NSU ART MUSEUM FORT LAUDERDALE EXPANDS ITS EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND ANNOUNCES “THE ART OF TEACHING ART” CONFERENCE SERIES MADE POSSIBLE BY CONNI GORDON

August 18, 2014

Fort Lauderdale, FL) – August 18, 2014 – Nova Southeastern University Art Museum today announced the launch of a new series of conferences dedicated to presenting innovative methods in art education for children, teens and adults. Titled The Art of Teaching Art, the series will be held Spring 2015 and 2016, and is made possible by a generous donation from Conni Gordon, the innovative art educator and television personality.

“These conferences will place NSU Art Museum, its AutoNation Academy of Art + Design, and Nova Southeastern University at the forefront of innovative art education,” said Bonnie Clearwater, the museum’s Director and Chief Curator.

The museum will invite top educators in the field of art as well as professional artists to present their methods to audiences of regional, national and international participants. Following the presentations, the featured speakers will lead participants in hands-on workshops in the museum’s studio school, the AutoNation Academy of Art + Design. “The goal,” stated Clearwater, “is to introduce regional, national and international art educators to some of today’s most advanced education methods for inspiring creativity and honing artistic practice.”

NSU President and CEO, Dr. George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D. stated, “We are grateful to Conni Gordon, a pioneer in developing techniques for teaching art and stimulating creativity through her long career, for recognizing the dedication of NSU Art Museum and its Director Bonnie Clearwater to art education. We thank her for her generous gift that makes it possible for the Museum to take a leading role in art education.”

“The art of teaching anything is communicating clearly to help listeners understand and improve themselves,” noted Conni Gordon. “The upcoming NSU seminars will emphasize how to teach and are critically important to all involved in teaching.” Gordon’s groundbreaking 4-step TILS Instant Technique (THINK-it, INK-it, LINK-it then SYNC-it) emphasizes a logical, systematic approach to thinking creatively in any situation. “This encourages self-confidence and continuing interest in learning.”

The Art of Teaching Art conference series is part of the Museum’s expanded education initiatives, which combine the resources of the museum’s exhibitions and collection with its studio school, the AutoNation Academy of Art + Design, and Nova Southeastern University’s academic interdisciplinary studies program. The Museum’s education initiatives are guided by the vision of Clearwater, who is nationally recognized for her years of experience in museum education and in identifying and nurturing talented youth and emerging artists.

“These initiatives establish a comprehensive educational program for the Museum that will greatly benefit the public and students for years to come,” said David Horvitz, Chairman of NSU Art Museum’s Board of Governors.

Dr. Barbara Buhler Lynes, the Museum’s Sunny Kaufman Senior Curator and noted authority on artist Georgia O’Keeffe, is responsible for establishing the Museum’s and Academy’s educational goals and integrating its initiatives with NSU’s interdisciplinary studies department. Launching this August is a new graduate-level practicum in museum studies in which students will gain on-site career training in a variety of museum departments as they develop visual literacy skills and practical experience in arts administration, research and curatorial techniques and written and oral presentation.

AUTONATION ACADEMY OF ART + DESIGN
NEW DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND EXPANDED PROGRAMS

The Museum’s AutoNation Academy of Art + Design’s newly appointed Director of Education and Programming, Amber Quimby, brings her years of experience as an artist and educator to the expansion of the museum’s studio school’s programs. The Academy’s programs for children, teens, and adults include innovative courses that stimulate creativity in artists and non- artists alike and offer a portfolio tract for students aiming to attend art magnet schools or enter college-level art schools. In addition to hands-on instruction, classes include visits to the museum’s exhibitions and trips to other art destinations. The Academy is expanding its reach to students from low-income families and offers scholarships to qualified applicants. Professional artists enjoy opportunities to enrich their practice through access to Academy studios and art equipment, and through master workshops with visiting artists. Newly created exhibition space will enable student artwork to be exhibited year-round.

Regional college art students will also have new opportunities to participate in annual critiques led by Ms. Clearwater. The Academy, which is supported by a major endowment and funds contributed by AutoNation, will continue its collaborative programs with NSU’s College of Medicine. These include the Art, Medicine and Observation program, which teaches NSU medical students how to observe art to learn how to better observe their patients.

