ASSEMBLE
September 25-28, 2024
Interlochen Center for the Arts
2024
NATIONAL COUNCIL
OF ARTS ADMINISTRATORS
CONFERENCE
ASSEMBLE: EMBRACING OUR COLLECTIVE NETWORK
ASSEMBLE, the 51st Annual Conference of the
National Council of Arts Administrators brings
together past, present, and future arts leaders
to explore the transformative power of diverse
networks in shaping the future. More than just
a gathering, ASSEMBLE embodies the philosophy
of assemblage, where people, things, and stories
intertwine to spark innovation and drive change.
As arts administrators, we are vital in creating
these spaces. At this year’s conference, you will
connect with inspiring colleagues, delve into shared
solutions, forge partnerships, meet mentors, and
create friendships to amplify the impact in your
community.
The nonprofit Interlochen Center for the Arts is a recipient of the National Medal of Arts and the only organization in the world that brings together a 3,000-student summer camp program, a 550+-student fine arts boarding high school, a year-round source of expert online arts education for children, teens, and adults; opportunities for adults to engage in fulfilling artistic and creative programs; two 24-hour listener-supported public radio services (classical music and news); more than 600 arts presentations annually by students, faculty and world-renowned guest artists; a robust hospitality division that curates on-campus lodging, dining, and transportation services; and a global alumni base spanning nine decades, including leaders in the arts and all other endeavors. For information, visit Interlochen online at www.interlochen.org.
Located 15 miles north of Interlochen's campus, Traverse City and the surrounding area regularly receive accolades and recognition for its natural beauty, food and wine, and arts and culture.
TRAVEL + ACCOMMODATIONS
note: Shuttle service to Interlochen Center for the Arts campus is available to conference participants.
Please submit your flight information when you book your stay (or inform the hotel once you have made your plans).
LINK TO CAMPUS MAP
LODGING
ON-CAMPUS: https://www.interlochen.org/about/visit-campus/lodging
Please call the Stone Hotel directly to book your stay- their reservation system is not working. P: 231.276.7570
Group#: NCAA
Rooms will be released to the general public on August 10th. Please plan accordingly.
notes:
Extended pre and post-conference lodging is available at the conference rate. Please call the hotel directly if your stay is beyond the conference dates.
Meals at Stone Cafeteria will be included in your extended stay.
The Stone Cafeteria is not included in the lodging fee during the conference. The conference will provide meals and snacks at designated times and locations (unless noted).
Cafeteria hours are available upon check-in.
OFF- CAMPUS: Conference participants are welcome to stay off-campus.
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
Registration is through the National Council of Arts Adminstrators website.
On or before August 31, 2024 ($325 per member)
September 1-13, 2024 ($375 per member)
*conference participants must be members to attend
First Time conference attendee $150 discount code: NCAAWelcome
Refund Policy: Fee for the annual conference is refundable when emailed cancellation is received two weeks prior to the first day of the conference. NCAA will keep $75 of the registration fee for processing. Please email NCAA Treasurer O. Gustavo Plascencia (oplascen@mdc.edu).
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE /
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
8:00-10:30
NCAA BOARD MEETING / Stone Hotel, Culver Room (current board members)
10:00-5:00
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION / MTCAL
12:00-1:00
LUNCH (rsvp required when signing up for the conference) / KRESGE STAGE
2:00-3:30
IGNITES / MTCAL Great Room
Advocacy Through Organization: A Blueprint for Leveraging Collective Voice in Front-Line Leadership
Colin Blakely - Director of the School of Art and co-Executive Director of the HeadsNETWORK, University of Arizona
Assembl(ag)e is the Answer
Linnea Fitterer - Director of the Office of Engagement and Adjunct Professor, Art Academy of Cincinnati
The SLICE class
Christopher Kaczmarek- Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Art & Chair of the Department of Art and Design, Montclair State University
The Goofy, the Bawdy, and the Googly
Jack Risley- Artist & Professor, College and Graduate School of Art, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St Louis
3:30-4:00 MEET + GREET / MTCAL (light snacks served)
4:00- 6:00
CASE STUDIES / MTCAL Great Room
Student-Centered Approach: Safety and Wellbeing
Maria Bentley - Assistant Dean, Alfred University School of Art & Design
Mentorship Experiences for Emerging Administrators
Jeff Beekman - Chair Department of Art Chair, Florida State University
Christopher Kaczmarek - Department of Art and Design Chair, Montclair State University
Dr. Amy Pfeiler-Wunder - Associate Dean, College of Visual and Performing Arts, Kutztown University
6:00-7:00
PRIORITY ASSEMBLED - MEMBER’S EXHIBITION RECEPTION / Dow Center for Visual Arts
[Alfred University]
7:15-8:00
DINNER / MTCAL Great Room
Remarks by Jim Hopfensperger, former president of the National Council of Arts Administrators
8:15-9:00
FILM SCREENINGS FROM INTERLOCHEN’S FILM & NEW MEDIA DIVISION / DeRoy Center for Film Studies
(Introduction + Q&A with Founding Director of Interlochen’s Film & New Media Division at Interlochen)
[Central Michigan University]
9:15-10:00
GATHERING ON THE LAKE / Dow House
[Eastern Michigan University School of Art & Design]
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE /
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
7:00-7:45
WALK
RUN led by board members Sandra Murchison & Colin Blakely
COFFEE
8:15-9:00
BREAKFAST / MTCAL Great Room
9:00-11:00
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION CONTINUES / MTCAL
9:00-9:45
WELCOME REMARKS / MTCAL Great Room
A History of Interlochen Center for the Arts from the Interlochen Library + Archives staff
Lauren Lake - President of NCAA
10:00-11:30
ASSEMBLY WORKSHOPS / MTCAL Various Locations
Sign up will be at check-in. Read full descriptions below.
