Current Arkansas K-12 art teachers are invited to participate in the 2025 Windgate Summer Art Launch for Arkansas Educators, hosted by the Arkansas Tech University Department of Art. This year's workshops will be in-person with some virtual components.
Participants will learn a variety of art techniques during workshops taught by university professors and experienced regional artists. We will host a virtual orientation Sunday evening on June 8th, and our Guest speaker, Friday, June 13th, will be virtual. There will be a virtual art exhibition of the artwork created during the week of workshops.
Participants will earn up to 30 hours of professional development from the Arkansas Department of Education. We ask that all participants attend the entire event.
Due to the generous support of the Windgate Foundation, the event is provided at no cost for Arkansas Art Educators
Dr. Lynnette Gilbert
Director, Windgate Art Launch for Arkansas Educators
lgilbert3@atu.edu
Repeating Pattern Design
Kasten Searles Artist/Art Educator, Professor of Art/Department Head, Arkansas Tech University
Join illustrator Kasten Searles for a beginner-friendly workshop where you'll learn to create seamless repeating patterns for fabric, wallpaper, and more. No prior experience with Adobe Photoshop needed! You'll start by sketching motifs and assembling a repeat by hand using simple tools on paper, then move into Photoshop to digitize and refine your design into a polished, seamless tile. With step-by-step guidance, you’ll explore both traditional and digital techniques, gaining the skills and confidence to continue creating your own surface pattern designs long after the workshop ends.
Mixed-Media Perspective Drawing
Ashley Kinsey, Artist/Art Educator/ Adjunct Professor, ATU
In this workshop, participants will be introduced to the process of layering and building different materials with drawing and perspective techniques to create an original work of art. Participants will learn different techniques to build backgrounds, add textures, and implement architecture into their subject matter. No prior experience needed and all materials provided.
Needle Felting
Ashley Kinsey, Artist/Art Educator/ Adjunct Professor, ATU
In this workshop, participants will be introduced to needle felting and wool roving and will create a 2D and/or relief sculpture on textile materials. Participants also have the option of also bringing in their own textiles or apparel to embellish during the workshop. No prior experience needed and all materials provided.
YUPO-tastic!
Brent Rowley, Artist
In this workshop, participants will experiment with a fun new art substrate called YUPO. YUPO is a synthetic polymer—think plastic paper—that allows artists to create unique effects. We will learn the properties of YUPO and experiment on this substrate with dry and liquid media, observing how the mediums interact. Participants will have the option of using alcohol ink, Posca pens, wax pastel, inktense pencils, acrylic, and watercolor. We will also learn the secret geometries that artists throughout history used to create beautiful compositions. With these simple formulas—alongside the new experimental media—participants will create contemporary abstract paintings on YUPO. Participants will leave the workshop with the tools to create cutting-edge abstract works of art inspired by artists from Leonardo to Mondrian.
Image Transfers
Margo Duvall, Professor of Art, University of the Ozarks
In this hands-on workshop, participants will experiment with breaking the space of the traditional photograph by using a variety of methods to transfer inkjet and laser photocopies of photographs to materials like wood, paper, and found objects. We’ll discuss collage and mixed-media techniques to push the boundaries of traditional image-making. Perfect for all levels of creators! No experience necessary.
Mixed Media Bookmaking and Art Journaling
Jocelyn Alvey, Artist/Art Educator (Dover Middle School)
In this workshop, participants will be creating their own sketchbooks, using a variety of mediums, papers, and methods. We will use the sketchbooks to explore Art Journaling techniques, gel printing, and mixed media experiments. While art supplies can get pricey, these methods are intended to be budget friendly, which is helpful in a subject that tends to be given a meager budget to begin with. Hopefully you will find something you can use in your classroom and for your own art as well!
Tripod Mug and Coffee Pour Set
Soyoon Ahn, Artist /Adjunct Professor of Art, ATU
Part I-Ceramics: A Tripod Mug
Participants will learn a basic hand-building technique, the concept of soft slab construction, and surface decoration skills.
Part II- Ceramics: Coffee Pour Over Set
Participants will learn a slab-building technique, how to create templates, and the concept of glazing and firing
Pre-Service Art Educators One Day Workshop
Lets make D.I.Y Paper with Ella!
In this workshop pre-service art educators will be making D.I.Y paper out of recycled paper and turn it into a personal sketchbook!
