By TAEA President, Melody Weintraub
TAEA as an organization is growing and learning just like its members throughout the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. We are adapting and learning ways to continue to make our organization viable in these troubling times. A positive example of this was when our regional conferences were cancelled. We stepped up to organize a combined summer conference and we ended up reaching out to those who might not have been able to attend otherwise.
On Saturday June 20, TAEA hosted its first-ever Virtual Studio Summer Conference! We were joined by over 70 eager art professionals from across the state as well as South Carolina and Louisiana! We were amazed with the initial keynote by Memphis sculptor, Tylur French. He not only discussed his process for creating monumental sculptures which have become iconic to the Memphis landscape and surrounding communities, but he shared the stories behind the making of installations such as the Bicycle Arch at Overton Park, the Water Tower on Broad Street, the MEMPHIS sign on Mud Island, Heart Installations at LeBonheur and the imaginative Sequined Mural at St. Jude Hospital, to name a few. Tylur gave us not only history and process, but he also shared the wisdom he has developed in working collaboratively with others in order to accomplish his goals.
Next we were taken into the studio of The University of Tennessee Art Professor, Beauvais Lyons, who taught us the history and technique for making Paste Paper. As Beauvais demonstrated the process, his enthusiasm over the medium not only energized the overall presentation, but engaged attendees who, having prepared paste beforehand, were able to make multiple decorative papers themselves, by experimenting with various tools made from available materials. They were also able to see how to implement this skill with students in the coming year.
Our last session for the day, “From Panel to Page: Illustrating a Comic,” was presented by Middle Tennessee State University art professor and published illustrator, Doug Dabbs.
Doug not only shared his amazing illustrations, but demonstrated the importance of composition to the message and how easily this form of art connects to language arts. Through various comic renderings he then showed examples of the Basic Panel Properties including Purpose, Mood, Character and Environment. Having given us files beforehand for a script and panel templates, he guided us through designing a simple story. It was fun to see the impact of his presentation as attendees shared their work on the Zoom screen! The webinar also included presentations by Advocacy Chair Amanda Tutor and Director of Community Outreach, Mike Mitchell.
We have received very positive feedback from participants who received 6.5 hours of professional development hours for participating following our Virtual Conference. We are very pleased that it was so beneficial to those who attended. This however, could not have happened without the thoughtful and meticulous planning of our Virtual Conference Planning Team. Early on, even before the regional conferences were cancelled, our TAEA Regional Chairs Jorden Miernik-Walker (West Tennessee), Heather McHugh (Middle Tennessee) and Angie McCarter (East Tennessee) each fastidiously planned amazing live Spring Conferences at various venues, which were then cancelled due to the pandemic. After their discussions with the TAEA Executive Board, consisting of President Melody Weintraub, Past President Kathy Dumlao, President-Elect David Meade, Treasurer Sherry Jankiewicz, and Secretary Rachel Town, it was decided to collaborate on one virtual event. These Regional Chairs not only helped secure our presenters for a second time, but their contributions to the schedule and content of the conference was invaluable. We also reached out to Tina Atkinson who also helped continue the momentum as Interim Middle Tennessee Regional Chair. Their hard work, along with that of TAEA Communications Director, Mary Katherine Chin in organizing registration and getting the word out on our website and links on social media contributed so much to the success of the event.
A recording of TAEA’s Virtual Studio Summer Conference, along with slide presentations will be available to those who attended. Keep watching our website and your email for more details!