College will host 400 high school students for creative arts conference
Amarillo College and the Texas Panhandle Art Education Association proudly present IGNITE: High School Creative Arts Conference, which will draw more than 400 talented high school students to AC’s Washington Street Campus on Friday, April 21.
The event kicks off at 9 a.m. in Ordway Hall with a welcome and panel discussion led by writer and journalist Jason Boyett of Brick & Elm and Hey Amarillo, and featuring four successful creatives who will discuss “Creating Careers.”
The conference then will offer more than two dozen workshops and breakout sessions on everything from Action Drawing and Pet Portrait Painting to the HOODOO Mural Festival’s Art of Business, led by Andrew Hall, the festival’s founder.
In the morning, hands-on workshops and breakout sessions are from 10-11:30 a.m., while afternoon activities are scheduled from 12:30-2 p.m. The conference will unfold throughout the AC Campus – in Byrd Hall, Ordway Hall, Parcells Hall, the College Union Building and the Amarillo Museum of Art. See a campus map here.
IGNITE will provide attendees and presenters powerful connectivity to help develop the cultural ecology of the community with an aim toward creating future leaders. To that end, the sessions will be led by professional artists, business owners, educators and civic leaders from across the Panhandle.
For example, Wendy Taylor, CEO of the Don Harrington Discover Center, will lead breakout Q&A’s with museum and gallery directors; while yoga instructor Victori Amaya will lead sessions on The Art of Mind Body Connection.
“The goal of this annual conference to bring young creatives and local arts professionals together on the Amarillo College campus to forge connections and introduce students to the many arts resources available locally,” Stephanie Jung, AC instructor of art, said.
“Having an event that fosters that creative spirit and connects these students to the larger arts community is special. This is a crowd that often has to fight to pursue their passion, and that's part of why the presenters are willing to volunteer their time to help facilitate those connections. All that energy is inspiring.”
For more information about IGNITE, please contact Stephanie Jung at 405-788-6591.