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2023 Keynote Speakers
Jason Blair
Jason Blair, an esteemed art educator with 21 years of experience, passionately advocates for the transformative potential of children's creativity. Stepping into his art studio daily, he finds inspiration in the vibrant imaginations of his young students. Recognizing the importance of fostering creativity, Jason believes that educators must continuously cultivate their own growth as agents of creative change. Embracing the role of a "classroom creativity whisperer," he creates an inclusive community that values and celebrates divergent thinking. In addition to his role as an elementary art educator, Jason serves as the co-assistant director of the Project Zero--Cultivating Creative and Civic Capacities project, collaborating with the Columbus Museum of Art, Harvard University, and local educators. As a respected creativity consultant, he shares his practical classroom experiences through national conference presentations, workshops, and keynote speeches across Ohio and beyond. Jason earned his MA in art education from The Ohio State University and currently teaches in Dublin, Ohio, where he continues to nurture and amplify creativity in his students. Blair is also the featured speaker and facilitator of the 2023 Thursday Pre-Conference session. CLICK HERE for Pre-Conference information.
Andrea Kantrowitz, an artist and educator, is the Director of the Art Education Program at the State University of New York at New Paltz. She is the author of Drawing Thought, published by MIT Press, which is an investigation of drawing, cognition, and creativity that integrates text and hand-drawn images. She has lectured and led workshops on art and cognition internationally, and has twice served as a Singapore Ministry of Education Outstanding Educator in Residence. As a director of the Thinking through Drawing Project, founded during her doctoral studies at Teachers College, Columbia University, she co-organized 10 years of international drawing and cognition research symposia and workshops, in collaboration with colleagues from around the world. Before coming to Columbia University Teachers College as a doctoral student, she was a teaching artist in the New York City public schools for many years, involved in multiple local and national research projects. As a teaching artist with the Studio in a School organization, she co-developed and implemented an integrated art, math, and literacy curriculum for a federally funded Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination (AEMDD) project. This project included a randomized control trial that demonstrated the impact of an integrated art curriculum for students growing up in poverty She holds a BA in Art and Cognition from Harvard University and a MFA in Painting from Yale. She has taught foundation drawing at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and graduate courses in contemporary art at the College of New Rochelle. Prior to her work in K-12 education, she was the visual art foundation coordinator at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh. Her paintings have been exhibited nationally and are in many private collections. She has curated multiple exhibitions on themes of drawing, cognition, and the creative work of artist/educators. She is an artist member of The Painting Center in New York City, and her artwork is also represented by Kenise Barnes Fine Art. She lives, hikes, draws, and paints in the Hudson Valley, NY.
Grace Lynne Haynes is a Brooklyn based artist born in California. Her paintings examine the sacred lives and practices of Black women rooted in a mythology of her own making. Intricate moments are juxtaposed against flat, black swaths of paint shaped to represent female bodies. These paintings are situated from her own imagined world used to conjure an alternate universe. She explores ways in which women come together and in some cases fall apart through dance and acts of intimacy. These women are in close proximity to one another, however there is distance between them creating tension within their interaction. What happens when two bodies enter one space? Do they come together in the midst of an embrace or act out of inner turmoil? Through these invented and mythological beings Grace explores the complicated emotions that take place when women come together or embrace solitude. Grace Lynne is an inaugural member of Kehinde Wiley's Black Rock Senegal residency, and has received a residency fellowship from the Vermont Studio Center, Virginia Center for the Arts, and MASS MoCA. She has had her work published on the cover of The New Yorker, and has been featured in WhiteWall Magazine, CNN Art & Style, Vogue, New American Paintings, the LA Times, and was featured in Daily Collector's "20 Painters Who Are Shaping the Next Decade." She has exhibited her work internationally in Africa and Europe, and will be having her first international solo exhibition in Italy the Fall of 2024.
Jade Warrick Jade Warrick, also known as TrashKiD, is a designer, youth educator, and Capital Region-based artist originally hailing from Los Angeles. Through her art, Warrick crafts visual representations that bridge voices and stories, creating a tapestry inspired by historical events, personal memories, and an affection for the grit and absurdity found in everyday life. Her public work emphasizes the connection between local narratives and art, fostering a sense of community, healing, and ownership. At present, Warrick directs Amplified Voices, an art and wellness initiative aimed at elevating the voices of marginalized communities through creative programming. In addition to hosting WMHT’s AHA! (A House for Arts), she recently held the esteemed role of Curator of Public Art and Placemaking at the Arts Center of the Region, where she significantly grew and fostered a placemaking project called "The Fish Market," providing North Central Troy Residents with access to arts education and youth activities. With five years of experience in producing large public artworks and ten years as an arts educator, program developer, and curriculum designer, Warrick's expertise and passion are evident in each project she undertakes. Her work continues to resonate with audiences, both visually and emotionally, marking her as a significant figure in contemporary art and education.
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