Christopher Strickland
“Humans are inherently creative beings. As art educators, we’re primed for helping others learn about this and understand it as they nurture their creativity.” But how do you model this? How do you inspire students to expand outside where they are in school and in their lives? How do you help them find and embrace their creative capacities? Assistant Professor for Art Education at University of Nebraska Kearney, Christopher Strickland joins Matt in this episode to share his unique perspective on this challenge. Listen in to the discussion and discover strategies educators can use to cultivate creativity and encourage students to fold it into their lives.
Listen Now | Episode 155
Karl Cole
Is craft art? It’s a debate as old as time. Implying skill or skill level, using the word “craft” to describe fine art can be taken derogatorily. The term could be thought to diminish the work of an artist. However, it has recently enjoyed a revival in many mediums to denote a considerable amount of time and care taken during making. So how does this reflect in the world of art? Davis Publications’ Fine Art Images Curator and Art Historian, Karl Cole, joins The Creativity Department for a new Coffee with Karl episode about just that! Learn about art forms from different periods in history and cultures where art is decorative and serves a functional purpose. Listen in to determine for yourself—is craft art?
Listen Now | Episode 154
Connected Arts Networks (CAN)
Connecting students’ cultures, perspectives, and life experiences with what they learn in school is the focus of cultural responsiveness. All educators strive to create meaningful learning, diverse experiences, and inclusive environments for students but hearing from other educators in the field can be inspirational! In this episode, Oral Historian Dr. Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz and Matt Grundler continue the conversation with New York City educators from NAEA’s Connected Arts Networks (CAN). Lidia Menniti and Catherine Plichta join the discussion about incorporating Cultural Responsiveness into classrooms. Listen in to explore their thoughts on how it cultivates empathy and supports students’ discovery of their interests.
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 153
Connected Arts Networks (CAN)
Educators strive to create inclusive environments that honor and celebrate differences using a host of methods, including cultural responsiveness. In this episode, Oral Historian Dr. Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz and Matt Grundler talk with New York City educators from The Connected Arts Networks (CAN). Tina Barone & Edwin Brathwaite join the conversation to discuss incorporating Cultural Responsiveness into classrooms. Discover how this approach goes beyond tolerance and encourages genuine engagement and collaboration across diverse perspectives through honoring and appreciating the values, beliefs, and communication styles of diverse groups of people.
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 152
Jeanne Sparrow
What does it mean to be your creatively authentic self? Does it entail sharing your personal artwork with your students? Or openly communicating with them about what they’d like to learn in the art room? What exactly does it mean to be creatively authentic? Emmy award winning radio and TV host Jeanne Sparrow has a “life theme” she calls —Fearless Authenticity. It centers on purposefully and intentionally knowing ourselves and tapping into our value. She joins the Creativity Department in this episode to talk all about what exactly that means, how you can achieve it, how you can help others be their authentic selves, and how this philosophy translates into the arts classroom.
Listen Now | Episode 151
Steven Branfman
Losing a loved one is devastating. Grief takes a toll on our emotions, our well-being, our relationships, and often it can put our creative endeavors on hold. In 2005, Steven Branfman lost his son to cancer, a tragedy that led him to embark on a remarkable project—A Father’s Kaddish. Steven created 365 Japanese Chawan tea bowls, one a day for a year after his son’s passing. Through these small bowls, he found a unique channel for his grief. In this conversation, Matt, Laura, and Steven discuss the powerful connection between art, healing, and storytelling. They delve into the symbolism behind the tea bowls, the community it created, and how this labor of love became a tribute to his son’s memory.
Listen Now | Episode 150
Jane Dalton
How do we integrate mindfulness into the art classroom? And what exactly is the difference between mindfulness and mindfulness meditation? Wouldn’t it be great if the answers were compiled into one place—like a book? Jane Dalton, Professor of Art Education, has written such a book! In this episode, Jane joins The Creativity Department and co-host Raine Valentine to talk all about mindfulness in the art room. Listen in to hear about meditation and the expressive arts and learn about the crossroads of creativity and well-being. Jane shares her experience integrating mindfulness into her art room as well as simple but effective techniques you can use to do the same.
