You screen, I screen, we all (silk)screen for AEE!

Jocelyn and Cam are ready to find their edge. Are you?

We’re just hours away from the best weekend of our professional year and the conference committee for AEE NW is thrilled to reveal the graphic for the BYOT-shirt Silkscreening Station!

Designed by Cam Thorpe, outdoor educator, ski patroller and conference Artist-in-Residence, this original graphic is intended to help you share your passion for EE with the world.

In the words of the artist:

“When found on a dark path, give time for your pupils eyes to adjust; light comes in time. Through all your adversity, gain strength. Influenced by my experiences on the West Coast and those I love most, I create art to build community and express my gratitude.”

This beautiful, hand-rendered graphic can be yours, for free, just by showing up Friday morning or Saturday evening with your own blank t-shirt. We’ll be printing with black fabric paint, so bring a light, bright shirt.

We’ll even have Cam on site Friday to help us print t-shirts!

Never silkscreened before? Don’t worry! Cam and Jocelyn Wagner, our conference communications and marketing officer, will show you how to use the very simple equipment and introduce you to this reviving art form.

See you Friday!

BYOT-shirt Silkscreening Station

“Hey – I love your shirt! Where’d you get it?”

The branded t-shirts distributed at conferences and events don’t tend to generate the most excited responses. Sure, they’re practical gifts along with all the pens, notebooks and USB keys. And it’s pretty fun to wear the same shirt as 100+ other people at the same time.

But when the event is over and you’ve all gone home, what happens to those shirts? Do you wear it again, or do you add it to the box of single-use products in your closet? If you wear it again, are you excited about it? Does it ever start a conversation with a stranger?

The t-shirt you’re going to take away from the 2012 AEE NW Conference is going to do all this. It’s going to start conversations – conversations about experiential education.

The t-shirt you’re going to take away on April 15 may not get thrown in the wash for another week. You’ll be that excited to show it off.

The t-shirt you’re going to wear throughout the weekend will be printed by you.

At this year’s conference, we’re setting up a Bring Your Own T-shirt Silkscreening Station for every participant to use – for free. And we’ll teach you how to use it! Here’s how:

1. Pack along your favourite, bright coloured t-shirt. Make sure it’s clean, cotton-based, and clear of any other text or graphics on at least one side. We’ll have a few shirts on hand in case you forget but we recommend you bring a shirt that you already love to wear.
2. Then come see us Saturday evening to print an original, eye-grabbing and engaging piece of art on your shirt. We’re working with a local, North Vancouver artist to create the screen. And we’ll teach you how to practice a dying art form!

Why BYOT-shirt? Because we believe in:

• Learning by doing
• Reducing waste
• Promoting local artists
• Having meaningful conversations

So don’t forget your cotton t-shirt on April 13. We want to help you share your passion for EE with the world!

Register by Friday, March 16 and take advantage of Early Bird Rates! Register now online: http://www.aee.org/conference/register/id/54/