SLV Winter Educators Conference

In this hands-on workshop, teachers will experience a TASK party, an open-ended, collaborative art activity inspired by artist Oliver Herring. TASK parties engage students in creativity and problem-solving by allowing them to choose prompts from a deck of TASK cards, each with simple, interpretive instructions like "Create a wearable sculpture" or "Build a bridge." Educators will learn how to guide students through this process, giving them the freedom to interpret tasks individually or in groups, encouraging exploration and self-expression.

This workshop will explore how TASK parties align with the Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) philosophy and meet National Core Arts Standards through experimentation, presentation, interpretation, and personal connections to art. Teachers will also learn how TASK parties can be adaptable to any grade and subject: prompts like “Design a habitat for an animal” or “Model a simple machine” make this activity effective for STEAM, social studies, language arts, and more, fostering interdisciplinary connections.

Educators will leave with strategies to implement TASK parties, ideas for creating age-appropriate prompts, and insights into building a playful, student-centered environment. TASK parties are a dynamic addition to any curriculum, enhancing student collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving across disciplines and grade levels.