AI: Tips for Arts Administrators
Joe Poshek - Dean of the School of the Arts, Library & Online Education at Irvine Valley College in Southern California
Visualizing Success
Anna Ogier-Bloomer - Associate Dean of Career Development and Industry Relations, Columbia College Chicago
Avoid the Burn
Paige Williams - Dean of Endicott College's School of Visual & Performing Arts
Flexing as Administrators
Sandra Murchison - Director of the School of Art & Design at Eastern Michigan University and the Director of the Parsons Center for Arts & Sciences.
Ground Rules for Arts Administrators
Linnea Fitterer - Director of the Office of Engagement and Adjunct Professor, Art Academy of Cincinnati
Twist It, Flip It, Reverse It
Harriet Hoover - Associate Department Head of Foreign Languages and Fine Arts, Wake Technical Community College &
Melania Aguirre-Rabon - Department Head of Foreign Languages and Fine Arts Department Head, Wake Technical Community College
12:15-1:00
LUNCH / MTCAL Great Room
1:15-2:45
DISCUSSION: Let’s Talk About Critique: Reimagining Art and Design Education
Elissa Armstrong - Associate Professor, Department of Craft/Material Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts &
Mariah Doren - Assistant Provost Curriculum and Learning, The New School
2:45-4:00
COFFEE BREAK [School of Visual Arts @ Penn State] + CANDY BAR [Central Michigan University]
4:00-5:00
KEYNOTE SPEAKER PANEL / Dendrinos Chapel and Recital Hall
Trey Devey - President of Interlochen Center for the Arts
Dr. Camille Colatosti - Provost of Interlochen Center for the Arts
5:30
BOARD BUS TO DENNOS MUSUEM CENTER
6:00
WELCOME REMARKS, Craig Hadley - Director & Chief Curator
SELF-GUIDED TOUR
7:00-7:45
7:45
BUS TO DOWNTOWN TRAVERSE CITY
8:00 - 10:00
DINNER ON OWN (links to downtown dining establishments)
10:00-10:15
BUS RETURNS TO INTERLOCHEN
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE /
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
7:00-7:45 / Meet at Stone Hotel Lobby
RUN led by board members Sandra Murchison & Colin Blakely
WALK
COFFEE
8:15-9:00
BREAKFAST / MTCAL Great Room [Central Michigan University]
9:00-10:45
TOURS OF INTERLOCHEN CENTER FOR THE ARTS
11:00-12:30
PANEL: ASSEMBLY IN ACTION THROUGH NON-PROFIT LEADERSHIP / MTCAL
Angie Quinn, Executive Director of Michigan Legacy Park
Tamara Hoffbauer, Executive Director of Oliver Art Center
Craig Hanley, Executive Director & Chief Curator, Dennos Museum Center at Northwestern Michigan College
12:45-1:30
ANNUAL BUSINESS LUNCH / MTCAL
All conference attendees attend the annual business lunch.