“We invite everyone to discover the many exciting opportunities that the Academy offers,” said Quimby. “The Academy provides a nurturing environment where students can develop their creativity and expand their appreciation of art. Students also have unique access to the Museum’s dynamic exhibitions and collection and the academic resources of Nova Southeastern University and its faculty. All of this complements our students’ overall educational experience.”

Fall classes at the Academy begin September 15. To register, visit www.moafl.org/academy or call (954) 262-0239.

Conni Gordon
A resident of South Florida, Conni Gordon is an innovator in the field of art education and creativity who received her formal training in the visual arts and philosophy at Columbia University, NY and Ecole des Beaux Arts, France. Gordon is renowned for her unique 4-Step patented art method, in which anyone could create a picture in minutes, a method she developed following World War II when she taught 50,000 Marines in a show called “Draw Your Own Conclusions.” The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Gordon, who has empowered over 17 million people through art in 80 countries, as the world’s most prolific art teacher. Gordon is the author of 41 art instruction books, which have sold over 15 million copies. A star of her own television show, she has been featured on national and international networks and programs over the past 60 years, including multiple appearances on both The Tonight Show and Late Night with David Letterman, where she taught art to show hosts Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson and David Letterman. Through her philanthropy, she is an active supporter of charitable causes.

Bonnie Clearwater
Director and Chief Curator, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale
Bonnie Clearwater became Director and Chief Curator of NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale in September 2013. A dynamic leader who played a major role in Miami’s emergence as an international arts center, she is widely recognized for her curatorial vision, scholarship and record in administration, public education and community outreach as the former director and chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art. Her initiatives at NSU Art Museum include the development of a world-class exhibition program, expansion of the Museum’s scholarship and educational initiatives and engagement with the community. Nationally recognized for her experience in museum education, Ms. Clearwater is guiding the development of an ambitious education program at NSU Art Museum that combines the resources of its exhibitions and collection with its studio school (the AutoNation Academy of Art + Design), and Nova Southeastern University of which it is a part. She is a leading scholar of artist Mark Rothko and is author of numerous books and publications. She holds an M.A. degree in Art History from Columbia University and B.A. in Art History from New York University.

Barbara Barbara Buhler Lynes
Sunny Kaufman Senior Curator, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale
A noted art historian, curator, and author, Barbara Buhler Lynes, Ph.D. is a leading scholar on Georgia O’Keeffe and American modernism. From 1999 – 2012, Lynes was the Founding Director of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Research Center and Founding Curator of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, NM. Widely published, and the recipient of numerous awards and honors, Lynes served as an independent consultant for the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (1992 – 1999), where she researched and wrote Georgia O’Keeffe: Catalogue Raisonné (Yale University Press, 1999). She also co-founded the Catalogue Raisonné Scholars Association, a College Art Association Affiliated Society. Her extensive teaching experience includes positions as Professor of Art History and Chair of the Art History Department at Maryland Institute, College of Art, and positions as Assistant Professor of Art History at Dartmouth College and Vanderbilt University. She holds a Ph.D. in Art History from Indiana University and a Ph.D. in French Literature from the University of California, Riverside.

Amber Quimby
Director of Education and Programming, AutoNation Academy of Art + Design
Amber Quimby is a life-long artist who earned her M.A. degree in Printmaking from the University of South Florida and B.F.A. degree from Ringling College of Art and Design in Printmaking and Painting. With nearly a decade of teaching and management experience, she has been a full-time faculty member at the Academy since 2011, teaching courses in printmaking, painting, drawing and art history that employ creativity as a key to engaging and empowering students.

Funding for the AutoNation Academy of Art + Design is provided by AutoNation

Additional Support provided by the Joseph and Winifred Amaturo Education Foundation, Beaux Arts , Community Foundation of Broward, Mayersohn- Hyman Scholarship Fund, Joan and Milton Baxt Foundation, Friends of the Art Museum, Lillian S. Wells Foundation, Sanjuan- Brown Hollywood Arts Foundation and Wells Fargo.
The AutoNation Academy of Art + Design is also supported by a matching grant from the David and Francie Horvitz
Family Foundation.

Exhibitions at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale are made possible in part by a challenge grant from the David and Francie Horvitz Family Foundation. Funding is provided in part by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council and Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention &Visitors Bureau. Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.