April 5, 2001

Students And Faculty From Ramapo College To Attend Art Education Conference In Scotland

(Mahwah) -- Two Ramapo College of New Jersey art education students, Justin Muratore of Westwood and Tenley Marshall of Delaware, NJ, will join professors Mack Brandon and Emily Hartzell and teacher Liz Grieco in a panel presentation at the Computer Art and Design Education Conference (CADE) in Glasgow, Scotland from April 9 to 12. They will discuss ways that Ramapo College and neighboring K-12 public schools are working together to integrate new technological art media into the fine arts curriculum through a four-year, federally-funded project called Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers for Technology (PT3).

Ramapo College Media Art Professor Emily Hartzell who has considerable experience working as an artist in residence in public schools, will share examples of Net Art created by the young artists she works with. "I'm looking forward to participating in an international dialog concerning art, education and technology. It will be interesting to find out how policies in different countries, and their attitudes to technology and art in education, shape the work they're able to do."

Grieco, a teacher in the Ramsey School District, is among the first generation of new teachers who have learned about video art and have considerable skills with computers and new imaging technologies. Grieco appreciates PT3 as a "great opportunity to share ideas with teachers, students and professors from my region, and now as a participant at CADE with artists and educators from all over the world. I am excited to expand my knowledge and the use of technology in my classroom."

Ramapo College senior Justin Muratore will show his computer art work at CADE and discuss the art education program, which is unique in that students must complete a visual arts major, including a portfolio project for the graduating students gallery exhibition. "I haven't been to Europe before, and now I'm going on behalf of Ramapo's art education students to learn about the differences between our approaches and theirs. I'll later be able to apply new ideas to my teaching."

Tenley Marshall, a senior majoring in art education will present a lesson she created using Adobe Photoshop, sharing her experiences as a student teacher in a K-5 art classroom. "For me, attending the conference in Glasgow is a fabulous opportunity as an educator and as an artist. Like Justin, this will be my first time visiting Europe."

According to Shalom Gorewitz, professor of communications/media and moderator of the PT3's Fine Arts Forum,"CADE 2001's theme is crossing borders, and that's what our work has been about. It's rare for educators from all levels of public education and students to get together to research, discuss and suggest methods for introducing technological art in ways that make sense at each grade level."

As panelists, the group has been invited to attend special receptions, performances and events that provide a taste of Glasgow's rich cultural milieu. The conference is being held at the Glasgow School of the Arts, one of the most famous architectural achievements of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

CADE is the major international gathering of art educators and artists focused on issues directly related to their mutual goals.