SECAC News

FATE/MACAA/Think Tank Collaboration, St. Louis, March 30, 2011

In partnership with FATE and MACAA, Integrative Teaching International is offering a ThinkTank intensive just prior to the 2011 Biennial FATE conference. Space is limited to 65 participants, so please submit an application if you want to attend. 

Target Audience
1. Current MFA candidates in studio art and design, or recent MFA degree recipients, with at least 1 semester of Foundations teaching experience.
2. Current PhD candidates, or recent PhD degree recipients, with at least 1 semester of teaching experience in art theory, educational theory, or contemporary art practices.
3. Foundations Coordinators, with up to five years of Foundations leadership experience.

Deadline – September 30, 2010; Notification by October 30, 2010

What is the projected format and schedule? 
Each full-scale week-long ThinkTank event is driven by a broad theme and employs a mix of facilitated discussions, workshops and presentations, interspersed with informal meals and social interaction. In this distilled version, we will introduce a range of ideas and workshops. A draft agenda for the March 30 event follows:

11:00-11:40: Arrive and register.

11:40-1200: Introductions and Overview

12:00-1:00: Simple buffet lunch with around 8-person “Topic Tables,” such as:

    * Teaching the 3 C’s: Critique, Critical Thinking, Critical Theory,
    * A 21st C Drawing Foundation,
    * A 21st C Design Foundation,
    * Figure Drawing in the 21st Century,
    * Cultural Connections.
    * Materials and Methods,
    * Art and a Liberal Arts Context.

1:15-3:30: Lecture/Demonstrations introducing curriculum and leadership strategies,

    * The Pedagogical Process: Sequencing as your Secret Weapon
    * Curriculum Design, From Mission to Outcome
    * Teaching with Technology

3:30-4:00: Break, with coffee and snacks

3:30-5:30: Facilitated discussions (up to 20 participants per topic), such as

    * Constructing Meaning
    * The Critique: Substance and Strategies
    * Leading Change

5:45-6:15: Wrap Up, then join regular FATE conference.

Application Process:
Please follow the directions located at IntegrativeTeaching.

2009 Website Redesign

Over forty submissions for the SECAC website competition were received from universities throughout the southeast. MacRae Grossman, a major in Graphic Design and Digital Media in Blake Coglianese’s Advanced Web Design class at the University of North Florida, won the $1,000.00 prize. Thanks to all the faculty members who encouraged their talented students to submit their work. The jurors were very impressed by the quality and creativity of the entries.

The winning entry’s navigational elements are clean and attractive and should improve usability. While reflective of the site’s current content and structure, the design incorporates elements that will make the homepage more dynamic and user-friendly. High-demand information, such as upcoming dates, membership fees, and SECAC’s latest publication have been brought to the front of the site, making it a better entry point for both power-users and first-time visitors.

Madison Digital Image Database

Since its first release in 2001, James Madison University's MDID (Madison Digital Image Database) has been available to users in the academic community, free of charge. JMU released MDID2 software under an open source license in July 2004, which continues the spread of this multimedia teaching tool. For more information, visit the MDID wiki at: http://mdid.org

SECAC History, “Forty-five Years Later”

by Martha Bell Caldwell
From the 2001 Annual Conference Session: “Reflections on Sixty Years of SECAC” chaired by William R. Levin, Centre College

I don't quite cover the 60 years of SECAC history - only 45 years of it. My first SECAC meeting was at the University of Mississippi in 1956. Present was Dr. Clemens Sommer from UNC who I chauffered around Oxford in my old gear shift car…continue "Forty-five Years Later"

SECAC History, “Fifty Years and Counting…”

by Anne Thomas
From the 2001 Annual Conference Session: “Reflections on Sixty Years of SECAC” chaired by William R. Levin, Centre College

When Bill Levin asked me to participate in this session he suggested that I use “selective memories” about SECAC and posed several possible topics for my consideration…continue "Fifty Years and Counting"

SECAC History, “Visual Resources Curators Affiliate Organization: Twenty-four Years of Active Involvement in SECAC”

by Christina B. Updike
From the 2001 Annual Conference Session: “Reflections on Sixty Years of SECAC” chaired by William R. Levin, Centre College


When Bill Levin sent out an email “Call for Papers” for his “Reflections on 60 Years of SECAC” session, I was amazed to learn that SECAC had reached this milestone…continue "VRC affiliate organization perspective"