Chhange's Annual Educators' Art Workshop 2026: The Light of Resistance

This year's presenters included:

Khatchig Mouradian, PhD, Lecturer in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies (MESAAS) at Columbia University, is the author of The Resistance Network: The Armenian Genocide and Humanitarianism in Ottoman Syria, 1915-1918. His presentation explored the spectrum of actions that constitute resistance and, by focusing on one form in particular, showed how ordinary behavior can become acts of resistance in extraordinary times.

As Executive Director of the New Jersey LGBTQIA+ Youth Equity Commission, Kate Okeson works to grow and sustain meaningful support for educators and educational leaders in inclusive education spaces. Her arts enrichment workshop connected historical context and creative responses in the middle and high school classroom through the medium of ‘zines (small-circulation, self-published magazines).

Chhange’s Art Educator, Arlene Smelson has been instrumental in creating the organization’s student art installations over the past decade. Her presentation guided teachers on the best ways to take what they learn in the workshop back to the classroom.

Workshop, on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026 from 8:30 AM to 2:15 PM, was open to current NJ educators and includes light breakfast, lunch, supplies and eligibility to earn five professional development hours.