By Taylor Trevizo
Division of Outreach and Community Engagement
The University of Central Arkansas will host a professional development workshop featuring Deborah Kuster, an art professor in the College of Fine Arts and Communication.
The workshop will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, Sept. 21, at UCA Downtown, 1105 West Oak Street. The professional development workshop is free to all K-12 educators.
Titled “Reflecting Together on Curriculum, Student Engagement and Resiliency,” the workshop encourages educators to work on professional growth, effectiveness and goals to improve student learning. There will be hands-on art-making activities to generate new ideas for future lesson planning in K-12 classrooms.
Through the use of Kuster’s artwork, the workshop will provide participants with unique perspectives and interactions toward their own personal growth.
“The artworks that are on display, though not originally made with teaching in mind, are metaphors. In the professional development workshop for teachers, we will discuss our own stories and insights about teaching that could be epitomized in these works of art,” Kuster said. “New ideas for attendees will be generated by hearing each other’s experiences, verifying it with related research and applying it to their own careers.”
Following the workshop, a reception will take place from 4-6 p.m., to celebrate the current art exhibit at UCA Downtown, The Makings of a Teacher: Textile Art by Deborah Kuster. The reception is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served.
Kuster has been involved with art education for 40 years. Her art is made from her own hand-woven textiles. Her work has been in both state and regional exhibitions.
For more information contact, Kuster at dkuster@uca.edu or (501) 450-5785.
To see Kuster’s artworks, visit deborahkuster.com
