Pek Lan Cooper worked with two other teachers on a mural at the 36th annual conference of the New York City Art Teachers Association — and knew it was the perfect project for her classroom. “Creating a mural is about helping students collaborate and helping them feel good about themselves, too, because they have a piece of themselves in the mural,” said Cooper, who teaches art at Theatre Arts Production Company School in the Fordham section of the Bronx. She was one of more than 200 art teachers from around the city who gathered at the HS of Art and Design in Manhattan on Oct. 29 for the NYCATA conference. The theme this year was collaboration, said Joan Davidson, the conference coordinator. “It’s professional development for teachers to get new skills but they also have a chance to make new friends and work with colleagues,” she said. More than half of the 26 workshops were hands-on, involving painting, collage and the creation of masks and other objects using everyday materials. The keynote speaker was Elizabeth Diller, the founding partner of Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, the architectural firm that designed the High Line Park and other notable structures. Art teachers from elementary school to college level were recognized with Outstanding Art Educator awards. Monica Cohen, a visual arts teacher who works with special needs children at P 226, a District 75 school in Manhattan, said the conference engendered a sense of community while celebrating the work that art teachers do. “It’s amazing the support that’s out there,” she said. “Usually you’re just one art teacher in a school. The conference is telling us you’re doing something that matters, and you’re not alone.”

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