Vermillion hosts SDAEA and SDCAA Conference

Last week, the University of South Dakota hosted to the annual South Dakota Art Education Association and South Dakota College Art Association Conference. The three-day conference ran from October 8th through October 10th.

The SDAEA & SDCAA Conference rotates between each of the six public institutions governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents, and USD was next to host. 

The Department of Arts had been involved in planning this multi-day conference, with art educators and students from across the state coming to attend. 

Lauren Freese, Chair of the Department of Art, was heavily involved in organizing the event, and expressed excitement in hosting the conference.

“We wanted this to be a place where folks that are interested in art education could come together” Freese said.

The conference included workshops, keynote speakers, and activities for attendees. It was also an opportunity for educators to come together and to talk. The conference also had topics regarding the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom, a talking point amongst educators right now.

“It was an opportunity for art educators to share techniques, processes, lesson plans, to help them deal with new and emergent classroom challenges” Freese said.

Statistically, art, and humanity degrees are in decline. Falling enrollments, rising tuition, shifting policy, and decreases in funding has plagued art departments in colleges around the United States. Freese highlighted the importance of having art education and fine arts as a necessity to education.

“Students need creativity and resourcefulness and the willingness to try something and fail and to experiment. What better way to learn that through creative activity” Freese said.

Notable speakers and visitors included photographer Natalie Christensen and painter Alex Kanevsky. Christensen currently has an exhibit up in the John A. Day Gallery at the Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts. 

The exhibit is open to all Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.