I attended the first day of the conference on September 12. As expected, as with all the ZART conferences and PL, it was rewarding, informative and gave the opportunity to learn new skills. I attended in person at the Durack community art space, which gave the opportunity to network and have some valuable conversations with other arts teachers. What perhaps was the most exciting thing was the box of goodies arriving in the mail, including a welcome pack and all the materials you need for the practical workshops. The workshop pack contained 3 sets of beautiful waxy crayons called, “Slicks” which were delightful to use with gorgeous colours. The practical workshop I participated in was the “Stitching” workshop. It is great to have workshops where you can try new materials which you wouldn’t normally order for your classes.
It was also a privilege to listen to Julie Rapp speak about her practice and extensive career as an academic and artist. I found it personally of interest to hear her speak about how her work reflects on the body she inhabits and about “the gaze” and the female body and how it is perceived in art. In my experience as a Visual and Creative arts teacher, I would definitely consider her as an artist to focus on for Stage 1 or for a student whose theme is about the body in their Visual Study.