Keynote Speaker: Gordon C. James

Gordon C. James is the award-winning illustrator of CROWN: AN ODE TO THE FRESH CUT, written by Derrick Barnes, for which Gordon received the Caldecott Honor, Coretta Scott King Honor and Ezra Jack Keats Honor awards, among others. Some of his other works include illustrations of Patricia McKissack’s SCRAPS OF TIME series.

Born in Washington DC and raised in Fort Washington, Maryland, Gordon has been pursuing an art career ever since attending high school at Suitland Center for the Visual and Performing Arts in Forestville, Maryland. From there he went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

After a national search in 1997, Gordon was one of only two full-time illustrators hired to work for Hallmark Cards Inc. As an award-winning fine artist, Gordon works to achieve the highest level of craftsmanship and beauty. These qualities have led to his paintings being featured in International Artist Magazine and his work being part of the Paul R. Jones Collection at the University of Alabama. He brings these same sensibilities to the table when creating his illustrative work. Gordon’s illustrations are soulful, emotive and technically sound. He works hard so that we know how the characters look and, more importantly, exactly how they feel. As a testament to these qualities, his illustrations were part of an exhibition at the Asheville Art Museum in Asheville, North Carolina. Among the many awards Gordon has received for his work is a Society of Illustrators Gold Medal.

Gordon C. James lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife Ingrid and their two children Astrid and Gabriel. He is proud to create beautiful works of art that help to tell stories and bring books to life.

The Hybrid Model

To keep everyone safe during this ever-morphing pandemic, our conference this year will follow a hybrid model.

Virtual Friday Evening, October 29
Keynote Address with Gordon C. James

Virtual Saturday, October 30
General Meeting, “Artivism” Sessions, Super Sessions, and Awards

Regional In-Person Workshops Saturday, November 6
Eastern Region at the University of Tennessee Art Department, Knoxville
Middle Region at the Frist Art Museum, Nashville
Western Region at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis

Other Information:

The Tennessee Art Education Association is proud to offer a hybrid conference this year, keeping teachers safe while providing some opportunities for in-person learning. Our conference will happen over two weekends – a virtual keynote on Friday, October 29 one day of virtual learning on Saturday, October 30 and one day of in-person learning on Saturday, November 6. Because of this hybrid model, we are not offering a one-day registration option. When you register, you will automatically receive access to the content on the virtual day, then you will select which region you want to attend for the in-person day. 

Workshop artists and descriptions for each region are listed below. 

In an effort to keep registration costs the same as last year’s conference, we are not providing lunch on the in-person day. However, a long lunch break will be built into the schedule to allow time for you to leave and get lunch. Or you can bring your own lunch and eat onsite. More information about lunch will be provided closer to November 6. 

Parking is included in the cost of registration, as are the supplies you’ll use for your workshops.

Costs

Member : $100

Non-Member : $130

Student : $30

Retired : $65

**NO PURCHASE ORDERS OR PERSONAL CHECKS WILL BE ACCEPTED. WE ACCEPT Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and apple pay. ** Please email taea@tnarteducation.org for payment questions

There will be a $30 non-refundable charge on all refunds. 

East Regional Workshops - University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Art and Architecture Building
1715 Volunteer Blvd
Knoxville, TN 37996

90 minute Mini Quilt with Melissa Everett

We will hand-sew a small quilt, starting with the quilt top, basting a quilt sandwich and then learn finishing techniques. Learn the terminology and skills involved in quilt making.

Melissa Everett is a self-taught quilter and textile artist living in Knoxville, TN. She began quilting in 2012 with the arrival of her first son. Her work has been included in national quilt shows; QuiltCon 2015, QuiltCon 2019, a special exhibit of modern quilts for International Quilt Festival 2020 in Houston, TX; several quilting magazines including Quiltfolk issue 4, as well as, McGhee Tyson’s Arts in the Airport Spring 2018 and Spring 2019. Inspired by nature and her own spiritual journey, her work is energized by textures and organic shapes created by the human hand. By improvising shapes and cuts she creates works that convey beauty through the complexity of life.

