat the art department and the members of the National Art Honor Society are busy preparing for the event by “organizing classrooms, hanging artwork, making signs, and assisting the teachers throughout the day.”
Throughout the week, numerous art pieces were prominently displayed around the auditorium lobby. Marissa Alper, vice president of the National Art Honor Society, explained that the club adamantly collected various pieces of art to cover the walls of the lobby. Mrs. Smith elaborated saying that they will try to include “as much as possible” to exhibit the “strongest pieces of artwork made by talented River Hill students.”
Students were able to stop by the auditorium lobby throughout the week to see the artwork of fellow classmates on display. You may have even seen your work exhibited for the conference!
