ssARTful Teaching Conference
The ARTful Teaching Conference brings together professors and pre-service teachers from Arkansas colleges and universities for two days of exploration and learning in the realm of arts integration. Held annually in early April, the conference aims to introduce future elementary and secondary teachers to arts integration practices (the strategy of teaching subject area content in tandem with visual and performing arts modalities) early on in their careers, and to encourage college faculty and administrators to make arts integration strategies a basic part of their teacher preparation curriculum. The conference features hands-on workshops by teaching artists, classroom teachers, and educational scholars.
Held for a number of years at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute in Morrilton, AR, the 2021 ARTFul Teaching Conference was hosted virtually for the first time. In 2023, the Sequoyah Center in Fayetteville, AR was selected as the conference host site. Teacher education programs from every part of the state have attended:
Arkansas State University, Jonesboro
Arkansas State University, Mountain Home
Arkansas Tech University
Harding University
Henderson State University
Hendrix College
John Brown University
Lyons College
Philander Smith College
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
University of Arkansas, Fort Smith
University of Arkansas, Little Rock
University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff
University of Central Arkansas
University of the Ozarks
Southern Arkansas University – Magnolia
Past conferences have focused on the performing arts, dance, the visual arts, music, and artistic transformation and adaptation. Featured presenters have included former multiple Arkansas State Teachers of the Year, educators from Teachers College at Columbia University (NY), and the Director of El Sistema Lehigh Valley (PA).
Conference Themes:
2023: The Art of Possibility
2022: Charting New Paths
2021: The Art of the Story – Virtual Conference
2020: [Postponed due to pandemic]
2019: Student Empowerment Through the Arts
2018: Art and the Socially Engaged Classroom
2017: The Art of Remix
2016: The Art of Playful Learning
2015: Design Thinking Throughout the Curriculum
2014: The Sounds of Learning – Integrating Music and Subject Learning
2013: Putting Creativity into Practice
2012: Putting Literacy Center Stage – Drama and Theatre in the Classroom
.After two years attending the Artful Teaching Conference, I am more convinced than ever that arts integration is key to breaking the barriers that have historically plagued education in Arkansas. I truly believe that the work that the Center for Children and Youth is carrying out to empower educators across our state through arts integration is bound to have a profound impact on our students. It is so inspiring to me to see teachers learning to reach students and meet their needs in ways that stretch far beyond traditional methods or the traditional curriculum.
— Courtney Cochran (2017 Arkansas Teacher of the Year)
At a time when funding for the arts is in jeopardy, the ARTful Teaching Conference plays a crucial role in affirming the centrality of arts in education. Providing participants with practical tools grounded in theory, the conference fosters a community of educators committed to cultivating creativity in the classroom. I left the conference inspired and invigorated by those I met, reminded of the inherent artfulness of teaching itself.
—Adele Bruni Ashley (Teachers College, Columbia University)
The Artful Teaching Conference radically changed my idea of pedagogy. Art is no longer an isolated subject; art is an integral part of the classroom, from informal formative assessments to project-based unit design.
–Lindsey Hart (Pre-Service Teacher, Arkansas State University)
This conference is a highlight of my academic year. The leaders are so knowledgable about the arts and how educators may integrate the arts! The breakout sessions are so interesting and provide ideas for teaching. The setting is superb.
— Stephanie Pepper (Associate Professor at Arkansas Tech University)
Nathan Blom (right) leads participants in multimodal literacy exercises. Blom and colleague Adele Bruni Ashley shared ideas and strategies developed in the Literacy Unbound program at Teachers College, Columbia University (NY).