Artist Connections: Open Studio Conversation With Shannon Downey
Thursday, November 19, 2026
Cost: FREE!

Join us for the next Artist Connections, an exclusive online series for students who are members of a National Art Honor Society chapter. Each live Zoom event features a 30-minute artist talk followed by a 30-minute student-led interview and Q and A, giving members the opportunity to connect directly with inspiring artists and creative leaders. Sponsors also receive pre-event instructional materials to spark discussion and can access the recording afterward to watch on demand or share during chapter meetings. 

This month, students will meet Shannon Downey—an artist, activist, craftivist, community builder, and author who uses craft-based art to bring people together and inspire meaningful social change. Through storytelling, creativity, and collective action, Shannon encourages makers to become changemakers while exploring how art can build community and imagine a more hopeful future. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from this amazing artist and ask your own questions during the live student interview.  

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER! 

This event is open to both art educators and students from National Art Honor Society (NAHS/NJAHS/NEAHS) Chapters.  

• If you are a sponsor registering students, please complete the registration form and forward the email confirmation, including the Zoom meeting link, directly to your students in accordance with your school’s privacy and online learning policies.

• If you are registering for yourself and not for students, please complete the registration form. You can skip the questions related to NAHS. Completing the registration form is necessary to receive the Zoom link, as you will not be able to join the meeting through our Professional Learning Studio.

Please note that participation in this live event or recording does not include NAEA professional learning credit.

Practices for Healing and Connection in Art Education 
Wednesday, November 4, 2026
FREE for NAEA members; $49 for nonmembers

The Art of Holding Space moves beyond traditional classroom management to explore how restorative practices can transform the art room into a site of healing and mutual respect. Explore relationship-first teaching as presenters offer frameworks to help educators foster belonging, navigate conflict through creativity, and build resilient studio communities. 

Participants will explore: 

-The Restorative Mindset: Shifting from punitive discipline to a culture of collective care and accountability. 
-Practical Strategies: Tools for facilitating restorative conversations within a busy art room. 
-Creativity as Connection: How artmaking itself can serve as a bridge for reconciliation and emotional processing. 

Upon completion of this NAEA webinar, you may earn 1 hour of professional development credit as designated by NAEA. Once the webinar is completed, you may view/print a Certification of Participation under the "Contents" tab. You may also print a transcript of all webinars attended under the "Dashboard" link in the right sidebar section of the page.  

Clock hours provided upon completion of any NAEA professional learning program are granted for participation in an organized professional learning experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction and qualified instruction, and can be used toward continuing education credit in most states. It is the responsibility of the participant to verify acceptance by professional governing authorities in their area.

A Curious Classroom: Designing for Discovery Through Thinking Routines 
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
FREE for NAEA members; $49 for nonmembers

A Curious Classroom redefines the art room as a laboratory for inquiry rather than a space for production. Thinking routines aren’t just “steps”—they are the scaffolding that allows students to dive deeper into their own curiosity. Join us for this session focused on making student thinking visible. 

Participants will explore: 
-The Power of Routine: How simple, repeatable frameworks can unlock complex student insights.
-Discovery by Design: Practical ways to structure your room and lessons to invite constant questioning.
-A K-12 Perspective: Seeing how these routines scale from the youngest artists to advanced students.

Upon completion of this NAEA webinar, you may earn 1 hour of professional development credit as designated by NAEA. Once the webinar is completed, you may view/print a Certification of Participation under the "Contents" tab. You may also print a transcript of all webinars attended under the "Dashboard" link in the right sidebar section of the page.  

Clock hours provided upon completion of any NAEA professional learning program are granted for participation in an organized professional learning experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction and qualified instruction, and can be used toward continuing education credit in most states. It is the responsibility of the participant to verify acceptance by professional governing authorities in their area.

Monthly Mentor Meetings 

Overview 

Connect, collaborate, and grow with fellow art educators through NAEA's Monthly Mentor Meetings. This interactive virtual series brings members together for live, one-hour conversations led by experienced Mentor Teachers who share practical classroom strategies, creative ideas, and real-world insights. 

Whether you're just beginning your teaching journey or are an experienced educator looking for fresh inspiration, you'll find a welcoming community and practical ideas to strengthen your teaching practice! 

What to Expect 

Each month, a different Mentor Teacher leads a live, interactive Zoom meeting designed to foster meaningful conversation and collaboration. Rather than a webinar, these meetings encourage participants to ask questions, exchange ideas, and connect with fellow art educators in real time. 

Mentors share practical classroom organization and management strategies, lesson ideas, instructional resources, and other tools you can immediately incorporate into your teaching practice. To encourage authentic discussion and open dialogue, meetings are not recorded. Participants who attend the live session will be able to download a Certificate of Attendance after each meeting.  

All members have access to our curated short video resources and downloadable handouts that support ongoing learning and classroom implementation. 

2026–2027 Meeting Dates 

All sessions are held online from 7:00–8:00 p.m. ET. 

