Living Artfully
Julia M. Conley
Retired Art Teacher
Julia M. Conley, originally from Chillicothe, Ohio, moved to Portsmouth, Ohio her junior year and graduated from Clay High School in 1970. She graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1975, with a BA in Art Education, K-12. She achieved her National Board Certification in Adolescent and Young Adult Art in 2005 and renewed in 2015. Julie taught in WV schools for 28 years, including Dunlow Elementary, Trap Hill Middle School, Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School and High School, and Sissonville High School. She is married to the Rev. Dr. Ellis Conley, a United Methodist Pastor. They both retired from their careers in 2019 and reside in Hurricane, WV. They have two grown sons, John and David, and three grandsons. Julie spends her time caring for her grandsons, eco-printing, teaching painting classes, and volunteering one day a week at an elementary school as their art teacher.
Live Artfully—Be a Docent
Is there a museum in your community? You might consider being a docent. What is a docent? A person who loves art, and is willing to share their knowledge with museum visitors. The Huntington Museum of Art has a volunteer docent program that allows you to train with an established docent before you lead a tour on your own. The HMA hosts school tour groups almost on a daily basis during the school year. Each grade level has a tour theme, leading the kids through the museum exhibits and fulfilling learning objectives along the way. The museum exhibits are always changing, so no tour is ever the same. Places like Heritage Farm in Huntington, Blennerhassett Island in Parkersburg, and Prickett’s Fort in Fairmont have folks that dress in period attire, and help visitors understand the history of the area. Check with a museum or state park in your community to see how to become a docent. If they don’t have a program, maybe you could start one. Share the satisfaction and fulfillment of living artfully!
Julie Conley
WVAEA Retired Representative