2:00-3:30
ASSEMBLY WORKSHOPS / MTCAL Various Locations
*sign up at check-in / detailed description below
AI: Tips for Arts Administrators
Joe Poshek - Dean of the School of the Arts, Library & Online Education at Irvine Valley College in Southern California
Visualizing Administrative Success
Anna Ogier-Bloomer - Associate Dean of Career Development and Industry Relations, Columbia College Chicago
Knitting Without Prejudice
Vagner Mendonça Whitehead- Director of the School of Visual Arts (SoVA), Penn State
Ground Rules for Arts Administrators
Linnea Fitterer - Director of the Office of Engagement and Adjunct Professor, Art Academy of Cincinnati
Twist It, Flip It, Reverse It
Harriet Hoover - Associate Department Head of Foreign Languages and Fine Arts, Wake Technical Community College &
Melania Aguirre-Rabon -Department Head of Foreign Languages and Fine Arts Department Head, Wake Technical Community College
3:30-4:00
COFFEE BREAK
4:00- 5:30
MEET-UPS / MTCAL (detailed descriptions below)
Trending Down: Addressing Enrollment Challenges
Arnold Holland, Dean College of the Arts, CSU Fullerton
The Reshaping of American Higher Education: Current trends impacting creative fields, smaller schools, and the overall diversity of the ecosystem /
Deborah Obalil, President & Executive Director of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art Design (AICAD)
Stronger Connected: Strategies for Creating Belonging
O. Gustavo Plascencia, Dean of Visual Arts, New World School of the Arts
Mentorship
Jenn Gardner Selby, Executive Director of Transfer Success & Higher Education Partnerships, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
The Student Wellness Challenge: Assembling Campus Resources to Support Retention
Maria Bentley, Assistant Dean, Alfred University School of Art & Design
Preparing Students for Success Post-Graduation
Colin Blakely, Director of the School of Art University of Arizona
6:30-8:00
DINNER BANQUET & PROGRAM / MTCAL [SUNY- New Paltz, School of Fine & Performing Arts]
8:00-9:00
BINGO {MADE JUST FOR YOU) + BREWS / MTCAL
9:00-10:30
GATHERING ON THE LAKE + WHITE ELEPHANT SWAG PARTY / Dow House
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE /
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
7:00-9:00
CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST / Stone Hotel, Culver Room
END OF CONFERENCE
SPENDING MORE TIME IN THE TRAVERSE CITY AREA?
In between nature and water, you’ll find a community connected by both where there’s always something happening. If you’re not near the water, or on the trails, you’re likely exploring the county roads in search of scenic overlooks and local treats. Traverse City is a destination where your journeys are filled with moments between the activities that allow you to realize you are exactly where you should be.
WORKSHOPS / IN DETAIL
ATTENDEES WILL SIGN UP FOR WORKSHOPS AT CONFERENCE CHECK-IN.
All materials will be provided.
Using AI: Tips for Administrative Leaders / Joe Poshek
This workshop will explore AI applications for arts administrators, including techniques for composing letters of recommendation, performance evaluations, speech outlines, and PowerPoint slides.
Visualizing Success / Anna Ogier-Bloomer
This workshop will begin with a guided visualization in which participants will be asked to shed their mental weight, stress, obligations, and focus. We will discuss and break down the outdated expectations and myths of what it means to be a leader and begin to rebuild unique, personal, and fulfilling plans for an administrative life in line with your values.
We will use mind mapping to help clarify our goals and the steps to achieving them. Participants will leave with a clearer personal vision of success.
Ground Rules for Arts Administrators / Linnea Fitterer
There is a rich history of artists using lists to create, engage, and solve problems. In this workshop, we will create instruction-based lists for successful leadership in the arts. We will assemble, discuss, and break down the outdated expectations, unspoken perceptions, and other myths of being a leader and begin to rebuild a unique, personal, and fulfilling list for an administrative methodology in line with your core values.
This workshop is designed to provide participants with a variety of instruction-based resources to apply to their professional practices. All are welcome to implement the methods that resonate best and engage during the workshop how they choose whether through individual work, group discussion, or a combination.
Knitting without Prejudice / Vagner Mendonça Whitehead
Knitting is an individual activity, much like reading a book. It often requires concentration, disposition, skill, and a proper setting. Learning something new is both invigorating and challenging, as wonderment and frustration can take place almost simultaneously.
This workshop aims to provide a safe space for academic leaders to stretch their boundaries and navigate difficult territories. Through active listening and loom knitting, we will explore strategies for de-centering, making space, and acknowledging not-knowing. No prior loom knitting experience is needed, and an open heart is welcomed.
