Conference Information

Friday Keynotes: Jazz Occurrence- Lewis Achenbach and Greg Ward

Lewis Achenbach

Artist Lewis Achenbach is pioneering new realities by practicing the discipline of documenting live performances, specifically creative music, jazz, contemporary classical, ambient and experimental endeavors. Lewis creates on-site, in-venue artworks that capture the frequency in the room. This practice has put Achenbach on a path of spiritual discovery that he shares through his formal Jazz Occurrence Project. A JazzO (for short) is a marriage of the sonic arts and visual arts, when the audience is invited into a site specific happening of artistic creation (the band plays and Lewis paints the music).

Acrylics on canvas, pastels on wood cradle and projected digital are his media/medium.

Lewis moved to NYC at 18, worked for Michael Sporn Animation Studios after graduating from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, moved to the Chicago Suburbs and has been creating live arts since 2012. A drummer once said, “you paint like I play”.

Lewis was the resident visual artist for the Jazz Institute’s XIIV Made In Chicago Festival (Poznan Poland) 2017 and has worked with institutions MCA Chicago, the Art Institute of Chicago, Hyde Park Jazz Society, NYC Winter Jazz Festival 2019. He has been written about by Howard Reich in the Tribune, Izzy Yellin In Downbeat and Neil Tesser in JAZZIZ magazine.

Greg Ward

Greg Ward is a saxophonist and composer that was born in Peoria, IL. Currently based in the NYC-area, Ward has had the opportunity to perform and record with a varied group of artists like Prefuse 73, Lupe Fiasco, Tortoise, William Parker, Andrew D’Angelo, and Mike Reed. 

After graduating from NIU in 2004 with a degree in Jazz Studies/Saxophone Performance, Ward moved to Chicago and took advantage of every opportunity that was offered to him. Composing two pieces for the International Contemporary Ensemble, performing a quartet composition for the Chicago

Symphony Orchestra’s Chamber Music Series, composing Wings for the Peoria Ballet Company, and being commissioned by the Jazz Institute of Chicago for a new composition, which was performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival in 2009, are just a few of the many experiences that shaped Ward during his years in Chicago. In 2009, Ward decided to move to New York City. Almost immediately after he arrived in NYC, he began working with JazzReach, an NYC-based jazz education organization that shares multi-media programs throughout the US. In 2010, he would produce his first CD as a leader with his Chicago-based band, Fitted Shards. South Side Story received much critical acclaim, including “Recording of the Year” by the Chicago Tribune. Next, in 2011, Ward formed Phonic Juggernaut, which features Damion Reid on drums and Joe Sanders on bass.

Together, they recorded and released a CD on Thirsty Ear Recordings that same year. Also, in 2011, Ward composed and performed a commission from the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra for a concerto for jazz quartet and string orchestra. In 2012, Ward was selected as one of the two New Music USA Van Lier Fellows. In 2014, he received a commission/residency from the Jazz Gallery and premiered Capturing Sunlight, which was an hour-long work for septet and included a short documentary by Diana Quinones Rivera. The Capturing Sunlight project was inspired by the life and work of Preston Jackson. In 2015, Ward teamed up with choreographer Onye Ozuzu to create Touch My Beloved’s Thought, a musical response to Charles Mingus’ Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. This project featured Ward’s compositions for 10-piece band and choreography for 15 dancers. The live recording was released on Greenleaf Music in 2016. 

Through the years, Ward has collaborated with another composer, sound designer, and performer, Caleb Willitz. First, they composed the film score for Beresford Bennett’s film, Pinch, which was an official selection of the 2015 San Diego Black Film Festival. Second, Ward and Willitz released an electro-acoustic project, Gaps and Spaces: Synoptic Optiks. In 2019, Ward will release his 5th recording as a leader, Greg Ward presents Rogue Parade: Stomping Off From Greenwood, for Greenleaf Music.

Saturday Keynote: Faheem Majeed

Faheem Majeed

Faheem Majeed is a builder—literally and metaphorically. A resident of the South Shore neighborhood in Chicago, Majeed often looks to the material makeup of his neighborhood and surrounding areas as an entry point into larger questions around civic-mindedness, community activism, and institutional critique. As part of his studio practice, the artist transforms materials such as particleboard, scrap metal and wood, and discarded signs and billboard remnants, breathing new life into these often overlooked and devalued materials. His broader engagement with the arts also involves arts administration, curation, and community facilitation, all which feed into his larger practice. Majeed received his BFA from Howard University and his MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) .He is a recipient of the Joan Mitchell Painters and Sculptors Grant (2015) and a Harpo Foundation Awardee (2016).From 2005-2011, Majeed served as Executive Director and Curator for the South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC) and from 2013–2015 he served as the associate director and faculty of UIC’s School of Art and Art History. In 2015, he co-founded the “Floating Museum” which blends creative place-making, activism and exhibition design to creates temporary, site-responsive museum spaces to activate sites of cultural potential throughout Chicago’s neighborhoods. Currently, Majeed is a full-time, practicing artist and creates work in his South Shore studio.

