What do you get when two groups of mission-driven creatives band together? A new podcast from The Creativity Department and Davis Publications! Listen to K12ArtChat the podcast and learn from experts in the field during in-depth conversations filled with education innovations, resources, tips, tools, and inspiration to keep you connected and moving forward!
Check out new episodes every Thursday!
Laura and Matt Grundler strive to help connect the dots for educators by building a professional learning network infused with art.
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Listen to past episodes of The Creativity Department podcast before it became the K12ArtChat podcast.
Find Historic Episodes
Dr. D'Wayne Edwards
While creative careers offer unique opportunities for self-expression and innovation, they also come with challenges that can make them seem less straightforward or secure. Overcoming these barriers requires education, mentorship, and resources to help students feel confident in pursuing creative paths. Would a conversation with a renowned designer be useful? In this episode the Creativity Department speaks with award winning footwear designer and former design director for Air Jordan, Dr. D’Wayne Edwards. Listen in and hear how Edwards used art and design to forge a career where he accumulated over 50 patents, designed more than 500 footwear styles for premier entertainers, MLB, NFL, and NBA athletes, and earned numerous honors and awards.
Listen Now | Episode 197
Kimberly Olson and Kyla Davis
Storytelling is integral to all forms of art. When teachers take the time to share their life experiences and tie them to artmaking in the classroom—students feel more connected and open to sharing their stories through art. That’s why NAEA’s Connected Arts Networks believes in the power of storytelling. In this episode, Oral Historian Dr. Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz, Matt Grundler, and CAN members Kimberly Olson and Kyla Davis share how they encourage students to tell their stories through artmaking. Learn how sharing their stories impacts their teaching methods, the challenges students face with identity, and how just observing students in the artmaking process can inform teachers on what students would like to see in the classroom.
About Connected Arts Networks (CAN): The National Art Education Association (NAEA), in partnership with the Educational Theater Association, National Association for Music Education, National Dance Education Organization, and NYC Department of Education’s Office of Arts and Special Projects has launched a nationwide initiative to create virtual Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The goal of this Connected Arts Networks (CAN) is to build a sustainable model of professional learning to help teachers better serve students.
Listen Now | Episode 196
Meghan Wlodarczyk and Martin Rodriguez
Student feedback provides valuable insight into their learning experience. It allows teachers the chance to identify areas for improved instruction, better understand students’ needs, and ultimately create more open, engaging, and effective learning environments. With this in mind, it’s easy to see why NAEA’s Connected Arts Networks believes that student feedback is crucial to creative and successful arts classrooms. In this episode, Oral Historian Dr. Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz, Matt Grundler, and CAN members Meghan Wlodarczyk and Martin Rodriguez share how they foster student feedback in the classroom. By implementing techniques focused on open communication and trusting that students’ feedback is taken seriously, Meghan and Martin have created environments where everyone’s voice is heard.
About Connected Arts Networks (CAN): The National Art Education Association (NAEA), in partnership with the Educational Theater Association, National Association for Music Education, National Dance Education Organization, and NYC Department of Education’s Office of Arts and Special Projects has launched a nationwide initiative to create virtual Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The goal of this Connected Arts Networks (CAN) is to build a sustainable model of professional learning to help teachers better serve students.
Listen Now | Episode 195
Raine Valentine
When you hear the word spirituality do you think of religion? When you look at the definition of spirituality you find they are different concepts. Spirituality is “the quality of being concerned with the human spirit as opposed to material or physical things.” Raine Valentine, Art Educator and Past Chair of NAEA’s Caucus on the Spiritual in Art Education, joins The Creativity Department to explore spirituality as the expression of self. Enjoy this engaging conversation about the direct connection between the art we make, our self-expression, and spirituality. With her personal experience, Raine hopes to shed light on how approaching art making from a different perspective can be beneficial.
Listen Now | Episode 194
Dan Ryder
It can be challenging for students to keep even footing between school and personal life. Increased academic pressure, growing social demands, and the need to manage multiple commitments like extracurricular activities can lead to feelings of overwhelm. Helping students be successful and not burn out takes balance. It feels like an impossible task but as educators, it’s what we strive to do. That’s why the Creativity Department invited Dan Ryder back for a chat. In this episode, Dan shares effective time management strategies, techniques for balancing school and activities, and ideas to aid students in setting creative goals. Listen in to discover new tools and ideas to help you support students.
