June 10, 2022
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Welcome and Introductions
12:05 PM - 12:15 PM
Land Acknowledgement
12:15 PM - 12:25 PM
This will be conducted by Tyrese A. Gould Jacinto of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Nation.
Plenary Session
12:25PM - 12:45PM
First Set of Workshops (Attendees will participate in one. Check listings below. Attendees will select their preference at registration.)
12:45PM - 1:50PM
Second Set of Workshops (Attendees will participate in one. Check listings below. Attendees will select their preference at registration.)
2:00PM - 3:05PM
Keynote Speech
3:15PM - 3:45PM
This will be conducted by Darryl McDaniels of Run D.M.C.
Closing Remarks
3:45PM - 4:00PM
FIRST SET OF WORKSHOPS
Justin Cosme-Perez
Check Yourself
12:45 - 1:50 PM
Dance:
Justin Cosme-Perez - the Executive Director of Nimbus Arts Center-Nimbus Dance, will guide participants through this interactive movement workshop, which will dive into the ego and biases we all hold. We will move through a class together and explore our unique voices as teaching artists. With the world rapidly changing around us centering your curriculum and teaching practices around the student has never been more important.
Tyrese A. Gould Jacinto
Indigenous Fiber in Our Art
12:45 - 1:50 PM
Visual Arts:
Indigenous arts are a part of the fiber that makes our society. The Indigenous way of seeing provides the “why” to many unanswered questions to acknowledge the Indigenous impact. Why do we need to know how it is made? Why do we need to see the beauty in nature? Why do we combine art with the usefulness of the object?
Instructed by a member of the Nanticoke Lenape Nation, this workshop will unlock your inner conscientiousness of “why” and will bridge gaps between the past and allow you to access the here and now.
Mehgan Abdel-Moneim
This is Garbage: A Sculpture and Improvisation Workshop
12:45 - 1:50 PM
Kinetic Arts:
In the first part of this workshop, participants will explore techniques to transform everyday objects into 3D artworks, and use these techniques to create simple sculptures. In the second portion of the workshop, we will use our creations to play improvisation games that challenge the imagination and our relationship to what we see. Expect to share, laugh and take yourself off mute! No prior artistic experience necessary for this workshop.
Sage Smyrl and Kristina Hill
Ceding Power To Our Students
12:45 - 1:50 PM
Theatre:
What is student-centered teaching? How can classrooms promote autonomy and cooperation while encouraging each student's unique identity and voice to contribute to and shape classroom life? Engage with high school student Sage Smyrl and Appel Farm Arts & Music Center's Arts Integration & STEAM Education Director, Kristina Hill, as they model this approach and guide participants on a journey to shift focus from inclusion to belonging by embracing the many components of one's social identity and ceding classroom control to the students in our spaces.
Erik James Montgomery
Black Presence In Photography from Frederick Douglas to Instagram
12:45 - 1:50 PM
Photography:
Photographer and educator Erik James Montgomery will provide a brief historical overview of the presence and power of Black people in front of and behind the camera over the past 200 years. Toward the end of the session, the participants will explore how to create photographic statements with a smartphone and social media.
SECOND SET OF WORKSHOPS
Lisa Franklin
Stand-Up Comedy: An Empowering, Misunderstood Art Form That We Should Teach Instead Of Shakespeare (sorry)
2:00 - 3:05 PM
Stand Up Comedy:
In this workshop, we'll learn how to facilitate a stand-up comedy class or program for middle and high schoolers. It's way less scary than you think! You also don't have to be funny to gain a lot from this -- truly. Together, we'll break down how first-person comedy writing is an awesome tool for young people to reflect on difficult experiences and build emotional intelligence. You'll leave the session understanding joke structure, how to run a writer's workshop, how to build a beginner's curriculum, and the rule of threes.
Candy Alexandra Gonzalez
Body Liberation Through Creative Writing
2:00 PM - 3:05 PM
Poetry and Visual Art:
In this workshop, facilitator Candy Alexandra Gonzalez will share about their practice of unlearning body shame through poetry and visual art. Participants will be guided in a creative writing exercise that will challenge them to envision a journey towards body liberation.
Priscilla Bell Lamberty
Teaching Art in an Inclusive and Actively Decolonizing Classroom
2:00 - 3:05 PM
Visual Art:
“As teachers, we must first acknowledge that we all have biases, and recognize the deeply destructive legacy of colonization in our daily lives. Urgent topics such as the climate crisis, racism, bigotry against LGBTQ+ communities, gentrification, and war are broadcasted on social networks and expecting our students not to be affected by these challenges on a daily basis is harmful.
In this workshop, we will attempt to deconstruct the methodologies established in our classrooms and look forward to helping our students find their voices and empower them by using the arts as a tool to challenge systemic oppression.”
Anthony Martinez-Briggs
Haiku As A Vessel for Artistic Liberation
2:00 - 3:05 PM
Poetry / Visual Arts / Movement
"In our session we will be exploring the practice of liberation through facilitating spaces that foster honest expression (in both form and content) especially for members of marginalized communities within classroom/workshop settings. Specifically, we will be exploring and utilizing the form of Haiku as our vessel for artistic liberation, guided by examples set by the legendary Sonia Sanchez. Participants will leave having created Haikus of their very own, even potentially practicing Haiku in non traditional mediums such as visual arts and movement. Participants will also leave with a sense of how to offer simple prompts that can foster honest, artistic expression (and even conversations) for the communities they serve."
Gonzalo Silva
How You Doin’?
2:00 - 3:05 PM
Music:
Participants will learn to navigate Koala Sampler App and establish a music production skillset -- a culturally responsive way to activate "self-actualization through music education" (Martin Urbach). Join us and dive into arranging samples to create an original track to answer the question -- How you doin'?
This workshop is led by Gonzolo "G" Silva -- DJ, producer, educator and founder of Producers Edge, an organization dedicated to offering producing and life skills courses to adults in the community.
Koala Sampler App is available on App Store and Google Play for $4.99. Please note: If you save your receipt, the Connect Conference can reimburse you for the purchase of the app.
CONNECT 2022 is powered by…
Arts Professional Learning Institute.
The Arts Professional Learning Institute (APLI) is a co-sponsored project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Young Audiences Arts for Learning NJ & Eastern PA. It is generously supported by the Grunin Foundation and Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.
New Jersey Arts Education Collective.
The New Jersey Arts Education Collective is a partnership of arts education organizations whose mission is to provide the highest quality professional development for teaching artists and the arts education community.