Submit artwork for the Electronic & Pop Up Member Show

For the Electronic Art Show, members can submit 1-3 pieces of art (completed within the past three years) that will be projected throughout the conference and on the IAEA webpage. Members may select one piece (from the three) to bring for display in a special Pop-Up Exhibition at the conference. All submissions are due by Nov. 1, 2019

NEW FOR 2019: No entry fee! Juried cash prizes! 

Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Honorable Mentions from the works submitted.

More Information & Submit Entry

* If you have any questions regarding the show, feel free to email Stacey Gross at: exhibitions@ilaea.org

Contact the following people with questions about the Conference:

Conference Co-Coordinators

Melissa Righter & Eryn Blaser  conference@ilaea.org

Conference Proposals

Eryn Blaser, proposals@ilaea.org

Early Bird Registration

Melissa Righter registrar@ilaea.org

IAEA Awards

Christopher Grodoski, vicepresident@ilaea.org

Student Chapters/ Student Volunteers

Ailysh Cooper, studentadvisor@ilaea.org

Helpful Hints for a Faster Check-in
■ Register with YOUR name and member information. If your school is completing your registration, make sure they have your correct member information.

■ Renew your membership before attending the conference (if it will expire)

■ Print your electronic receipts and bring them in the event of an error

■ Check-in Thursday if possible – the lines are shorter!

• What if I need to cancel my conference registration?
  • If you must cancel your Early Bird conference registration, you must submit your request in writing (i.e. email) to Conference Registrar Melissa Righter by (October 25th, 2019).  A $50.00 cancellation fee will be applied to your refund. After (November 1st, 2019), no refunds are accepted, but you can authorize in writing to have a colleague attend in your place. Email cancellation requests to: registrar@ilaea.org. Workshop fees are final and not refunded unless IAEA cancels a workshop. Allow 4 – 6 weeks after the conference to receive an authorized refund.
• What does my conference registration include?
  • Your paid registration includes your admission to all sessions and meal functions. Some sessions are pre-ticketed and may require an additional fee.
• What should I bring to the conference to pick up my materials?
  • Bring a copy of your online registration receipt  with you. Printed registration receipts will NOT be provided at the conference. Your confirmation email will serve as your receipt and proof of registration. Make sure your email address is current and accurate.
• What does my conference registration include?
  • Your paid registration includes your admission to all sessions and meal functions. Some sessions are pre-ticketed and may require an additional fee.
• Can I bring a guest to lunch?
  • For an additional fee. Additional guest tickets may be ordered on the Early Bird registration form. Include all names of paid guests so guest badges can be made. Lunch events are for our adult attendees.
• Are accommodations available for those with dietary restrictions?
  • A section has been added onto the Early Bird registration form to indicate those needs.  If you do not register by October 1st online OR do not indicate your dietary needs, we may not be able to accommodate dietary requests made on-site due to hotel catering limitations.
• My school district will be registering me online, what information do they need to do so?
  • If your district or school is registering and/or paying for your registration, make sure YOUR name is included in the registration information so you will be included in the records.
  • Please make sure that the person that will be registering you has all your pertinent information such as email address, desired workshops, dietary restrictions, etc.
• Do you accept Checks as a form of payment?
  • Please select the ‘CHECK’ option when finalizing your online registration. Please be aware that your online registration and workshop reservation will NOT be confirmed until your check has been received. If check is not received within 7 days of registration submission, participant’s registration and selected workshops will be cancelled. Checks can be made payable to IAEA and sent to:Melissa Righter, IAEA Conference Registrar,
  • 1321 Morningstar Ct., Naperville, IL 60564
• Do you accept Purchase Orders (PO) as a form of payment?
  • Purchase Orders are not accepted by IAEA
• Can I still sign up for workshops when I arrive at the conference?
  • Yes, remaining workshop tickets will be available for selection on-site at the conference. However each workshop has limited spots available and they tend to fill up during Early Bird registration. It is highly encouraged to select workshops during early bird registration. Workshops/ special events are NOT REFUNDABLE. If you find you cannot attend a ticketed event, you may authorize in writing for a colleague to attend in your place.
• What if I need to cancel my conference registration?

If you must cancel your Early Bird conference registration, you must submit your request in writing (i.e. email) to Conference Registrar Melissa Righter by Date TBD.  A $50 cancellation fee will be applied to your refund. After October 1st, no refunds are accepted, but you can authorize in writing to have a colleague attend in your place. Email cancellation requests to: registrar@ilaea.org. Workshop fees are final and not refunded unless IAEA cancels a workshop. Allow 4 – 6 weeks after the conference to receive an authorized refund.