• Thursday, September 10, 2026 
• Thursday, October 8, 2026 
• Thursday, November 5, 2026 
• Thursday, January 28, 2027 
• Tuesday, February 23, 2027 
• Tuesday, April 6, 2027 
• Tuesday, May 18, 2027 

Who Can Join? 

All NAEA members are welcome to participate. Join us to connect with colleagues, gain practical teaching strategies, and be inspired by experienced Mentor Teachers. 

Questions? 

Contact Paula Liz, Associate Director of Programs and Creative Engagement, at pliz@arteducators.org. 

NAEA Open Studio Conversation: Create Digital Trading Cards: Teaching Foundational Art Skills With Free Tools
Thursday, August 27, 2026 
Cost: FREE!

Step into the Wacom Hero Lab and discover how simple digital art skills can unlock creativity in any classroom. In this Open Studio, educators will explore foundational digital drawing techniques such as sketching, linework, using layers, and adding color while working with free online art tools. Inspired by Wacom’s hands-on Hero Lab experience at NAEA26, this session demonstrates how to guide students through creating their own Art Hero trading card while learning core digital art skills along the way. Participants will leave with ready-to-use lesson plans, printable digital templates, classroom adaptations, and creative inspiration to help bring digital art into their teaching. No prior digital art experience is required.

This Open Studio Conversation is sponsored by Wacom.

Please note that participation in this live event or recording does not include NAEA professional learning credit. 

NAEA Open Studio Conversation: Art Room 101 Series—Customized Arts Learning Toolkit
Thursday, August 20, 2026 
Cost: FREE!

The Customized Arts Learning (CAL) Toolkit supports personalized learning in arts education and promotes strength-based instructional practices. Designed for preK–12 educators, the toolkit provides resources to support the needs of diverse learners and uses arts learning as a bridge to academic and interpersonal development. 

During this Open Studio Conversation, presenters from the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE) will introduce the CAL Toolkit and share practical strategies for using it in a variety of educational settings. Participants will explore how the toolkit can be used to create dialogue, build consensus, and address the unique needs of your students and school communities while supporting state standards and local learning outcomes. 

Please note that participation in this live event or recording does not include NAEA professional learning credit. 

Riding the Creative Wave: Visual Journaling Techniques to Spark Artmaking All Year Long
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
FREE for NAEA members; $49 for nonmembers

Visual journaling is a powerful way to fuel creativity, deepen reflection, and spark meaningful artmaking—for both teachers and students. In this energizing webinar, artists and educators David Modler, Eric Scott, and Sam Peck will guide participants through accessible journaling processes that support personal art practice while enriching K–12 classroom instruction.

Using surfing metaphors as a playful entry point, the presenters will explore intuition, a/r/tography, and culturally responsive art education through hands-on prompts and materials. Throughout the session, they will demonstrate a range of visual journaling techniques and materials, modeling accessible processes you can immediately bring into your own teaching and artmaking. You’ll experience how visual journaling can capture lived experience, connect identity to creative inquiry, and create space for exploration—whether during the school year or in summer art experiences.

Designed for K–12 art educators at all experience levels, this webinar offers ready-to-use strategies, adaptable prompts, and practical ways to integrate visual journals into your studio classroom. Participants will leave with techniques they can apply immediately to inspire experimentation, reflection, and sustained artistic momentum.

What You’ll Learn:

- Practical journaling strategies and prompts that support both teacher and student creativity.
- Hands-on techniques that connect intuition, identity, and visual inquiry.
- Adaptable approaches for summer artmaking or year-round classroom use.
- Real examples that help you inspire reflection, experimentation, and playful exploration.

Upon completion of this NAEA webinar, you may earn 1 hour of professional development credit as designated by NAEA. Once the webinar is completed, you may view/print a Certification of Participation under the "Contents" tab. You may also print a transcript of all webinars attended under the "Dashboard" link in the right sidebar section of the page.  

Clock hours provided upon completion of any NAEA professional learning program are granted for participation in an organized professional learning experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction and qualified instruction, and can be used toward continuing education credit in most states. It is the responsibility of the participant to verify acceptance by professional governing authorities in their area.

Mindful Creativity in the Art Room: Simple Practices to Support Well-Being and Authentic Expression
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
FREE for NAEA members; $49 for nonmembers

Art classrooms offer a powerful space for students to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and engage more deeply in the creative process. This webinar introduces practical, time-efficient strategies that blend mindfulness, intuitive artmaking, and SEL-informed practices to help middle and high school students reduce stress, build emotional awareness, and express themselves with greater confidence.

Teaching art and mindfulness together creates the mental space students need for creative thinking to flourish. Mindful routines help students settle their minds, ease anxiety, and access their imagination more easily, while process-focused art prompts encourage authentic expression without the pressure of perfection. These small shifts can transform the studio environment—improving focus, supporting self-regulation, and strengthening students’ ability to understand and communicate their emotions through art.