Listen Now | Episode 149
Richard Kim
How do we create art assignments that empower all our students, not just those who wish to pursue art in their future? How are the messages embedded in our curriculum shaping “what art is” to those students who aren’t going to art school? In this episode, The Creativity Department dives into how to rethink curriculum with artist and Art Educator Richard Kim. Contemporizing curriculum is more than simply adding contemporary art. It’s about taking risks and developing content that taps into contemporary practices of how art is being made today. Listen in to hear strategies for developing curriculum content as a reflective practice instead of just providing art assignments.
Listen Now | Episode 148
Amy Appleton & Kirsti Lewis
“Too often society underestimates and undermines people with disabilities. They are capable of so much more.” These words drive the work of the organization People Like Us, an organization devoted to creating more inclusive and effective learning environments for students with disabilities through the arts. In this week’s episode The Creativity Department and Amy Appleton, NAEA’s Connected Arts Networks (CAN) Project Director, discuss the mission of People Like Us with the Founder, Kirsti Lewis. Dive into the discussion and learn why she started the organization and how they can help educators who may feel ill-equipped offer meaningful instruction to students with developmental disabilities.
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 147
Connected Arts Networks (CAN)
Accessibility ensures participation barriers are removed for people with disabilities, inclusion takes that further to guarantee people with disabilities are embraced as members of the community. In the episode, Teacher Leaders from NAEA’s Connected Arts Networks (CAN) continue the conversation about building accessible arts classrooms that foster a sense of belonging for students of all abilities. Dive into a new conversation led by The Creativity Department and Oral Historian Dr. Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz. Arts Educators Rebecca Visintainer and Sean Turner share strategies used to create inclusive and welcoming environments for students of all abilities, insights about how they learn students’ unique abilities, and resources you can tap into to do the same.
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 146
Connected Arts Networks (CAN)
The Connected Arts Networks believes that SEL and ED&I practices overlap to contribute to greater accessibility in the classroom. In this episode, Oral Historian Dr. Mi'Jan Celie Tho-Biaz, Krissi Davis Orchestra Director for Midtown High School in Atlanta, and Art Educator Matt Grundler explore ways of serving students with developmental differences. By making changes and adaptations to classroom environments and curriculum through a knowledge of equity and inclusion students’ self-awareness, communication, emotion regulation, and interpersonal connections can be strengthened.
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 145
Brice McCasland
The presence of “community” in activities such as band and theater is obvious. These require groups of individuals to work together. That type of connection may look absent from the studio. However, in the art room students can express themselves openly and have a sense of belonging. That’s exactly the environment Brice McCasland creates in his art room. Brice is the K12 Visual Art Coordinator for Lovejoy ISD in Texas and went to college with Matt & Laura. Their art professors created a welcoming, supportive, and inspiring creative community which they’ve emulated in their own art rooms! In this episode, Brice shares his strategies for building a community of artistic culture in the art room. Listen in and discover the positive and lasting impact it can have on students.
Listen Now | Episode 144
Jonathan Juravich
Yes, there are many Social Emotional Learning (SEL) moments in art classrooms students experience as part of sharing space and because art is about feeling. However, “for true SEL learning to take place, there needs to be intentionality. Educators must think through how they build specific experiences for students that include SEL.” But how? Maybe you’ve had trouble incorporating it in your art room. 2018 Ohio Teacher of the Year, Jonathan Juravich is here to help! In this episode, the Creativity Department discusses Jonathan’s dissertation on SEL in art education, his TED Talk about teaching empathy, his work as a national Arts advocate, and his experience with SEL and elementary students. Dive in to learn more and come away with a plethora of resources.
