Left to right: Elainy Lopez, Sakura Stevens, Kristin Garrison, Serena Naidu, Dr. Christina Bain, and Sarah Chestnut.
At the largest gathering of visual arts education professionals in the world, the annual National Art Education Association (NAEA) conference, UT Austin Art Education faculty and graduate students present cutting-edge research into arts pedagogy. Held in Boston this year, the conference featured over a thousand sessions and workshops by art educators, in addition to a keynote address from artist Amy Sherald.
Art Education Associate Professor Christina Bain presented "Extrapolate and Graduate: Using a Scenario-Based Game to Prepare Pre-service Students," alongside Dr. Joana Hyatt (Lamar University), Dr. Samantha Nolte-Yupari (Nazareth College), and Dr. Kristin Taylor (California State University-Northridge). In this session, Bain and her colleagues walked participants through a set of best practices for teaching pre-service students about the complexities of teaching through authentic scenarios in a low-risk environment; a method that encourages problem-solving through dialogic inquiry.
In addition, graduate students Sarah Chestnut, Kristin Garrison, Serena Naidu, Elainy Lopez, and Sakura Stephens presented "Negotiating Culture Through Social Encounters: The Making of an Alfombra" alongside Bain and colleague Dr. Rina Little (Texas Tech University Associate Professor). Within their session, graduate students discussed immersing themselves in alfombra-making and Semana Santa traditions in their UT abroad experience in Antigua, Guatemala. Through the process of creating a design, prepping materials, and building the alfombra, the group took part in a tradition that allowed them to experience the creation of a collaborative community art piece which forged a connection between themselves and the community of Antigua. Their NAEA presentation drove home the utility of the experience as a community-based art education project that acted as a catalyst for negotiating culture.