Seminar for Research in Art Education (SRAE) Column: Spring 2023

What Great Things Lie Ahead: Looking to the 2023 Convention

SRAE is looking forward to the amazing sessions that will take place in San Antonio this year! As an interest group, our goal is to make room for a wide variety of research voices at the National Convention. In particular, SRAE seeks to support the voices of emerging researchers, such as those in graduate school. Conference sessions will highlight the work of both established and emerging scholars through peer-reviewed as well as standing sessions. Below is a preview of a few of the standing sessions you can expect at this year’s convention.

SRAE Business Meeting: Networking and Research Advice for Graduate Students

Open to everyone! This is the 3rd year for our newly revised SRAE business meeting that focuses on graduate student research, mentoring, and networking. As part of the focus, the officers have invited esteemed scholar Rita Irwin, distinguished university scholar and professor of art education and curriculum studies and former associate dean of teacher education and head at the University of British Columbia, to serve as a faculty mentor for the session. After a brief presentation by the faculty mentor, participants will be invited to engage in research-related discussions. The session will end with pertinent business items by the SRAE officers. Lisa LaJevic (SRAE Chair), Christen Sperry García (SRAE Chair-Elect), Ilayda Altuntas Nott (SRAE Secretary), Christina Hanawalt (SRAE Past Chair), and Rita Irwin will lead the session.

The Marilyn Zurmuehlen Working Papers Session

This session features the latest scholarly and creative research by doctoral students in the field of art education who are currently pursuing doctoral degrees at academic institutions in the United States and Canada. Sara Scott Shields will lead the session.

The Elliot Eisner Doctoral Research in Art Education Dissertation Award Session

This session is sponsored by SRAE and Visual Arts Research, with an aim toward recognizing and supporting doctoral research in art education. During the session, Lauren Stetz, the 2023 awardee, will be recognized and present their outstanding work. The runners-up, Kendall Crabbe and Luke Meeken, will also be recognized. Congratulations to the recipients! Keep up the great work!

SRAE Chairperson’s Salon: Graduate Student Research Lightning Talks

This year’s Chairperson’s Salon will focus on graduate student research and networking. The session will consist of graduate student lightning talks where each presenter will share nine slides in a 3-minute format. This format will allow the audience to learn about various research projects happening at graduate institutions. Lisa LaJevic (SRAE Chair) and Ilayda Altuntas Nott (SRAE Secretary) will lead the session.

Then and Now: Visualizing Lived Experiences Through Art Practice and Writing

(SRAE Chair-Elect’s Panel)
Each year, the Then and Now session features the work of new and seasoned scholars who share their experiences with the mentoring process and related research interests. This year, scholars present research on their lived experiences and how it informs their artistic and teaching practice to engage in reflective writing and narrative inquiry to decenter the racialized and gendered canons of art education. Panelists include Christen Sperry García (SRAE Chair-Elect), Ilayda Altuntas Nott (SRAE Secretary), Indira Bailey, Karen Keifer-Boyd, and Glynnis Reed.

Doing Graduate-Level Research: Insights From Past Elliot Eisner Dissertation Award Winners

(SRAE Past Chair’s Panel)
This standing session of SRAE focuses on graduate student mentoring. This year, SRAE has invited two past Eisner Dissertation Award winners to discuss their experiences of being a graduate student, especially with regard to research. Other topics may include job searches and postgraduation research trajectories. Panelists include Christina Hanawalt (SRAE Past Chair), Brooke Anne Hofsess, and Juuso Tervo.

In addition to these standing sessions, SRAE will host numerous other exciting peer-reviewed sessions that you will find in the Convention program with the Seminar for Research in Art Education designation. Here is a highlight of a few:

• Exploring the Influence of COVID-19 on Doctoral Student and Candidate Research Interests and Trajectories, presented by Eva Coker, Nicholas Leonard, Meng-Jung Yang, Carrie Carlson, and Sarah Greer
• Racial Awareness Development of African American Girls Through Art, Artmaking, and Doll Studies, presented by Minuette Floyd
• Homebound: Arts-Informed Narrative Research Depicting Departure From Appalachia During the Pandemic, presented by Jeffrey Broome
• Citizen Curation as a Relational Practice of Care, Collection, and Cultural Narratives, presented by Kimberly Powell

Please come out to attend our SRAE sessions and join us for the business meeting. We would love to have you involved in this Interest Group!

Column by:

Lisa LaJevic, SRAE Chair
Professor of Art Education, The College of New Jersey. Email: lajevic@tcnj.edu