Art and the Resilient Learner

In this Professional Development course, teachers will learn how to help their students learn the much needed ability to be a resilient learner. This session focuses on building resilience through Art and this workshop has been created for those teaching K- 8th grade. The two hour workshop is in person and includes a presentation, discussion time, team building art projects and handouts for classroom instruction.

M. V. Moran (she/her) M. V. Moran earned her MFA in Visual Studies from Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon. Where she focused on painting and drawing as well as Critical Thinking and Critical Pedagogy. Moran holds a BFA in Painting from the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. After several years of working at the UO in Student Services, she resigned from her position and began her dream of becoming a professional artist. Moran has exhibited prolifically throughout the Pacific Northwest. Moran is an Artist-in-Residence for the Lane Arts Council and has taught at Bushnell University in Eugene, Oregon. Moran has been working with elementary children for the past thirty years from a parent volunteer, art instructor, Test Coordinator to Title One Educational Assistant.

Art Integration & Social Emotional Learning

Art integration and social emotional learning (SEL) are intimately tied and profoundly impactful when implemented in the post-pandemic classroom. While art integration fosters creativity growth and improves academic achievement, it also decreases barriers to participation – even for those students who struggle to find entry points to engagement. This workshop provides an introduction to art integration in the middle and high school classroom with concrete examples. We will explore student social and emotional wellness as we craft an artistic lesson for your students. (1 hour, virtual)

Michele Haney (she/her) Michele Haney has been an arts educator for over a decade. She is currently a middle school art teacher in Independence, Oregon and a summer Instructor at Oregon State University. She earned her BA in Art and MS in Arts Management from the University of Oregon and her MAT from Western Oregon University. Outside of raising her two boys, she loves to watercolor, make prints, and most recently, stained glass.

The Art of Infographics

From pictographs and instructional illustrations to complex representations of data in maps and charts, this session dives into the rich world of visual images used to communicate knowledge. Drawing connections between social studies, science, communication arts, and design, this session will provide inspiration for educators and lesson ideas they can use to help students of all ages become more savvy interpreters and communicators of information. (2 hours, in-person)

In Translation

In translation what is not said has meaning, nuances are carefully considered, approximations are substituted for the exact, which does not exist. In this session, we’ll explore communication and miscommunication across disciplines and art forms through illegible writings, creative mistakes, and more. Discover what is gained in the process of translation and come away with curriculum ideas for use with students of all ages (2 hours, in-person)

Wonder, Design, Play

How can we as educators foster wonder, invite playfulness into our teaching, and help our students explore the world in new ways? To answer, we’ll look to the work and ideas of two masters of creative education. Bruno Munari (1907-1998) was an artist, designer, writer, educator, and much more, whose approach to art and life centered on play and maintaining wonder. Gianni Rodari (1920-1980) was a beloved children’s author and educator, who imagined delightful, liberating ideas for playing with story. This session will take us across disciplines—from science, art, and design, to psychology, language, and more—and will provide curriculum ideas and creative strategies for use with students of all ages. (2 hours)

Sharon Kaplan (she/her) Sharon Kaplan is an artist and educator, who has lived in Eugene since 2006. After earning her B.S. (Penn State) and M.A. (UT Austin) in Art Education, she was a Fulbright scholar to Italy. There, she was introduced to the creative work of Bruno Munari and Gianni Rodari, whose approaches have influenced how she teaches and how she plays in her own art. She has worked in museums in the US and Italy and leads art and writing workshops for youth and families in public libraries, arts-based “inspiration infusion” curriculum workshops for teachers, and private art workshops for all ages. She teaches a youth Storytelling in Art class at Maude Kerns Art Center and is a Teaching Artist with Lane Arts Council.

