Lets just say that my recent trip to NYC for the National Art Education Conference was a blast! After jetting from Milton up to Minneapolis (with a flat tire repair on the way), we finally touched down in NYC on Tuesday morning. I was really glad that I went out there a little early because it gave me some time to get out and see the city a bit.

Our first day in NYC was spent checking out the surrounding blocks around our hotel. We were lucky enough to be a hop and a skip away from Times Square and Central Park wasn't too far either.

I attended some awesome sessions by some of art education's finest! Some of my favorites were a couple sessions on technology (one by Amy Zschaber and one by Tricia Fugelstad), a packed house session on folk art (Cassie Stephens, Laura Lohmann, Jennifer Alvarado, and Paintbrush Rocket), and a session on quilts by Don Masse.

Part of the reason I attended the conference was because I was asked to present in an Elementary Carousel on Contemporary Art. So I, and 3 other presenters, had 4 chances to present for 10 minutes during a session. I don't think I've ever talked that fast in my life! I just had so many ideas from Milton that I wanted to share with everyone! I was super happy with how my session went and will hopefully present again on the national level in the not so distant future! It was also surreal because one of the presenters with me was Don Masse who was really my influence for transitioning into a contemporary based curriculum. It was cool to be able to share a crowd with an educator that I look up to!

I also had the chance to see JEFF KOOOOOOOONS! I even ran into him in the hallway and said "hi" like a giddy fanboy. To tell you the truth, I'm not a huge fan of Koons' work but it was awesome to hear his keynote speech after I spent so long teaching about him last year with my 3rd graders.

Ursula von Rydingsvard also gave a speech that I attended! It was probably one of my highlights of my trip. I find it funny that she's this little old lady but makes these amazingly huge wooden monstrosities. It was really interesting to hear her talk about her work!

I was approached by Nasco and asked to make some model magic project examples for a couple lesson plans they had. So 2nd grade made food and 3rd grade made desert animals. It was nerve wracking for the students and I knowing that thousands of art teachers were going to be seeing them so we had to be on our "A-game"! I'm so proud of how they did. The sculptures will now travel around the U.S. with the Nasco reps for teachers to see!

Really the best part about the conference isn't going to the sessions or seeing NYC, it's getting a chance to connect with other art educators from around the U.S. and world! Many of these people I communicate with online but only get the chance to see them in person once a year.