Bluebird Registration ($160) has been extended for one week. Sign up online at alaska-aaea.org today for our dynamite conference. The price increases to $175 on September 7, 2010.

Bluebird registration (reduced rate of $140) for the Fall Conference expires August 31. Sign up today!

Denali National Park Arts Program Summer Courses
Our National Parks have inspired us for generations, and many artists have played instrumental roles–directly and indirectly–in the promotion and protection of these public lands. Come join Alaska Geographic and the Murie Science and Learning Center for an exploration into our connections with wild places.

Arts courses with Alaska Geographic are led by some of Alaska’s best artists and writers and are based from the Murie Science and Learning Center field camp in Denali National Park. The field camp is situated along the Teklanika River and makes an excellent launching point for our Denali explorations. Lodging, food, instruction, and in-park transportation are included in the $340 course fee. Class size is limited to ten. Optional professional development credit is available.

June 21-23 Knowledge Informs Art: Drawing Inspiration from Denali An endless source of inspiration, Denali has been the backdrop for thousands of artists in dozens of different media. Join Alaskan artist Karin Franzen for a creative closer look into Denali’s natural world. By developing a well rounded knowledge of our surroundings, we can enhance our observations and influence our artwork in a positive way. Using the simple tools of pencils, pens, and other drawing media, we’ll gather ideas and shorthand sketches to illustrate our own personal view of Denali. Karin Franzen is a full time artist well known for exquisite fiber art depicting the natural world. In 2009, Karin was selected as an artist-in-residence for Denali National Park.

July 9-11 Drawing Denali’s Wildlife
Drawing is a way to see the world and consider the many wonders surrounding us. It allows us to record our observations, capture a moment, or remember a feeling. In this course we’ll study the intricacies of the landscape in relation to the animals that live there and record our experiences on paper. If we’re lucky, we’ll witness how Denali’s wildlife moves about this landscape and how best to capture what is often a fleeting moment. Come draw Denali’s world with Todd Sherman, an accomplished professional artist for more than 30 years and Professor of Arts with the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

July 30 – August 1 Denali Field Journaling
In any season and any weather, a journal offers people the opportunity to slow down, observe, reflect, and renew their connection to the natural world. Join long-time Denali resident and writer Tom Walker for field-based journaling in one of the most pristine natural landscapes and ecosystems in the world. By focusing on being in the moment, we’ll concentrate on making detailed observations in the field and capturing these dramatic scenes as they happen. Tom Walker is the author of several books, including Denali Journal.

Alaska Geographic offers more than 25 field seminars & teacher trainings throughout the state. Visit www.alaskageographic.org to see the full catalog of offerings. Alaska Geographic members receive a 10% discount.

Thank you to Maya Hahn Gauvreau and Anais Moquete Sosa for our YAM 2010 flag! Anais Moquete Sosa, 11 years old, is a 5th grader who designed and batiked our Alaska flag. She was in Bayshore Elementary’s ‘50 Year Club’ last year and batiked a similar polar bear on a smaller banner, so Maya asked her if she would like to enlarge the design to 3×5′ and replicate it. She was up for the challenge, even adding an additional polar bear cub from the first design, since there was now more space to work with. Anais says that art is everything to her and that’s her way of expressing herself. The flag will fly at the National Art Education Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

Participants in the Fall Conference session on New Media Tools for Art Educators started collaboration on this VoiceThread project. We encourage you to add your voice or text comments to this interactive presentation. Session participants can add slides. Other conference attendees can use the AAEA VoiceThread accout to add their own photos from the conference. We would love to have images and narratives of the many outstanding and creative workshops and presentations. Contact session facilitator John Schauer (jschauer@northstar.k12.ak.us) for a VoiceThread login and password.