Draw What You See/ Draw What You Know With Joshua Bienko

Professor Joshua Bienko is committed to the practice and process of drawing. In this 2-part workshop, participants will be encouraged to:
1. Draw what they see, not what they know 
2. Draw what they know, not what they see. 
The atmosphere will be relaxed and fun. No drawing experience necessary

Joshua Bienko (b. 1978, NY) received his MFA from the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia in 2008, and his BFA from the University of Buffalo in 2000. He has exhibited at NADA (NY), Dallas Contemporary (TX), Artpace (TX), Labor Ebertplatz (Köln), Vox Populi (PA), Big Medium (TX), OUTERSPACE (facebook) and the Guggenheim Museum (in collaboration with YouTube Play Biennial). Most recently he has shown in Portland, New York, Baltimore, Brooklyn and Pittsburgh. He has also curated shows in Brooklyn, Queens, Seattle, and Gainesville and is one of the founding members of the artist-run space Ortega y Gasset Projects in Gowanus, and C for Courtside in Knoxville. He is a 2009 Tanne Foundation recipient, and a Hambidge Residency and V.C.C.A Fellow. Bienko is an Associate Professor in the School of Art at the University of Tennessee, where he teaches Drawing and Painting.

Middle Regional Workshops - Frist Museum
919 Broadway
Nashville, TN 37203

Bookbinding with Jerry Bedor Phillips

This workshop is a great introduction to bookbinding.  Simple book binding techniques that are easy and affordable will be covered. Participants will learn two book structures such as pamphlets and stab-binding. These methods are easy to teach in a classroom are great for student journal and notebook-based activities.

The goal for the workshop is for participants to make a set of single-fold pamphlets, and a set of two pocket sized stab-binding notebooks.

Jerry Bedor Phillips is an artist living and creating in Nashville, Tennessee. He is the building manager, studio assistant, and gallery coordinator for the Vanderbilt University Department of Art and for Space 204, the contemporary gallery space located in the E. Bronson Ingram Studio Arts Center. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in printmaking and drawing from Murray State University in 2007 and his Master of Fine Arts degree in printmaking and drawing from Bradley University in 2010.

Natural Dye for the classroom with M. Kelley

Explore the intersection of chemistry, biology, and creative arts through a hands-on project with Natural Dyes! Using a Solar Jar technique easily adapted for the classroom, you'll learn best practices for sustainable harvesting and ethical foraging, preparing materials for dye through long ferments, and techniques for cleaning and using your finished materials, all while exploring interdisciplinary connections to medium, history, and tradition.

M. Kelley's career includes a diverse and thorough approach to the arts. Inviting others into collaboration, curiosity, and cross-pollination, Kelley creates immersive, interactive spaces for dialogue, design thinking, and connection. 

Kelley’s civic and social practice work focuses on sustainability for artists at all levels, through creative placemaking, civic consulting, community development, advocacy, equitable access, and mentorship in the intersections of creativity, technology, and innovation, with a focus on activating creative community workspaces and creating space for creative disruption. They are a graduate of The Learning Lab, the Racial Equity in Arts Leadership Institute, and Vanderbilt's Leading Innovation in Arts and Culture, and a member of the Metro Nashville Committee for Antiracism and Racial Equity.

West Regional Workshops - Dixon Gallery and Gardens
4339 Park Avenue
Memphis, TN 38117

Found Object Diorama With Iza Bateman

Using one or more of the small objects provided, each person will create a diorama based off of their own inspirations inside of a clear food container using easily found and/or basic craft materials.

Iza Bateman received a Bachelor of Fine Arts – Sculpture from Memphis College of Art and is currently at the University of Memphis working toward a Master of Fine Arts – Sculpture.  In the past, she has worked primarily with metals, wood, stone, and glass.  Recently, her work has shifted to using many other materials such as fiberglass, latex, vinyl, textiles, and much more.  Iza has taught from 3rd grade to college level students, and loves the never ending challenges that come with teaching.

Mixed Media Assemblage with brittney boyd bullock

We all have scraps of paper, fabric, yarn, and beads that are leftover from larger projects. In this workshop, we’ll use those forgotten or discarded materials to create something new. No material is off limits: candy wrappers, bubble wrap, old clothes, book pages, and of course paper and fabric. Finished assemblages can also be embellished with embroidery or beads. Compositions can be purely abstract or start with a focal image in mind, and the multi-step process can be easily scaled for elementary to high school.

Brittney Boyd Bullock of Memphis, Tennessee, has worked as Project Manager for the Urban Art Commission, managing Memphis's largest public art archive and as the Partnerships and Community Engagement Manager for Crosstown Concourse & Crosstown Arts overseeing a variety of collaborative creative programs and exhibitions. She's now the Director of Youth Programs for the Memphis Music Initiative, helping to build sustainable relationships with Memphis' youth while implementing youth-led and youth-driven programs. As a visual artist working in textile, mixed media, and abstraction, her work is inspired by a glossary of visual text collected from Black American history and the symbolism found in flags, quilts, and intricate textiles. Bullock's abstract assemblages bring together familiar objects like strings, pipe cleaners, beads, trimmings, and cords, in such a way that they coalesce into forms that feel alive with movement and texture.