Listen Now | Episode 143
Laura and Matt Grundler
Happy National Arts in Education week! Established in 2010, this week-long celebration was created to recognize the impact arts have in education. The goal of the week? To bring awareness of this importance to elected officials and decision makers to ensure all students have access to the arts. In this episode, The Creativity Department share and reflect on their journeys as art educators and how art has impacted them. Listen in to hear their “who & why”. Learn who inspired them to become art educators, why they are art educators, and what keeps them coming back? Then, visit us on social media and tell us your story, we want to know!
Listen Now | Episode 142
Paul Kretchmer
What!? Rules!? Don’t be alarmed, this week’s guest, Art Educator Paul Kretchmer, explains—“We live in a world that is about relationships. ‘Rules’ are guides you can use to build those relationships.” Paul joins The Creativity Department to discuss a set of tips he’s coined “Happy Art Teacher Rules.” Among the rules, you’ll find Amplify Student Voice, Celebrate Diversity, and Prioritize Equity. Having guidelines in the art room can set the tone for the school year, Paul’s were made to help create a positive, supportive, and friendly environment for students. With guidelines in place, the art room is a place where students openly share ideas and help shape their artistic journey.
Listen Now | Episode 141
Raine Valentine and Joe Boatfield
With summer coming to an end and many schools already starting the new school year, it’s time to consider how to make the school year exciting, engaging, and enjoyable. A successful start goes a long way to continuing that energy throughout the year. In this episode, art educators Raine Valentine and Joe Boatfield join The Creativity Department to talk about preparing for a successful new school year. From how they connect with students to adjusting curriculum to align with new standards, this conversation explores a multitude of topics. Hear about things like setting the tone and expectations in the art room as well as what projects get students excited for art in the coming year!
Listen Now | Episode 140
Mike Mitchell
In general terms, an ecosystem is a complex network or interconnected system. Considering this, what is an “Art Ecosystem?” How does it differ from a PLN? Mike Mitchell joins the Creativity Department in this episode to examine the networks, communities, and connections that can create an “Art Ecosystem.” Mike is the Art Education Coordinator at Tennessee State University (TSU) with years of experience teaching high school art. Dive into the conversation as he shares his experience building connections through teaching, networking, social media, and mentoring. Discover how to cultivate an ecosystem of your own and how it affects your work as an educator, an artist, and a mentor.
Listen Now | Episode 139
Jen Ferrari & Abi Paytoe Gbayee
“The very heart of TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior) is centered around 1) the child is the artist, 2) the classroom is the studio, and 3) exploring what artists do.” TAB can be a sticky subject depending on if you dive into a full student-centered approach, introduce elements of it, or rely on a “standard skill-based pedagogy.” Is there common ground? In this episode, the Creativity Department discusses this with Jen Ferrari and Abi Paytoe Gbayee. As art educators and hosts of the TAB Storytellers podcast, Jen and Abi have years of experience. Listen in as they share advice and information on TAB pedagogy. Get resources for using it in the art room and learn how it can be assessed using a skill criteria.
Listen Now | Episode 138
Sharon Carr and Christine Colby
Ceramics can be frustrating, clay is an intimidating medium for students as they begin working with it, but it can also be just as rewarding for those who stick with it. Students gain many skills working with ceramics, they learn about aesthetics and the importance of design, form, and function. They learn persistence and how to work through the artistic process. In this episode, the Creativity Department is joined by art educators Sharon Carr and Christine Colby to discuss ceramics in the art room. Discover ideas for introducing students to the medium, tips to help them manage frustration, classroom and materials management ideas, ceramic artists to showcase and more!
Listen Now | Episode 137
Susan Martin & Melissa Friedewald
Do you have a local arts center in your community? Have you considered working with them on a project but don’t know where to start? Susan Martin, Executive Director of the Bower Center for the Arts, and Melissa Friedewald, Art Teacher from Liberty High School in Bedford, Virginia, join The Creativity Department in this episode to inspire you! Melissa’s students and The Bower Center worked together to create a public mural for the Bower Center for the Arts. Listen in as they dive into the details of how student artists were selected for the project, how they collaborated on developing the LOVEworks mural, and more. Tune in to learn how local arts centers can help students discover a community outside of the art room and provide real-world experience.