Flexing as administrators while making Flexagons / Sandra Murchison
Participants will make paper book structures that involve folding and turning folios over one another in linear and often circular patterns. What forms and unexpected comparisons evolve from the process speaks to the magic that can flourish from our art as committed, diligent makers and administrators.
Avoid the Burn / Paige Williams
Are you dealing with hot topics or finding yourself in hot water over an unpopular (but necessary) decision? Protect yourself! Join us for a potholder-making workshop. Looms, patterns, weaving hooks, and 100% cotton loops in a variety of colors will be provided.
Twist It, Flip It, Reverse It / Harriet Hoover & Melania Aguirre-Rabon
Using Richard Serra’s Verb List, 1968, workshop participants will utilize everyday materials to create process-based works individually and collaboratively. We will explore whether or not the creative process is mirrored in our leadership styles and working methodologies. How can we, as administrators, embrace the possibilities of chance to sustain our energy as leaders and creatives?
ATTENDEES WILL SIGN UP FOR WORKSHOPS AT CONFERENCE CHECK-IN. All materials will be provided.
MEET-UPS / In DETAIL
.*Attendees will choose a Meet--Up on site.
Preparing Students for Success Post Graduation / Colin Blakely
The Arts (and higher education in general) have come under fire for not adequately preparing students for jobs post-graduation. In the visual arts, much of our professional practice efforts focus either on being a professional artist or entering a narrow field of art-specific careers (graduate school, teaching, etc). Yet, we know that we are providing our students with incredible skills that will allow them immense success not just in the arts but in careers that might undergo multiple twists and turns over an alum’s lifespan. Are we doing enough to help ease a student’s transition post-graduation? What career-related curricular and co-curricular resources can and should we offer beyond the traditional portfolio preparation, artist statements, and resumes? How are we covering skills such as entrepreneurial mindset, branding, market rights, reproductions, etc., that are necessary for a career in the arts? How do we open students up to the possibility of arts-adjacent careers that broaden their options post-graduation?
The Student Wellness Challenge: Assembling Campus Resources to Support Retention / Maria Bentley
A 2023 American Council on Education stated, “The student mental health crisis is not just a counseling center issue. It is a campus-wide issue…”
We will focus on exploring ways to support students via an assemblage of campus resources. We will discuss support and procedures for crisis management and trauma support for faculty and students and ask ourselves: How can we best support the well-being of your faculty and staff as they continue to support students? How do we identify the training our faculty and staff need to support collaborative efforts? How do we bridge and repair the communication and connection gap in this post-COVID generation? How do you promote positive connections and communication about wellness with your students?
Trending Down: Addressing Enrollment Challenges / Arnold Holland
A forum for discussing challenges and solutions to enrollment management in higher education arts programs.
What aspects of campuses and academic programs appeal to potential applicants? Admissions criteria- can barriers be removed? What specific challenges do colleges face to attract a more diverse student body? How much is this broad challenge a matter of better marketing?
Mentorship / Jenn Gardner Selby
We will focus on the role of the mentor in arts administration. Participants will determine the direction of the conversation as the group considers several guiding questions: Do administrators bear responsibility for fostering the practice of mentorship with faculty? Should the formal responsibilities of faculty include mentorship components? Is simultaneously serving as mentor and mentee possible for administrators? What are best practices for administrators seeking mentors in the current (and future) phase of their careers?
The Reshaping of American Higher Education: Current trends impacting creative fields, smaller schools, and the overall diversity of the ecosystem
/ Deborah Obalil
The Hechinger Report recently declared that colleges are closing at a rate of one per week in spring 2024. Major headlines were made by the elimination of arts and humanities majors at West Virginia University and the sudden closure of the University of the Arts. The Dept. of Education bungled the redesign of the FAFSA, leading to a disastrous decline in completions, particularly among low-income Black and Hispanic students. Simultaneously, the Dept. of Education is doubling
down on its new Financial Value Transparency regulations, which require the measurement of every program (aka major) by the graduates' earnings. The overall ecosystem of higher education in the US is being reshaped, but not with any overall strategy and certainly not with the value of the arts in mind. Come discuss with your colleagues potential collaborative approaches to addressing these shifts and protecting the arts in higher education.
Stronger Connected: Strategies for Creating Belonging / O. Gustavo Plascencia
Explore creative strategies for creating a strong sense of belonging while sharing your personal journey in art administration. This conversation will be grounded in personal and professional experiences. Willing participants will have vulnerable conversations, philosophical tangents, attempts for healing attempts, and opportunities for belonging. Join me for an insightful conversation and hear about the collective strengths and knowledge we have as leaders in art education.
