GAEA Conference Fall 2024

Learn from local artist SAMI JACQ: Participants will learn about the history of floral symbolism within artwork, focusing on the Dutch Golden Age. Additionally, we will discuss the chemical properties of oil paint and mediums and how different pigments have historically been used. Sami Jacq is an emerging artist, born and raised on the outskirts of Atlanta. Her body of work mainly consists of paintings. When she was a sophomore in high school, Sami began painting her favorite songs and soon discovered that she had synethsthesia, a condition that causes her senses to merge and interpret sounds as vivid colors. She feel deeply in love with colors and creative expression, which led her to art school. In 2021, she earned her BFA in Painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Sami now focuses on painting dramatic, detailed flowers, commenting on life's fragility and including indertones of her personal faith through the symbolism of nature. She continues to expand her portfolio in the Atlanta area.

Based on a case study conducted at UGA ("Caregivers, Creativity, and Conversation: Investigating Place and Belonging at a Rural School Through Artmaking", Goeckel, 2024), this workshop explores strategies for using artmaking to engage caregivers and families from your school community in meaningful dialogue that promotes a sense of belonging, place, and community. While this research was investigated in a rural elementary school setting, it has applications across grade levels and settings. This workshop will discuss specific strategies and examples for facilitating parent and caregiver workshops, school-wide family events, and more that encourage intentional listening to learn more about families, establish strong family-school connections to build community and belonging, and weave artmaking into a variety of school experiences for students and families. This workshop will also give a brief glimpse into what Victoria calls her "Dollar General Art curriculum" that strives to make artmaking accessible and engaging for families, whether they are at home or at school.

This presentation will provide examples of art integration lessons that incorporate art standards as well as content standards. The lessons will be easily adaptable to multiple grades. The presentation will include an introduction to art integration as we see it impactfully practiced in our schools today. We will discuss the benefits of including other content areas in our art instruction such as: helping students to make personal connections to the content, increased overall academic achievement, developing student’s ability to apply learning to other experiences, and many more. Presenters will walk through specific lessons which integrate art with math, language arts, literacy, science, and social studies so that they will leave with relevant lessons to implement immediately. All lessons will support art standards as well as content standards.

In this workshop participants will hear about grant opportunities, teacher resources, new careers in art video’s, and how to get free art PD for your county or RESA.

Local Artist, Kyle Brooks, presents about his life and work. A BlackCatTips is a painter and muralist. A BlackCatTips is a poet and a thinker— a teller of tales. A BlackCatTips is Kyle Brooks, a street folk artist from way down in the American South.

In addition to his studio and mural work, Brooks creates street poems and whimsical roadside art installations. With his brush, bright colors and a few found materials, he paints the world happy.

Brooks lives in Arabia Mountain, Georgia with his nice lady wife and two little babies. He also has a pet chicken and enjoys growing orchids. One day he hopes to live in a biscuit house.

Every wondered how to get more involved in GAEA? Want to help with Capital Art or YAM? Have ideas to help make our organization better? Want to run for a position on the GAEA Board? This is the workshop for you! We will discuss everything you need to know to become more involved and how you can help us be better.

SCAD represenattive presenting about all the educator programs available for art educators.