Listen Now | Episode 136
Dr. Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz, Corazón Tierra, Charles Jabour
As NAEA states, school leadership shouldn’t have a singular definition, or “be seen as a practice that can be definitively attained. Rather, it should be thought of as a flexible and dynamic process that educators are constantly honing and working toward.” In the second part of the Teacher Leadership episode, the Connected Arts Networks (CAN) explores the varied roles and importance of teacher leaders further. Dr. Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz and The Creativity Department continue the conversation with two new CAN members. Arts Educators Corazón Tierra and Charles Jabour weigh into the discussion from the Dance and Theatre perspectives. Listen in as they address important questions such as how do you want to lead? How do you want to transform? What ways do you want to change lives positively, for yourself or others? Discover for yourself if there is a way to pinpoint how or when we can spark the same inspiration to lead in others.
Listen Now | Episode 135
Dr. Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz, Nathan Rødahl, Tim Needles
There are all kinds of perspectives around what educational leadership looks and feels like. It’s not one size fits all, it impacts the mood, atmosphere, and environment of a school so it must be flexible to meet the needs of diverse student populations and families in communities. During the fourth series of Connected Arts Networks (CAN) conversations, we take a deep dive into Teacher Leadership. As a partnership between The National Art Education Association (NAEA), Educational Theater Association, National Association for Music Education, National Dance Education Organization, and NYC Department of Education’s Office of Arts and Special Projects, the goal of this network is to build a sustainable model of professional learning. In this episode, the Creativity Department and Dr. Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz are joined by educators Tim Needles and Nathan Rødahl. Dive into an informative discussion about adapting leadership structures in the classroom and discover strategies used to ensure all students’ needs are met.
Listen Now | Episode 134
Jorge Lucero
How do you maintain a robust teaching practice that doesn’t take a back seat to your artist practice while remaining actively engaged with your artistic practice? Jorge Lucero, author of What Happens at the Intersection of Conceptual Art & Teaching, believes the solution to this rests on permissions. If we can get out of our heads long enough to think differently about our practices, we can expand our ideas of what art can be. In this episode, Jorge joins The Creativity Department for a conversation about allowing ourselves to be conceptual in our artmaking, time, and materials. Listen in to discover how leaning into unconventional processes and ideas to broaden how we think about art can benefit our practices and ultimately help students!
Listen Now | Episode 133
Karl Cole
Including images in a wide variety of topics, themes, or categories (cultures, genders, time periods, etc.) is essential to keeping content interesting and relevant to students. But it’s never that easy, curating images for lessons can be time-consuming and tricky. There are always questions, how do you choose which artists and works to highlight? How much information should you know about an artist before sharing their work? In this week’s episode, the Creativity Department speaks with Davis’s Curator of Images Karl Cole to answer these common questions. Hear about his curatorial process and discover if there is anything missing from your own selection process.
Listen Now | Episode 132
Reahna Robinson
Representation matters, especially in the art education world—a wide variety of students should be taught by a wide variety of educators. Reahna Robinson is currently a Senior at FSU, applying to be a middle school music teacher—she’s known this is what she’s wanted to do for years and has worked hard to make it happen! She also happens to be blind. In this episode, Reahna joins the Creativity Department for a discussion about her pre-service experiences. Discover how they’ll shape her upcoming teaching career, and how educators can support their disabled colleagues. Listen in to hear more from Reahna!
Listen Now | Episode 131
Sam Peck & Dave Modler
In this episode, the Creativity Department is joined by art educators and creative collaborators Samuel Peck and David Modler for a discussion about the importance of “process over product.” Hear how they encourage their pre-service teachers to focus on the creative processes of art making rather than producing a “good” artwork. Learn how “process over product” helps student development and correlates to the Studio Habits of Mind during a conversation covering strategies for classroom application, activities you can do with students, and artists that inspire.
