2025 Conference Workshops

Workshop opportunities include hands on, lecture, and round-table discussion format in addition to engaging keynote sessions and time to connect with colleagues. Attendance verification and CTLE credit are available for up to 14 CTLE hours.

Over 85 workshops are offered with no advance selection necessary; a small selection of ticketed Extended Hands-On Studio workshops are avaialble for an additional fee. Please read workshop descriptions and materials requirements/recommendations carefully prior to registering for Ticketed Workshops. Preregistered and ticketed events are not refundable. 

Workshop List with Descriptions  COMING SOON
General Schedule Workshops are either 50 minutes or 110 minutes. Cancellations sometimes happen due to circumstances beyond our control. Workshops are subject to change without notice.  

General session are open to all participants; some workshops have a materials fee up to $5 to participate fully in the workshop, as indicated in the description. Please plan ahead to have cash on hand if there is a materials fee. 

Please read workshop descriptions and materials requirements/recommendations carefully prior to registering for Ticketed Workshops. To preregister for a ticketed event, select the desired workshop option(s) on the Preregistered Workshops section in the Conference Registration Form. Preregistered and ticketed events are non-refundable. 

Tetra Pak Printing
Explore contemporary intaglio and relief printing methods, using non-toxic, up cycled materials. Foil-lined cartons and simple tools emulate the processes and qualities of traditional intaglio without acids or the need for ventilation. Playful, accessible materials and confidence-building strategies encourage creativity, collaboration and facilitate social-emotional growth. 
Gina Palmer M, H, C
Location: Arlington A
Friday 10-12:50

Painting with Wool
This workshop will offer students an opportunity to use dyed wools on fabric to create images. They will learn how to blend and attach the wool using a dry felting technique with needles. The end result is a dimensional work that has a painterly effect.
Jenny Brown M, H, C 
Location: Arlington B
Friday 10-12:50

Cost Effective Dry Point Etching with Plexiglass
It doesn't matter if you're a beginner at printmaking or a pro, you'll learn all the basics to produce some fabulous etched prints. We will identify good images and a variety of mark making techniques for successful art work. We'll share cost effective ways to bring this project to your students and your own art practice. Bring your love of art and your curiosity of a new technique.
Michelle Schroeder M, H, C 
Location: Arlington A
Friday 2-4:50

From Disruption to Discovery: A Creative Practice Workshop on Resilience
Begin your own art series and discover the power of multiples. Explore where collage meets painting, and how the layering of images, textures, and patterns craft unique narratives and bring depth to your work. Then, unleash your unique voice as you lay the foundation for a cohesive and compelling body of work.
Sharon Ciccone E, M, H, C
Location: Arlington B
Friday 2-4:50

Silk Painted Pillows: A Fusion of Fine Art and Functional Design
Participants will explore surface design, textile arts, and cultural art connections while creating their own one-of-a-kind hand-painted silk pillow. Through guided instruction, teachers will learn foundational techniques such as resist application, color blending, and heat set dyes, along with tips for classroom adaptation and budget-friendly alternatives.
Jennifer Matott MS, HS, 
Location: Arlington A
Saturday 10-12:50

Sew Much Love: Sewing Mexican Folk Hearts
Got a heart? Stitch one anyway! In this fun, hands-on workshop, we'll create colorful Mexican Folk hearts using felt, embroidery, beads, and flair.  Whether your stitches are straight or more creative, you will leave with a handmade heart full of personality...just like you!  Adapt this workshop into almost any grade level over 5th grade or make more for yourself!
Monica Czernecki E, M, HS, C
Location: Arlington B
Saturday 10-12:50

Digital Illustration with Procreate
This workshop is for beginner to intermediate level users of Procreate. We will start with the basics and go over the tool interface. We will then move into a sticker design project where we will teach several digital illustration methods from line art to digital painting.
Veronica Kruger & Nick Napierala E. M, HS, C
Location: Arlington A
Saturday 2-4:50

Mini Quilts, Kawandi Style
Create a twelve-inch square mini quilt in the Kawandi style. All hand sewn using only one stitch, this technique perfect for introducing students to sewing skills and developing manual dexterity. Once I learned how to do it, I couldn't stop! It's very addicting for its meditative quality of work, as well as the endless fabric possibilities!
Stefanie Abbey E, M, HS, C
Location: Arlington B
Saturday 2-4:50

