Intersections. Tension. Curiosity.

Artists and educators often find themselves at the intersection of their craft and their pedagogy. Likewise, student learning is bound by curriculum standards and assessment criteria while aspiring to instill wonder and creative risk-taking. Serious play is a balancing act, bridging the mischievous nature of creative exploration, the measurable necessities of education, and the high stakes of what lies ahead.

The 2023 FATE conference is focused on exploring these tensions by sharing the lessons we have learned and the innovative pedagogical approaches developed during this time. What will we take forward with us? What will we leave behind? Together, we can reflect upon these seismic changes, while re-imagining how we can positively impact future generations curricularly and civically. It is an opportunity to expand our understanding of how playful curricula and serious inquiry merge to create a hopeful curiosity for what is to come.

FATE is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation as defined by the American with Disabilities Act. To request accommodation during the conference, please contact FATE DEIA representative, Colleen Merrill at colleen.merrill@kctcs.edu by 04.03.23.

Get to know our host institution:
In 1963, Philip J. Steele founded Rocky Mountain School of Art as a private, for-profit institution in the foothills of Colorado.What has now become Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design has grown at an incredible rate since then, with major expansions to the physical campus, faculty, and programs of study. Now, next to traditional easels and palettes, you’ll also find computers and digital video equipment.

Meet the conference planning team @ Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design 

• Raymond Gaddy, FATE President

• Jaime Carrejo, VP of Conference

• Libby  McFalls, VP of Communications

• Shannon Lindsey, VP of Finance

• Kariann Fuqua, VP of Development 

• Meredith Starr, VP of Membership

• Colleen Toutant Merrill, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Task Force Representative

• Casey McGuire, immediate past president of FATE

​