Listen Now | Episode 130
Tim Needles
Like it or not Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is already deeply ingrained in our everyday lives. It’s an exciting but hotly debated topic in the world of art and education. In this episode, the Creativity Department is joined by returning guest Tim Needles to talk about the disruption A.I. is causing. Laura, Matt, and Tim tackle questions like “Is A.I. generated art actually art?” and “Does A.I. remove process from creativity?” Explore ways of educating students about responsible use of this technology and discover how to use it as a tool to inspire artmaking. With A.I. changing every day and no end in sight, it doesn’t have to be avoided, it could be embraced as a hi-tech tool.
Listen Now | Episode 129
Raine Valentine, Candido Crespo, and Joe Boatfield
The Creativity Crew is back! With the end of the school year fast approaching, it can be a stressful time. Candido Crespo, Raine Valentine, and Joe Boatfield join Matt in this episode to discuss surviving the end of this school year and preparing for next year. They’re facing a multitude of challenges that a lot of art educators face this time of year, like changing classrooms, making plans to stay creative over the summer, and keeping students motivated during standardized testing. Discover solutions you can try, like giving students the opportunity to take on projects they’ve been asking for all year and are passionate about. Listen in to hear all their ideas!
Listen Now | Episode 128
Matt & Laura Grundler
How often do you assess how you’re doing? It’s true when “they” say your tank must be full to take care of other’s needs. But how do you prioritize yourself with so many demands? Social Emotional Learning (SEL) can be hard to integrate into a curriculum but that means you need to focus on it even more for yourself. The Creativity Department addresses this in Episode 127. Listen in as they continue the conversation about SEL from the educator’s point of view. Specifically, hear what taking care of your needs looks like inside and outside the classroom, discover tips on organizing and prioritizing yourself over the summer, and learn how you can support your peers in their SEL work.
Listen Now | Episode 127
Meg Hickey & Kristie Farr
Very rarely do students feel safe enough to open up and share how they’re feeling in the classroom. Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is essential to a student’s development, but it can be challenging to introduce into a classroom setting. Dive deeper into this topic during part two of the Connected Arts Network (CAN) SEL episode. In this episode, the Creativity Department continues the conversation about Social-Emotional Learning with two new CAN members. Arts Educators Meg Hickey & Kristie Farr weigh into the conversation about SEL from the Music and Theatre perspectives. Hear the different techniques they use to incorporate SEL into their classrooms. Listen in to learn how they create supportive learning communities where students thrive.
Listen Now | Episode 126
Cristin Carole and Heather De Koning Foley
Broadly speaking, social-emotional learning (SEL) is a process through which students develop and apply crucial life skills such as confidence, emotion management, decision-making, and friendship. In the third series of Connected Arts Networks (CAN) conversations, we take a deep dive into SEL. As a partnership between The National Art Education Association (NAEA), Educational Theater Association, National Association for Music Education, National Dance Education Organization, and NYC Department of Education’s Office of Arts and Special Projects, the goal of this network is to build a sustainable model of professional learning. In this episode, the Creativity Department is joined by Arts Educators Cristin Carole and Heather De Koning Foley for an informative discussion about how SEL has amplified student voice in their classrooms. Hear how they are creating supportive learning communities where students thrive.
Listen Now | Episode 125
Emily Fox King and James Rees
Nurturing your own creativity can be challenging, especially when you are charged with cultivating it in the minds of students and keeping them engaged in meaningful creating. No one understands that more than James Rees and Emily Fox King. James and Emily are professional artists. James is also a researcher and retired art educator. Both join The Creativity Department to discuss taking care of your creative practice as an art educator. Both bring their unique perspectives to this conversation sharing their experiences dealing with creative risk and being a professional artist, overcoming creative blocks, and more. Listen in to hear strategies you can use in and out of the art room.
Listen Now | Episode 124
Kris Bakke
Art materials come in all shapes and sizes. As educators and/or artists ourselves, there’s always a reason we use the materials we do. Quality and price are a few ways to make choices about them, but there are so many other things to consider. In this episode, Kris Bakke joins the Creativity Department again. This time, the discussion is about all things related to art materials. Now with Royal & Langnickel Classroom (a.k.a. Royal Brush) as their Art Education Manager, Kris has new ideas about materials for the art room. From what is essential for teaching students to properly caring for supplies, listen in to learn new takes on the age-old question, “Why do we use this kind, what’s the difference?”
