11th Biennial International Art in Early Childhood Conference 2027
July 14-16, 2027 @ Capilano University, Squamish BC, Canada
Proposal deadline: Nov 30, 2026
Call for proposals
Capilano University invites you to join a welcoming community gathering where collectively we will consider how the visual arts, early childhood, place, and materials come together, where artistic practices, pedagogies, and research connect in dialogue with the natural world and with each other. Capilano University is committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive conference environment by honouring the lands and traditions of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw, Squamish Nation, supporting sustainable and community-oriented events, and showcasing excellence in early childhood visual arts practices and research.
Conference theme addresses nurturing, relational, situated, and inclusive artistic communities of practice that flourish between children, educators, artists, materials, and places and work at the rich intersections of visual art, childhood, pedagogy, and creative research practices.
The conference will:
- Highlight diverse visual art practices in early childhoods / early childhood education
- Engage local Indigenous knowledge and land-based pedagogies
- Offer immersive workshops, research presentations, and collaborative artistic experiences
- Celebrate and aim to create creative community connections in early childhood art education contexts around the world
We invite a diverse group of participants including scholars, educators, artists, practitioners, and community partners to consider how communities of practice are created, nurtured, and sustained through the visual arts in early childhood and invite proposals that address one or more of these questions:
- How are children understood within artful communities of practice?
- How are childhoods produced within relational artistic practices and artful pedagogies?
- How do children, educators, artists, and materials participate in and transform these communities of practice?
- What are the social, cultural, political, and ecological formations that inform and make creative practice possible?
Proposal submissions deadline: Nov 30, 2026