From the halls of Northwestern Michigan College to the bustling art scene of Chicago, Swoop has been expanding his creative horizons! Laura Korch, NMC Ceramics faculty, recently attended the College Art Association (CAA) 114th Annual Conference, and she didn’t travel alone. Swoop joined her for a whirlwind tour of scholarly sessions and gallery hops, capturing the spirit of NMC’s commitment to artistic growth and professional connection.

Below, you’ll find Laura’s thoughtful reflection on the highlights of the conference, along with a gallery of Swoop’s favorite “windy city” moments.

What was the name of the conference/PD opportunity you attended?

College Art Association (CAA) 114th Annual Conference

When and where did the event take place?

February 18-21 at the Hilton in Chicago

Please share details from a memorable keynote speaker, conference session, or something else notable from the event.

The SAC Portfolio Review and industry Advice for Artists was especially helpful. I had the opportunity to meet with 3 panelists to discuss my personal artwork, my website, and the curriculum I teach at NMC: Tanya Kaiser is a mixed media sculptor, including clay. Paul Andrew Wandless teaches ceramics at a 2-year community college whom I spoke to about our sculpture I curriculum, and my personal ceramic art work, and Laura Brody, a curator and sculptor. I rarely get feedback on my personal artwork. Getting feedback from another community college professor’s perspective on our curriculum was encouraging. The hand on workshops were awesome!

How likely are you to recommend this opportunity to a colleague?

Likely

Do you have any big takeaways that you’ll be applying to your pedagogy in the near future?

I am encouraged to continue offering Sculpture I as an Intro to different materials course. I may incorporate aluminum casting in the future. I’m inspired to assign larger collaborative work to students in my 3D Design course. After attending a session on “Reinventing the Critique” for ceramics students, I look forward to trying out what I’ve learned at the conference with students.

Is there anything else you’d like CIE or your colleagues at NMC to know about this experience?

The conference is heavily art history focused therefore some panelists were reading from papers as their presentation. I found this aspect to the conference challenging to listen to. Overall the conference was good and beneficial for me to attend.