*Only 12 seats available
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Monday June 9 |
Tuesday June 10 |
Wednesday June 11 |
Thursday June 12 |
Friday, June 13 |
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8:15 – 8:45 a.m. Reception/Check-in – pick up packets |
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All Events Friday will be Virtual |
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9 am – 12 pm |
9 am – 12 pm |
9 am – 12 pm |
9 am – 12 pm |
11am-12 pm – Guest Speaker: Maria Knuckley Robinson Artist/Art Educator Director of Studio Art and Pre-Art Therapy, Salem College, Winston-Salem, NC – WebEx
Certificates will be e- mailed to participants after all images are received for the virtual exhibition. (Participation counts towards PD hours) |
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Part I: Image Transfers Margo Duvall NOR 208 |
Part I: Image Transfers Margo Duvall NOR 208 |
Part I: YUPO-tastic! Brent Rowley NOR 204
Part I: Repeated Pattern Design Kasten Searles NOR 207
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Part I: YUPO-tastic! Brent Rowley NOR 204
Part I: Repeated Pattern Design Kasten Searles NOR 207
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Part I: Tripod Mug & Coffee Set Soyoon Ahn NOR 112
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Part I: Tripod Mug & Coffee Set Soyoon Ahn NOR 112
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Part I: Needle Felting Ashley Kinsey NOR 213
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Part I: Needle Felting Ashley Kinsey NOR 213
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Part I: Mixed Media Perspective Drawing Ashley Kinsey NOR 208
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Part I: Mixed Media Perspective Drawing Ashley Kinsey NOR 208
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Submit images for virtual exhibit by Monday June 16 – Exhibit will be available Friday, June 20. |
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Part I: Mixed Media Bookmaking and Art Journaling Jocelyn Alvey NOR 204
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Part I: Mixed Media Bookmaking and Art Journaling Jocelyn Alvey NOR 204
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12 – 1 pm Lunch Break On Campus Options: BazTech Chambers Dinning Hall |
12 – 1 pm Lunch Break On Campus Options: BazTech Chambers Dinning Hall |
12 - 1 pm Lunch Break On Campus Options: BazTech Chambers Dinning Hall |
12 - 1 pm Lunch Provided Norman Art Building Lobby/Building |
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Monday June 9 |
Tuesday June 10 |
Wednesday June 11 |
Thursday June 12 |
Friday, June 13 |
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1:00pm – 4:00 pm Part II: Image Transfers Margo Duvall NOR 208 Part II: Tripod Mug &Coffee Set Soyoon Ahn NOR 112
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1:00pm – 4:00 pm Part II: Image Transfers Margo Duvall NOR 208 Part II: Tripod Mug &Coffee Set Soyoon Ahn NOR 112 |
1:00pm – 4:00 pm
Part I: YUPO-tastic! Brent Rowley NOR 204
Part II: Repeated Pattern Design Kasten Searles NOR 207
Part II: Mixed Media Perspective Drawing Ashley Kinsey NOR 208
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1:00pm – 4:00 pm
Part I: YUPO-tastic! Brent Rowley NOR 204
Part II: Repeated Pattern Design Kasten Searles NOR 207
Part II: Abstract to Realism Mixed Media Perspective Drawing Ashley Kinsey NOR 208
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11am-12 pm – Guest Speaker: Maria Knuckley Robinson Artist/Art Educator Director of Studio Art and Pre-Art Therapy, Salem College, Winston-Salem, NC – WebEx
Completion certificates will be e- mailed to participants after all images are received for the virtual exhibition. (Participation counts towards PD hours)
Submit images for virtual exhibit by Monday June 16 – Exhibit will be available Friday, June 20 |
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Part II: Needle Felting Ashley Kinsey NOR 213
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Part II: Needle Felting Ashley Kinsey NOR 213
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Part II: Mixed Media Bookmaking and Art Journaling Jocelyn Alvey NOR 204
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Part II: Mixed Media Bookmaking and Art Journaling Jocelyn Alvey NOR 204
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Kasten Searles
Kasten McClellan Searles (she/her/hers) is an illustrator, painter, designer, and art educator. She is known for her works of illustration and painting that highlight social issues and depict true stories. Her work is exhibited widely, and she was granted an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Arkansas Arts Council for her narrative art. Her illustrations have been published in magazines, reviewed by the Huffington Post, and have appeared on the cover of the Arkansas Times. Kasten serves as the head of the Art Department at Arkansas Tech University where she teaches illustration, design, and studio art.
