After much deliberation choosing a conference title each year, we are thrilled to announce QATACON as the ongoing name of our annual conferences.
QATACON 2022 will have the theme Starting Points, which speaks to those creative sparks or inspirations that get our students moving in the direction of a resolved artwork. As well as featuring inspiring keynotes, and our usual suite of engaging artist workshops, we will unpack this theme, asking questions about:

• how we encourage students to stop staring into space and start art-making?

• how students start with stimulus and move on to art-making?

• how students respond to First Nations artists in meaningful and appropriate ways?

Venue:

TAFE Qld – Southbank Campus

Griffith University – Qld College of Art

Get involved

Design the hero image for QATACON 2022 using the theme Starting Points.

Open to all QATA members, we invite you to submit an artwork suitable for use across our conference program and marketing material, just like the examples of our previous programs you can see here. Entries must be a high-resolution digital file but can be created in any media.
Entries due end of Term 1, 2022.

Present your starting points in the Starting Points Showcase.

Have you got clever classroom strategies, stimulus or techniques you use as your visual art starting points? Join us at QATACON 22 and share your great ideas in the Starting Points Showcase!
The Starting Points Showcase is a platform where delegates will hear from a number of speakers in quick succession as they share starting point practices as stimulus, provocation or inspiration.

What are your starting points?

What do you do to kick-start engagement? To make? To respond? To develop inquiry learning processes? To engage with an artist or art-making process? To introduce media or techniques? To develop critical or creative thinking? To begin a unit of work or activity? To introduce a new concept? To explore contexts? To engage with stimulus? To generate ideas? To undertake an authentic stimulus experience? To investigate? To explore diverse practices? To understand the role of audience? To write an artist statement?

QATA members are invited to unpack an innovative and effective primary, middle or senior visual art starting point. You can present individually or in small teaching teams.

• Each presentation should be 10–15 minutes long and include spoken and visual components. We are looking for short, sharp and relevant sharing experiences.
• PowerPoint slides (or similar) will be required prior to the conference.
• Your colleagues may want to follow up with further details, ideas or practices, so you will also be asked to provide a brief one-page summary, which may include your contact details.

To apply, please submit a 350-word abstract for consideration. All offers will be gratefully received and reviewed. Send your abstracts to [email protected]  by Friday 25 February 2022.

The Starting Points Showcase will be included in the QATACON 2022 program on FRIDAY 15 July. Please ensure you have support from your school to attend on this day.

Please note: a 10% discount on conference registration will be offered to all accepted presenters. Any travel expenses remain the responsibility of Starting Points Showcase presenters.

Presenting at QATACON 22 is an opportunity to contribute to the collegiality of QATA and is a wonderful opportunity to promote and build your professional profile.

We look forward to receiving and reading your ideas.
Closing date for submissions: Friday 25 February 2022