Kathye Edwina Arrington maintains an active career in the fine and graphic arts. She has a great interest in multiculturalism and sensitivity towards children that can be seen in her artwork and her teaching activities. Kathye creates art, teaches privately. Kathy has conducted Mud Cloth workshops in the Pan-African village at the New York State Fair (2006-2015), the 171 Cedar Art Center in Corning, NY (1999-2002) within the Broome County Schools and as an Artist in Education (2002-2008) and visited Ithaca Schools, NY from 2001-2009. She taught her style of mudcloth at the Greenbelt Community Center in Greenbelt MD, the College Park Art Exchange at the University of Maryland at College Park, Prince George County Maryland and the Montpelier Art Center in Laurel, MD (2009-20110 and was a teaching artist for the Say Yes To Education After School Program at Van Duyn Elementary School for the University of Syracuse. Her workshops on African Mud Cloth Painting, Banana Leaf Art, Foil Masks, Tribal Dolls, Eskimo Art and Japanese Paper Dipping, are enjoyed by children and adults in New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

At the age of five, Kathye started drawing realistically and started painting at the age of fourteen while attending a Tioga County Council on the Arts after school art program. She sold her first oil painting at the age of fourteen. Kathye earned her BFA at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia and MS in Studio Art with a concentration in graphic design at the College of New Rochelle, New York. She works in oil, watercolor, pastel, ink, acrylic, gouache, pencil, watercolor, crayon, and multi-ethnic media. Her artwork has been displayed in New York, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

In 2016 Kathye published her first children’s book called, The Little Pirate Queen. In 2021 Kathye Curated an art exhibit at the Tioga Art Council in Owego, New York entitled Between Starlight and Clay, featuring artist of color from the New York’s Southern Tier and the state of Maryland. In 2023, she worked on book illustrations for a children’s author in St. Louis, Missouri and was part of an exhibit at the ArtRage Gallery in Syracuse, New York entitled, The Struggle to Connect. In November 2023 at the Tioga County Arts Council, Kathye with her sister Karen Arrington held their exhibit in the main gallery while their grandnephew Benjamin Peterson had his first exhibit in the Youth Gallery featuring Mudcloth, Pottery, Watercolor and Acrylics. Since then she has crated multiple shows in Tioga county including African Diaspora: A Cultural Afternoon,  Cultural Tapestry: Weaving the Threads of the African Diaspora. She is the coordinator of the Cultural Tapestry of the African Diaspora Arts and Crafts Fair held in September 2025 at Park Terrace Community UMC in Apalachin, NY.

Solarplate Etching with Chris Ann Session 1:
Focus on Photography and Rendered Drawing
Learn the incredibly versatile and environmentally friendly method of printmaking called Solarplate etching. Beginner and seasoned artists alike will enjoy exploring this exciting, non-toxic medium. Solarplate etching utilizes a thin steel plate that is coated with a UV light sensitive photopolymer. All that is needed to create a plate is sunlight, water, and your imagination! No harsh chemicals or solvents involved. This method works well for photography as well as drawing. Artists will explore a variety of ways to create and ink unique plates and prints.

IMPORTANT: Please convert images to black and white then print them onto a transparency to bring with you. The image size should be 8” x 8” or slightly larger. You can print them with a home printer; be sure to use the transparency that is appropriate for your printer (do NOT use Pictorico).

$65 All studio materials included. Includes 1 solar plate and paper for up to 8 prints.
Chris Ann Ambery ALL
Friday, 10-12:50 AM

Solarplate Etching with Chris Ann Session 2:
Focus on Expressive and Direct Drawing and Mark Making
Learn the incredibly versatile and environmentally friendly method of printmaking called Solarplate etching. Beginner and seasoned artists alike will enjoy exploring this exciting, non-toxic medium. Solarplate etching utilizes a thin steel plate that is coated with a UV light sensitive photopolymer. All that is needed to create a plate is sunlight, water, and your imagination! No harsh chemicals or solvents involved. During this workshop we will explore immediate and expressive ways to work with Solarplates. Artists will explore various materials and learn a variety of ways to create unique plates and prints.

$65 All studio materials included. Includes 1 solar plate and paper for up to 8 prints.
Chris Ann Ambery ALL
Friday, 2-4:50 PM

Monotype Workshop with Chris Ann
Explore the expressive, painterly, and environmentally friendly method of printmaking known as Monotype. No prior printmaking experience necessary. Beginner and seasoned artists alike will enjoy drawing upon their creative energy to create unique plates and prints. We will explore black and white as well as color inking and will use items found in nature to create interesting textures. 

$55 All studio materials included. Includes paper for up to 8 prints.
Chris Ann Ambery ALL
Friday 10-12:50 AM and 2-4:50 PM