CAGE Symposium/Joint Conference with CSEA: Interconnection, May 9-11, 2013

Hosted by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, DHC Centre for Contemporary Art, Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal, QC

This year the Canadian Society for Education Through Art/la Société Canadienne d’Éducation par l’Art (CSEA/SCÉA) and Canadian Art Gallery Educators (CAGE) are partnering to host a visual arts education conference in Montreal, Canada. The theme for this event is “Interconnection”. The conference is about breaking down categorical fences, and opening up the pigeonholes to which comfort and habit have accustomed us. A limited awareness of the possibilities inherent in connections—between our specializations, our surroundings, and one another—is confining. Quantifiable, reductive, positivistic specialization has contributed to complex environmental, economic and social challenges. However, if we can recognize that everything is interconnected, and venture to explore possible connections, the effects/affects will be significant. Interconnection is a perspective that can be pursued even within specializations. Organizations like CSEA/SCÉA and CAGE can share multiple goals and perspectives, spaces and activities. The possibilities are endless, and every interpretation of this theme brings us that much closer to a reconstitution of sensibilities for the 21st Century.

Keynote

Kerry Freedman

Dr. Kerry Freedman, Professor and Division Head of the faculty of Art and Design Education at Northern Illinois University presented our keynote address. Dr. Freedman’s research focuses on questions concerning the relationship of curriculum to art, culture, and technology. Throughout her career, she has investigated social aspects of art education adn promoted cultural understanding through her teaching, research, and writing. Recently, she has focused on questions concerning student engagement with visual culture and issues surrounding curriculum change in light of postmodern educational conditions. Dr. Freedman authored Teaching Visual Culture and co-authored Postmodern Art Education, with Arthur Efland and Patricia Stuhr, and Transforming Computer Technology.

Keynote Presentation: Crossing the Divide Between Formal and Informal Art Learning

Guest Presentation: “Leading vs. Managing Change” Kelly McKinley (Art Gallery of Ontario), Dale Sheppard (Art Gallery of Nova Scotia) & Jean-Luc Murray (Montreal Museum of Fine Arts), Nicolle Nugent, mod. (MacKenzie Art Gallery).