Listen Now | Episode 123
Orlando Graves Bolaños
The NAEA 2023 Convention has officially wrapped! Enjoy this episode highlighting some of the best parts of this exciting event! The Creativity Department and Orlando Graves Bolaños (@SubversiveArts), Co-coordinator for the convention, examine some of the amazing details from NAEA 2023! Hear about sessions they attended, what inspired them, and their takeaways from San Antonio, Texas, as they dive into their personal experience from the largest convention in years. After the last few years of lockdown, social distancing, and uncertainty from COVID, “the conference really hit home; it was a moment to be inspired both professionally and personally.” Listen in to hear their insights!
Listen Now | Episode 122
Dr. David Moya
Do you have pre-service teachers in your art room? How do you support them? This episode dives into just that topic with Dr. David Moya. A former student of Laura’s and now professor at University of Houston-Clear Lake, Dr. Moya instructs and mentors pre-service art teachers every day. He joins the conversation this week to shed light on how he supports his students in their training and in the art rooms they work. Learn his methods, like how he adds a personal touch by communicating with his students outside the classroom and keeps track of what they’re doing with their own students. Listen in to hear how you can make your own pre-service art educators feel supported!
Listen Now | Episode 121
Meera Ramanathan
How do you capture students that don’t feel successful in art because they “can’t draw”? Elementary art educator Meera Ramanathan uses literacy. “Art isn’t just about creating,” she says. “Literacy is another way to help students feel empowered.” Meera joins The Creativity Department for an episode about using literacy to help students connect their art to their own life. Through responding and presenting students articulate what they know, how they feel, and what they think. Hear about this, how she differentiates her lessons for different age ranges, and other ways she weaves life skills, art, and literacy into her curriculum seamlessly.
Listen Now | Episode 120
Christine Miller
How often do you consider how you think? It’s not usually something that’s brought up, but metacognition (thinking about thinking) can have many benefits for you and your students. Fiber artist and retired Art Educator Christine Miller joins The Creativity Department in this episode to talk about supporting students through the process of building skills around thinking. Discover ways to guide students to better understand how they think, so they do it on a deeper, more meaningful level. Christine shares how she developed her practice, the hurdles her students overcame, and the long-term effects she witnessed from implementing metacognitive techniques. Listen in to hear more!
Listen Now | Episode 119
Karl Cole
There is no doubt History is an important aspect of education. Art History is no different. There are many ways art teachers use it in their practice, inspiring discussion when kicking off a lesson or as a daily warmup with the students for example. To dive deeper into this topic The Creativity Department turned to Davis’s Art Historian and Image Curator for another Coffee with Karl episode. In this episode, they discuss just how important art history is in today’s classrooms. Dive into the relevance of art history and how it is used as a tool to shine a light on underrepresented artists, movements, and cultures in the world. Hear how you can use Karl’s expertise to easily incorporate art history into your program!
Listen Now | Episode 118
Dr. Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz, Gayle Nicholls-Ali, and Lindsey Baur
The work of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) is challenging. It requires deep care, concern, and attention, without which it’s possible the important work being done won’t flourish. Considering these notions is essential to creating programs that support students at their individual levels. In the second part of the Connected Arts Networks (CAN) ED&I episode, The Creativity Department and co-host Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz continue the discussion with two new guests from CAN. Educators Gayle Nicholls-Ali and Lindsey Baur weigh into the crucial conversation around ED&I from the Visual Arts & Media and Dance perspectives. Listen in to hear how Gayle and Lindsey create diverse and inclusive environments for all learners, honor and encourage student voice and choice, illustrate different (and similar) approaches to art through experiences with artists of diverse cultures, and much more!