She received her BFA in Design from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University, and her MA and MFA in Painting from the University of Dallas.
Ashley Kinsey
Ashley grew up in Nebraska and now calls Arkansas her home after moving back to attend high school and college. She holds a bachelor's degree in Graphic Design and Art Education from Arkansas Tech University and an MA in Art Education. She is an adjunct professor at Arkansas Tech University and the University of the Ozarks where she teaches drawing, figure drawing, design, and art history courses. Her fine art concentration focuses on the anatomy of the human figure in charcoal and graphite, and she also uses watercolor and fiber art to create mixed-media works. Along with her passion for art education and the fine arts, Ashley holds art advocacy to a very high level of importance in her personal, professional, and academic life. She has served on the Arkansas Art Educators Association board as Elementary Division Director and as Western Regional Art Show Director for several years. She also works with her community to teach summer youth art camps; the majority of her work with these community programs are voluntary as a result of her community-driven passion for integrating as much art as possible into her Russellville hometown. She also works as an art instructor, teaching workshops downtown at Garden Sass, a local artisan gift shop. Whether teaching art to young children, college students, or adults, her focus is not solely on the finished art product, but on the creative process and understanding the purposes and the importance of why we are creating. She believes that engaging in art at any age encourages critical and creative problem-solving skills and encourages perceptual awareness and self-expression, as art readily relates to all ages and life experiences.
Brent J. Rowley
Brent J. Rowley was born and raised in Arkansas. He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Hendrix College and a master’s degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages from Arkansas Tech University. He traveled the world as an English language instructor for nearly a decade, living and working in the countries of Georgia, Russia, and Japan.
While traveling throughout Europe and Asia, he created small-scale watercolor paintings of the places he visited. A turning point in his creative journey came in 2021 during a two month stay at the Sarasvati Creative Space artist residency in Hohenwald, Tennessee. As a result, his paintings expanded into large-scale mixed media works that incorporated the array of experiences, philosophies, and artistic influences he had amassed from his travels and studies. The breakthrough at Sarasvati led to an outpouring of paintings and drawings and continues to inspire his present work.
Brent currently lives and works in London, Arkansas. While still considering himself a watercolorist at heart, his new work employs an ever-expanding range of media, including wax pastel, acrylic ink, oil, India ink, alcohol ink, and silverpoint, as well as a variety of synthetic papers and metal substrates. His work has been included in the Mid-Southern Watercolorists 51st Annual Exhibition and he received first place at the Neighbors Art Show in Conway, AR. He is represented by Boswell Mourot Fine Art in Little Rock, AR.
Margo Duvall
Margo Duvall is an artist and educator currently living in Little Rock, AR. She earned her MFA in Photography from San Jose State University (2009) and her BA in Studio Art from Humboldt State University (2006). She currently teaches at University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, AR.
Duvall’s artwork investigates photography's role in the development of memory and identity through film, mixed media and installation-based pieces. She has received recognition as an artist with numerous solo and group exhibitions including the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts annual Delta Exhibition, Arkansas Arts Council's Small Works on Paper, Ft. Smith’s Regional Art Museum, and many more.
Jocelyn Alvey
Jocelyn Alvey is a Christian, an artist, a Middle School Art Teacher, and a collector of hobbies. As an artist and educator, she dabbles in a variety of art forms, media and subject matter which makes teaching in Middle School more entertaining.
She loves to create artwork from her own photos of nature she finds around her property and out West when visiting family.
Soyoon Ahn
Soyoon Ahn is a potter, painter, and an art educator at Arkansas Tech University. She has been creating functional pottery for over 12 years. She was born in Seoul, many of her works have been influenced by Korean Folk Art. She has received multiple awards for her ceramics and Korean folk paintings at several art competitions.
She recently opened her art studio ‘Atelier A.’ in downtown Russellville where she offers pottery classes. She teaches basic wheel throwing skills, hand-building techniques, and surface decoration skills.
Her beautifully functional creations are on display in Arkansas at the Boswell-Mourot Fine Art Gallery in Little Rock, Historic Arkansas Museum Store in Little Rock, Arkansas Craft Guild Gallery in Mt.View, Kasper’s in Clarksville, and Garden Sass Artisan Gifts in Russellville.
