A second-semester Registered Student Organization has ramped up efforts to spread art education awareness.

The Illinois Art Education Association student chapter is a student-managed group dedicated to professional development of future, current and retired southern Illinois art educators. IAEA provides the professional art education community workshops and conferences, according to the group’s website.

Brigid McCann, association president and senior from Carbondale studying art, began IAEA’s university chapter last semester, and the RSO participated in the March 1 second annual Southern Illinois Art Education campus conference.

Barbara Bickel, art professor and the group’s faculty advisor, said the conference’s goal was to raise awareness of southern Illinois art education.

“Our art education student chapter has been heavily involved in the planning and organizing of this conference,” she said.

Art education programs sometimes experiences cuts, she said, and the RSO helps art education deal with possible career-path obstacles.

“It gives the students great experience and exposure and leadership opportunities while they’re still in school,” she said. “They are much more prepared when they go into the world when they are facing all the cutbacks and the struggles.”

McCann said the RSO directed people to different conference happenings and participated in

the workshops and art show. McCann and fellow RSO member Olivia Coker, a senior from Peoria studying art, ran one presentation.

“We talked about diversity and community in the classroom and how you can incorporate that,” McCann said. “The presentation went really well.”

Besides the conference, McCann said the RSO visits artist studios and has helped the Up ‘Til Dawn RSO by drawing portraitures and doing face painting.

“We do art activities to let the community know