Listen Now | Episode 193
Illinois Art Education Association
Collaboration is an important skill students learn in the art room! It’s also a highly desirable skill for educators, especially in situations with split leadership. Yes, it can be hard, there is the potential for clashing ideologies and miscommunication. However, the benefits easily outweigh the difficulties. In this episode, the Creativity Department is joined by leaders from the Illinois Art Education Association (IAEA). Sarah Ackermann, Nick Hostert, and Chris Grodoski share their experience, and the role collaborative leadership played in the successful restructuring of IAEA. Listen in as they discuss the importance of pinpointing peoples’ strengths to facilitate their excellence and create increased creativity and stronger engagement.
Listen Now | Episode 192
Holly Bess Kincaid
Changing schools can be daunting for students, but what about educators? On top of a new classroom filled with students they also have to come to terms with new routines, colleagues, procedures, and finding the cafeteria. This episode is here to explore what that’s like. Long-time art educator Holly Bess Kincaid recently moved to a new school and shares her experience with The Creativity Department. Listen in to hear her advice on setting creative goals for your students and yourself. Discover the positives of being a long-serving art educator at a new school, as well as the difficulties, as you gather ideas for achieving success at a new school.
Listen Now | Episode 191
Trace Layer Play
Anyone who’s done a research project knows how messy the actual research process can be. This is even more true when it comes to art or creative fields specifically. In the wake of COVID and the adoption of online learning, four PhD students started a collaborative research journey to connect and motivate each other. By 2021, their first exhibition marked the creation of the arts-based research collective, Trace Layer Play! The goal of this community? Expose the messiness of the research process and invite visitors to explore and engage in it through the lens of artmaking. Members of the collective join The Creativity Department to share their journey and talk about the experience of working with 120 middle schoolers during their recent exhibition and how it surprised them in ways they didn’t expect!
Listen Now | Episode 190
Zerric Clinton
We’ve all experienced “Popular Culture” at some point in our lives, but with social media, TV, video games, and movies becoming integral to our student’s everyday life—it’s important to factor in how pop culture can affect them whether negatively or positively. That’s why the Creativity Department invited artist, educator, and author of The Power of Popular Culture in Education: History, Music, and Visual Imagery Zerric Clinton to share his expertise and insights on how pop culture is affecting students today. Covering topics like how is pop culture defined, the importance of accurately representing diverse groups of people in media, as well as the effects of when it doesn’t, how art educators can help students think critically when engaging with pop culture, and what trends could have the most significant impact on students.
Listen Now | Episode 189
Paula Liz
It’s a rare opportunity for students to create art with world-renowned artists, but that’s exactly what happened at this year’s NAEA in Minneapolis. Students from the National Art Honor Society (NAHS) created a collaborative mural with artist Alice Mizrachi! Dive into how this all came about in this week’s episode with Paula Liz, Youth and Preservice Program Manager at NAEA. She joins The Creativity Department to talk about what NAHS is, the projects and activities students participate in, and the opportunities they receive as members (like working with contemporary artists and exhibiting in active gallery spaces). Listen in and discover how to start your own NAHS chapter and much more!
Listen Now | Episode 188
Laura and Matt Grundler
Another school year is upon us, and it seems to get more and more challenging each year! No one knows this better than the Creativity Department. In this episode, Matt and Laura chat with each other about the tips and techniques they’ve used over the years to help prepare their students and themselves for another creative year in the art room. Listen in for advice from the field on everything from time management and setting boundaries and expectations for students, to building an art room that nurtures student creativity. Get ideas for helping students set personal creative goals, making classroom routines, beginning the year lesson ideas, and much more!
Listen Now | Episode 187
Episodes 156–186
In Season 4, we covered everything from mural making (ep. 156) and printmaking (ep. 161) to science in the art room (ep. 179) and ethical decision-making (183). Dive in and enjoy discussions with expert educators across the field and gather insight and ideas to apply to your own practice.
Listen Now | Season 4
Episodes 108–155
Enjoy episodes from Season 3 of K12ArtChat the podcast. Listen in on discussions with expert educators across the field. Hear about everything from Designing Hot Wheels (ep. 108) to how artificial intelligence is disrupting art education (ep. 129).
Listen Now | Season 3
Episodes 60–107
Check out Season 2 of K12ArtChat the podcast and listen in to conversations from experts across the field of education. Learn about everything from student curations (ep. 61) to Neurodivergent Thinking in the Art Room (ep. 94).
Listen Now | Season 2
Episodes 1–59
Dive into Season 1 of K12ArtChat the podcast and hear from experts across the field of education. Enjoy discussions on everything from AP & IB Art Topics (ep. 13) to Teaching Gender Inclusivity (ep. 37).
Listen Now | Season 1