Sandra Feirman spends her days happily pushing her art cart into the classrooms of PS 28 in Corona, where she teaches 550 pre-K to 2nd-graders how to create. “I walk in and they light up, and so do I,” says Feirman, who won the 2014 New York City Art Teachers Association/UFT Art Educator of the Year Award for elementary school. “It’s hands-on time!” Still, the life of a New York City art teacher is a solo performance, which is why Feirman loved catching up with her colleagues and gleaning ideas at Artworks 2014, the 34th annual NYCATA conference on Oct. 25 at the HS of Art and Design in Manhattan. The participants attended their choice of four of the 38 workshops being offered. “There are great workshops on weaving, bookmaking, everything,” says Erin-Marie Elman, a 10-year veteran of the HS for Democracy and Leadership in Brooklyn. “The best part is that we come together. It’s amazing, the energy and the inspiration we get and take back to our classrooms.” Deborah Glassman, from IS 96 in Brooklyn, and Jennifer Merdjan, from Bard HS Early College, Queens, were honored, along with Feirman, as Art Educators of the Year. The artist of the year and the event’s keynote speaker was Judy Pfaff, a printmaker and pioneer of installation art. Even the day’s backdrop was picture-perfect: 1,000 pieces of art created by the students themselves.