Arts Integration Success Field Guide

This interactive workshop guides you through a creative process to support you in designing arts integrated lesson plans that connect classroom subjects together with art exploration. Engage in art making and STEM learning as you complete an inviting and fun visual arts project from the perspectives of both the student and teacher. Take away ideas to apply as a template for future lesson plan creation. Learn brainstorming techniques to utilize your expertise and interests to bring your creative ideas from concept to classroom. We’ll explore educational philosophies that facilitate inclusion, learner engagement, and curriculum exploration. The workshop includes time to ask questions and experiment with implementation of arts integration ideas (2 hours, in-person or virtual)

Victoria Wills (she/her) Victoria Wills is a multi media teaching artist, both in classroom and virtual, serving Lane Arts Council’s artist in residence programs, Benton County Title 1 schools, youth shelters, and art programs for incarcerated youth. She is a public speaker, science podcast co-creator, and leader of teacher-training workshops in arts integration topics at local and national arts education conferences. Her classes create opportunities for students to discover connections to learning through art experiences and inquiry while encouraging the

Classroom Environment Speaks Volumes

You have the power to create a wonderful world in your classroom that speaks for you. What would you like it to say? With some introspection, ingenuity and a touch of grit, this can be done without breaking the bank. The goal of this Educator Professional Workshop is to offer you practical tools and beautiful ideas to help you create an inspirational classroom environment where your students and you love to be. (2 hours/in-person)

Arianne (Air) Taylor (she/her) For seven years prior to her emergence as an acclaimed self-taught artist, this Local Teacher of The Year from The Midwest made creativity and compassion the foundation from which she taught middle school language arts and US History. Arianne (Air) Taylor is now delighted to be a Teaching Artist in Residence with Lane Arts Council. Before being donated to the clinic waiting room of HIV Alliance here in Eugene, her second collection, The Soul Success Medals for Humanity, was featured on the cover of Sedona’s Red Rock News in 2018. Her first collection, Aorta Transformata exhibited in Chicago from 2008-2011 where the then Mindful Metropolis, stated it “resonates on a universal plane”.

Community Building through Arts and Universal Design

Can you build the kind of community environment where young artists flourish? Can you do it in a way that keeps access and inclusion at the forefront? Can it be fun? Yes, yes, and yes and Chauncey can help you go further. Participants explore universal design through songwriting, singing, crafting, and harmonica playing.

Chauncey Mauney (he/him) Chauncey Mauney is a performing and devising artist specializing in theatre, music, and storytelling. His work with children and young adults has spanned two decades, four states, and includes credits with Chicago Children’s Theatre and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Chauncey has made access and inclusion cornerstones of his engagements. His career as a teaching artist began with The Red Kite Project, a broad arts program for children with autism. He later served as a steering committee member for the Cultural Access Collaborative in Chicago. Since arriving in Eugene, Chauncey has become a fixture in one of Bethel’s high school life skills classrooms, leading months-long Creative Link residencies each spring.

Mind Matters

During this workshop, participants will be experiencing and learning new and exciting knowledge about the brain. Linda will provide fun and inclusive examples of how the mind works and give educators some great hacks to train their minds to give them more focus, fun and energy. You can expect to be encouraged to move through blocks and/or fears that may be stopping you from your potential. Being the student gives great insight to how your students learn and grow. (2 hours, in-person)

Linda Burden-Williams (she/her) has lived in the creative world all her life. From playing music in a Rock Band right out of High School to Acting with Prime-Time Credits and Films. She is a meditation practitioner for an international group along with an Acting and Speaking Coach. With Lane Arts Council she has served as a residency teaching artist since 2012 and a Creative Link artist since 2018. Her greatest pleasure is to inspire others to understand their own lives and minds.

Move to Learn

Let’s get the students moving! The goal of this workshop is to introduce the idea of integrating concept-based creative dance with academic content. Through experiential learning, participants will get a taste of what it looks and feels like to learn through dance and movement. They will also get a chance to come up with their own dance integration ideas.

Cindy Chan (she/her) Cindy Chan received professional training in 2006 at Luna Dance & Creativity in Berkeley, CA, which inspired her to get an MFA in Dance from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Since then, she has been teaching creative dance with a passion in integrating dance with academic subjects. Her work has been presented at conferences and published in journals in both the US and Hong Kong. During her time as an independent teaching artist in Hong Kong, she worked with various arts education organizations to bring dance to early childhood and elementary students, and won an Award for Arts Education from the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards. Upon moving to Eugene in 2015, she had taught at Ridgeline Montessori School, led dance integrated community events, and is currently working at Eugene School District 4J. She is getting her second master’s degree with the goal to become a licensed teacher and bring dance to her classroom.