PRESENTER BIOS
Jeff Beekman is a Florida-based artist and educator who has used his creative and curatorial practice to explore the enduring impacts of climate change on coastal communities, the Land Arts movement as a catalyst for contemporary art making, and the ethics behind the memorialization of sites of violence. The throughline between these is an examination of the relationships between land, memory, and human activity. Beekman received his BFA in Ceramics from the University of Florida and his MFA in 3D from the University of New Mexico. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Art at Florida State University, where he additionally serves as Chair.
Maria Bentley is the Assistant Dean for the School of Art & Design at Alfred University. Maria has over ten years of experience in Arts Enrollment Management, Community based Social Practice, and Arts Therapeutic programming. Maria holds a master's degree in College Student Development and is completing coursework and certification in Mental Health Counseling. Maria works diligently in her current role as Assistant Dean to assemble and advocate for resources that support both students and faculty in the Arts while collaborating with her colleagues across the University.
Colin Blakely currently serves as Director of the School of Art and co-Executive Director of the HeadsNETWORK at the University of Arizona. Prior to joining the University of Arizona in July 2015, he was Department head and Full Professor of Photography at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, MI, where he was on the faculty for 14 years.
Jenn Gardner Selby serves as the Executive Director of Transfer Success & Higher Education Partnerships at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in North Carolina. She was a founding member of the NCCC AFA Association and the N3C2A (Advising Association), and was past-president of both organizations. Jenn is an appointed representative of the community college system on the Transfer Advisory Committee (TAC) and serves on the board of the National Council of Arts Administrators.
Dr. Arnold Holland is Dean of the College of Arts at the California State University. He holds a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Visual Communications from Virginia Commonwealth University. Additionally, Dr. Holland earned his Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) in Higher Education Leadership from CSUF.In addition to being a National Council of Arts Administrators (NCAA) board member and has held memberships and leadership positions in professional design organizations, such as the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), Organization of Black Designers (OBD), College Media Association (CMA), and University and College Designers Association (UCDA).
Christopher Kaczmarek is a New York-based artist and educator whose work spans both experimental and traditional practices, including sculpture, site-specific installations, performance, video, and solar-powered objects. Recent interests have been concerned with the act of walking as a praxis for artistic production and the shapes in which collective and collaborative settings can be formed to become spaces where imagination and creativity are used in the service of hopeful outcomes. He has received an MFA in Visual Art and an MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History, Theory, and Criticism from Purchase College, State University of New York, and is currently an Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Art and Chair of the Department of Art and Design at Montclair State University, New Jersey USA.
Deborah Obalil has over twenty-five years of experience as a leader in the North American arts and culture industry, having led multiple highly acclaimed organizations and served as a well-regarded management consultant in the field. She was appointedthe Executive Director of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design (AICAD) in June 2012 and then President in fall 2015.
O. Gustavo Plascencia is Dean of Visual Arts at the New World School of the Arts. He was raised in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila and attended the Escuela de Artes Plasticas, Ruben Herrera, in Saltillo, Coahuila, before immigrating to the USA. He earned his Master of Fine Arts in Photography and Media Arts in Photography from the University of Colorado, Boulder and his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Texas at Arlington. Plascencia is a visual artist and educator whose creative work documents local ecosystems while practicing walking methodologies.
Joe Poshek is Dean of the School of the Arts, Library and Online Education at Irvine Valley College in Southern California. Prior to this appointment he also served as Dean of Visual & Performing Arts, Library and Online Education at Orange Coast College where he also served as a tenured professor of music and department chair. He has taught in higher education for over 30 years. Before entering college administration, Joe was a prolific professional musician specializing in classical and jazz guitar, recording six solo albums selling over 120,000 copies and over 2500 performances on three continents.
Dr. Amy Pfeiler-Wunder serves as the new associate dean for the College of Visual and Performing Arts, Kutztown University. She taught for 15 years in the Department of Art Education, Kutztown University serving as chair for two years and the master’s in art education coordinator. She has been active in the National Art Education Association (NAEA), most recently as chair and now past chair of the Research Commission. Dr. Amy Pfeiler-Wunder presents her research at regional, national, and international conferences and has published in both books and peer-reviewed journals. Her creative practice infuses narrative inquiry methodologies in the forms of non-traditional artist books focused on m/othering and the farming landscape of her youth.