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Pre-Service Art Educator:
Ella Dover
Ella Dover is Sophomore Art Education major at Arkansas Tech University. Her art is expensive with lots of colors ranging from magenta, green, purple, and yellow. Ella loves to catch the viewer attention with my saturated and vivid artworks. Most of her works are self-portraits and objects or animals she adores or find interesting.
Maria Knuckley Robinson
Director of Studio Art and Pre-Art Therapy, Salem College, Winston-Salem, NC
https://www.mariaknuckleyrobinson.com
mariaknuckleyrobinson@gmail.com
Maria Knuckley Robinson holds undergraduate degrees in business administration and art studio/design, a Masters of Arts Teaching in Art Education, National Board Teacher Certification, and an Education Doctorate Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She is currently working on an MFA in Painting at SCAD to improve her own work in combining painting, printmaking, textiles, and mixed-media approaches. Maria has extensive training in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, pottery, mixed media, photography, film, metal jewelry, 3D printing, and STEAM curriculum development. She is actively involved with Advanced Placement Studio Art and Design as a Table Leader and Consultant, NAEA as an At-Large Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Commissioner, and the South Carolina Department of Education’s Arts Assessment Program as an assessor, item writer, and professional development instructor. She has a consulting business called Artistry & Assessment; she travels to schools around the country to assist in developing growth in arts assessment practices.
Processes of ideas are embedded within the layers of my work, revealing a labyrinth of multidimensional materials and meaning intertwined throughout, mixing between the symbols, connecting histories and evoking bonded relationships to others. I often utilize materials in unexpected presentations, such as maps as textiles and textiles as maps, craft techniques to bridge utility and fine art, and technology to promote accessibility in a contemporary world.
This year campus housing will not be provided, so participants will be responsible for their own accommodations. We recommend the following hotels in Russellville:
Other Lodging Options
Chambers Dinning Hall
In the Dining Hall you have options such as the freshly prepared salad bar, deli,
Mongolian Wok, stone oven baked pizza, the grill, fantastic desserts, home cooked
yumminess, and so much more.
Due to Covid 19 at this time, all of our food is in take out containers but still gives you the freshness and all you can eat experience. Please get a new cup each time you need to refill your drink.
OPEN HOURS:
Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Baz Tech
Baswell Techionary offers specialty sandwiches from Which Wich, pizza in a variety
of flavors from Bona Dea, chicken strips & salads from Slim Chickens, the best burgers
from Jerry's Diner and a variety of drinks from Starbucks "We Proudly Serve".
OPEN HOURS: (All food concepts will be closed by 11:00pm)
Monday-Friday 7 a.m. - 12 a.m.
Food Concepts Available in Baz Tech:
Bona Dea offers a variety of our pizzas and salads for your taste buds. Each are made fresh daily. Can't get into Baz Tech but want pizza, don't worry you can also find them at our C-Store located in Doc Bryan.
Jerry's Diner is our southern concept that offers a variety of breakfast sandwiches & burritos along with the best cheeseburgers & fries combo in town. They also serve grilled cheese, patty melts, BLT's, grilled chicken sandwiches and much more.
Slim Chickens brings southern hospitality to fast, casual dining with fresh hand-breaded chicken tenders, Buffalo wings, and handmade dipping sauces. Its menu offers a variety of choices of delicious products that can fit into a balanced, healthy diet.
Starbucks Every coffee we create has a rich story behind it—from the origin of the beans and our rigorous selection process to our blending and roasting artistry. Whether you’re sipping our hearty Starbucks Gold Coast Blend or getting reacquainted with our seasonal Starbucks Tribute Blend, you’ll taste our coffee passion in every cup. Starbucks Food Service is the leading provider of specialty coffee brands, dedicated to serving the unique needs of business-to-business venues including food service and office coffee operators, who in turn serve the consumer.
Which Wich® is a fresh, innovative concept featuring superior sandwiches served in an edgy, magnetic environment. In addition to more than 50 customizable “wiches”, including the signature Wicked® loaded with five meats and three cheeses, Which Wich is known for its revolutionary ordering system.
Each participant will be able to attend 4 of the 7 workshops. You will receive an e-mail confirming whether your application was accepted or if you were placed on the waiting list. This workshop is only available for current Arkansas K-12 art teachers at this time.
All activities will be held in the Norman Art Building on the Arkansas Tech University Campus in Russellville. The map below provides directions to Norman Hall.