Explore ready-to-use ideas that fit naturally into existing lessons and daily classroom flow through this webinar. Learn how simple mindful moments and sensory-based check-ins can enrich studio routines, and how intuitive mark-making prompts—such as expressive drawing, guided visualization, or nonrepresentational response exercises—can help students bypass self-judgment and tap into their creative impulses. Discover the connection between present-moment awareness, creative confidence, and emotional well-being, offering concrete strategies that encourage students to feel more grounded and more connected to their own artistic voice.

What You’ll Learn:

- How to integrate quick 2- to 5-minute mindful routines—including breath work, sensory check-ins, and “slow looking”—to help students transition smoothly into artmaking.
- Intuitive art prompts that emphasize process over product, allowing students to explore, experiment, and express themselves without fear of making mistakes.
- Strategies for supporting emotional regulation and SEL through arts-based practices that help students understand, communicate, and manage their feelings.
- Approaches for fostering a calmer, more focused studio culture, where students feel safe to take creative risks and engage more deeply with materials and ideas.

Upon completion of this NAEA webinar, you may earn 1 hour of professional development credit as designated by NAEA. Once the webinar is completed, you may view/print a Certification of Participation under the "Contents" tab. You may also print a transcript of all webinars attended under the "Dashboard" link in the right sidebar section of the page.  

Clock hours provided upon completion of any NAEA professional learning program are granted for participation in an organized professional learning experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction and qualified instruction, and can be used toward continuing education credit in most states. It is the responsibility of the participant to verify acceptance by professional governing authorities in their area.

The proposed Curated Collection brings together resources, practices, and perspectives that highlight the intersections of teacher renewal, well-being, and creative pedagogy. At its core, the collection emphasizes the importance of sustaining educators through reflective, contemplative, and arts-based approaches that nurture both professional growth and personal vitality. The collection offers various ways to explore how mindfulness, creativity, and self-care can be integrated into a teacher's personal and professional life, drawing from scholarship, classroom experiences, and personal practices. Each resource is selected to demonstrate practical strategies and research-based insights, encouraging educators to engage in renewal not as an isolated act but as an ongoing cycle of reflection, balance, and inspiration. By weaving together theory and practice, the Curated Collection aims to support teachers in fostering resilience, deepening their pedagogical presence, and ultimately enhancing their well-being and that of their students.

Click on a link below to open the resource.

NAEA Platform and Position Statements:

• Position Statement on Achieving an Equitable, Diverse, and Inclusive Visual Arts Education Profession
• NAEA Position Statement on Supporting, Sustaining, and Retaining Art Education Programs in Colleges and Universities

NAEA Books:

• Uniting Body, Mind, and Spirit Through Art Education. By Jane K Bates 
• The Heart of Art Education: Holistic Approaches to Creativity, Integration, and Transformation. By Laurel H. Campbell and Seymour Simmons III
• Art Education and Creative Aging Older Adults as Learners, Makers, and Teachers of Art (No. 352). Edited By Melanie Davenport, Linda Hoeptner Poling, Rébecca Bourgault, Marjorie Cohee Manifold

NAEA Interest Groups:

• Caucus for the Spiritual in Art Education

Click on a title below to download the resource.

Art Education Journal:

• Campbell, Laurel H., and Jane Dalton. “Researching Contemporary Handwork: Stitching as Renewal, Remembrance, and Revolution.” Art Education (Reston), vol. 72, no. 4, 2019, pp. 29–35.
• Baer, S.A., Smith, K.A., Danker, S. D. (2024) Autobiographical Lectures of Leaders in Art Education, 2001–2021 (No. 353).
• Bastos, F. (2009). Resonant Teachers’ Voices. Art Education, 62(4), 4–5.
  
• Broome, J. & Sandell, R. (2023). Real Lives Now: Narratives of Art Educators and 21st Century Learning.
• Reed, K. (1957). The Needs of the Teacher. Art Education, 10(5), 1–2.

Studies in Art Education Articles:

• Lawton, P. H. (2025). Critical [Self] Portraiture: Authoring Our Own Stories. Studies in Art Education, 66(2), 198–213.
• Kwon, H. (2022). Pedagogies of Care and Justice: African American High School Art Teachers During the Civil Rights Era in the Segregated South. Studies in Art Education, 63(3), 256–274.
• Dalton, Jane E. “A Review of Art as Contemplative Practice: Expressive Pathways to the Self.” Studies in Art Education, vol. 60, no. 2, Routledge, 2019, pp. 144–47.

NAEA Open Studio: Submitting Your Presentation Proposal for NAEA27
Thursday, April 30, 2026 
Cost: FREE!

Join us for this Open Studio Conversation covering the basics of submitting a presentation proposal for the upcoming 2027 NAEA National Convention. Walk through the proposal submission process with Laura Grundler, Director of Learning and Program Development, and Ray Yang, Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and Special Initiatives. Learn firsthand what you’ll need to prep your submission—plus tips to make it easier and more effective. Bring your questions and walk away ready to submit your presentation proposal! 

Please note that participation in this live event or recording does not include NAEA professional learning credit.