Vagner Mendonça Whitehead is Director of School of Visual at Penn State University. He is an artist, activist, educator, and academic leader. His art practice encompasses traditional and new media, curatorial projects, community engagements, and creative writing. These expressions display accidental and forced intersections of personal experiences, histories, current events, geo-locations, languages, and found artifacts, presented in group and solo exhibitions in art galleries, community centers, and museums, as well as film and video festivals, nationally and internationally. Much like his role as an educator, Vagner’s creative process happens through juxtapositions, exchanges, and group facilitations, where he learns just as much, if not more, from those who generously decide to share their time and perspectives with him, and others. Ultimately, making space is as important as making.
Sandra Murchison is the Director of the School of Art & Design at Eastern Michigan University and the Director of the Parsons Center for Arts & Sciences. Murchison also serves as the Secretary for the NCAA Board of Directors and as the Chair of the Program Committee for the Riverside Arts Center Board of Directors. Prior to EMU, she was a faculty member at Millsaps College for 17 years, including as Chair of the Art Department and where she founded a non-profit arts center off campus in Jackson, Mississippi. As an active member of SGC International, Sandra served first as Archivist and then Vice President for Internal Affairs of the organization.
Harriet Hoover is an Assistant Professor of Studio Art and Associate Department Head of Foreign Languages and Fine Arts at Wake Technical Community College. She received her MFA in Sculpture and Studio Art from UNC Greensboro and BS (Textile Technology) and BA (Art + Design) from NC State University. She has served as an art educator and administrator for a variety of audiences in academic, museum, and community settings. Her research focuses on social engagement through play, chance, and the artistic process.
Melania Aguirre-Rabon is the Foreign Languages and Fine Arts Department Head at Wake Technical Community College, Raleigh, NC. She received her Master’s degree in Romance Languages, Literature, and Linguistics from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Appalachian State University. In her role as Department Head, she leads a dynamic and complex department with more than 30 faculty members (Art, Music, French, and Spanish) and supervises The Associate in Fine Arts, a two-year transferable degree.
Camille Colatosti, Ph.D. Provost, Interlochen Center fo the Arts
Trey Devey, President, Interlochen Center for the Arts
Mariah Doren is the Dean of Graduate, Professional, and Continuing Education at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Mariah’s writing includes a book coauthored with Elissa Armstrong: Let's Talk about Critique: reimagining art and design education, published 2023, by Intellect Press, UK and the University of Chicago Press, USA, a chapter, “Assessment as Learning” in Introduction to Design Education by Steven Faerm and articles, “Teaching re-seeing: Deploying archives in art and design education” co-authored with Malgorzata Bakalarz-Duverger in Journal of Visual Inquiry and “Working Collaboratively - Teaching Collaboration” in Transformations: The Journal of Inclusive Scholarship and Pedagogy. Mariah has a Doctorate in College Teaching of Art and Design from Columbia University.
Elissa Armstrong, is an associate professor in the Department of Craft/Material Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts (VCUarts). From 2009–20 she served as the director of VCUarts’ Art Foundation Program. Armstrong’s ceramic work has been featured in numerous galleries and museums including two NCECA Annual Exhibitions (2024 & 2020), the Fuller Craft Museum, the Clay Studio and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. Her book with coauthor, Mariah Doren, Let's Talk about Critique: reimagining art and design education, was published 2023, by Intellect Press, UK and the University of Chicago Press, USA. Armstrong received her MFA in ceramics from Alfred University; her BFA in ceramics from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design & Sheridan College.
Angie Quinn is the Executive Director of Michigan Legacy Park. She has over 20 years of non-profit administration, programming, historical research and donor development experience. From 1996 to 2011, she served as Executive Director of ARCH, Fort Wayne’s historic preservation organization. From 2015 to 2021 she served as the Fund Development Director for Fort Wayne Trails, Inc. Angie was also the co-owner with her husband, of the award winning Pembroke Bakery & Café, in Fort Wayne, a vegan and gluten-free friendly bakery and café from 2011 to 2022. She has her MA from Indiana University in Anthropology, and the Certificate in Fund Raising Management (CFRM) from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Craig Hadley is the Executive Director & Chief Curator at the Dennos Museum Center at Northwestern Michigan College.
Tamara Hoffbauer is the Executive Director of Oliver Art Center.
SPONSORS
This year NCAA welcomes sponsors to help us offer a robust roster of actIvities at the conference. All sponsors will be thanked on our website, in conference signage and materials, and at conference remarks. If you have questions about sponsorship opportunITIES or would like to co-sponsor an event please reach out to NCAA President Lauren Lake (lakel@alfred.edu).