Listen Now | Episode 117
Dr. Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz, Bridget Shepard, and Michael Gordon
Explore Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) in the second series of episodes brought to you by the Connected Arts Networks (CAN). As a partnership between The National Art Education Association (NAEA), Educational Theater Association, National Association for Music Education, National Dance Education Organization, and NYC Department of Education’s Office of Arts and Special Projects, the goal of this network is to build a sustainable model of professional learning to help teachers better serve students. In this episode, the Creativity Department and Dr. Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz are joined by educators Bridget Shepard and Michael Gordon for an important and informative discussion about fostering environments that support ED&I for learners. Hear how these educators are creating transformative discomfort in a solution-bound and caring way while consistently maintaining safe spaces for learners to celebrate their differences.
Listen Now | Episode 116
Kris Bakke
In 1961, March was established as Youth Art Month to bring attention to Art Education and recognize it as a core factor in a complete curriculum. To this day, its goal remains the same, direct attention to the value of art education for divergent and critical thinking and expand art programs in schools. In recent years, art educators have used Youth Art Month to advocate for their programs with great success! In this episode, Kris Bakke, Vice President of the Council for Art Education, joins the podcast for a discussion about participating, preparing, and getting the most out of YAM. Listen in to learn effective methods for celebrating and advocating for your art program and the benefits that come from it!
Listen Now | Episode 115
Candido Crespo, Joe Boatfield, and Raine Valentine
Who doesn’t love to talk about their favorite things? Art educators, students, artists, people in general, EVERYONE has preferences. In this episode, The Creativity Crew is back! Art educators Raine Valentine, Candido Crespo, and Joe Boatfield join The Creativity Department for a discussion about their most-loved items to use in the art room and to engage students. Get the inside scoop on their most recommended classroom-tested art materials, equipment, art lessons, inspirational artists, technology, and more. There’s bound to be something new to take away as you dive into this conversation covering what works best and why.
Listen Now | Episode 114
Jason Blair
More and more it seems like we are caught in the net of focusing on teaching and learning—delivering info on something you know well and moving down a prescribed path. What about the space in between where relationships, wonder, imagination, and curiosity live. It’s a challenge to connect with your students on deeper levels, many see school just as a place to sit and digest facts, but you can be the change in their academic career! Returning guest Jason Blair joins The Creativity Department to talk about bridging the gap between teaching and learning by creating meaningful opportunities for students to build empathy, creative confidence, and a sense of community in the art room.
Listen Now | Episode 113
Ruth Byrne
In Math, there is a concept called “Concrete—Representational—Abstract Progression of Learning.” When students learn numbers, they count real objects (concrete), then pictures of objects (representational), and then use symbols like “3” (abstract). In Art, we often jump right to representational or abstract concepts. In this episode, The Creativity Department speaks with art educator Ruth Byrne about how interacting with concrete objects can lead students to better results representing and abstracting in their art. Hear how Ruth uses Froebel’s methods to encourage inquiry and help students focus on the joy of the creative process instead of the product.
Listen Now | Episode 112
Jane Dalton and James Rees
Mindfulness can enhance creativity and creative problem-solving, qualities essential to the art room. Do you practice mindfulness yourself or with your students? With the hectic school year in full swing, it can be hard to slow down and take a minute or two to recenter, but there is plenty of data to support the benefits of doing just that. In this episode, Jane Dalton and James Rees, both educators and artists, join the Creativity Department to talk about using mindfulness in the art room. Exercises that only take two minutes can help you and your students regenerate and refocus on the tasks at hand. Listen in to the episode to learn how mindfulness can support creative practice and help your students!
Listen Now | Episode 111
Misty Kluesner
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of resources to integrate technology into the art room, but which ones are best for students? Misty Kluesner is here to help! As a Creativity & Design Learning Experience Designer, she develops curricula and strategies to help art educators integrate technology into their programs to enhance creativity and innovation. In this episode, discover the ideas and tools Misty uses to help teachers move outside the standard parameters of technology in the classroom. Ever thought about students creating a video essay instead of a written one? Listen in to hear more on how you can seamlessly integrate technology into your art room with Misty’s advice!
Listen Now | Episode 110
Karl Cole
Have your students asked why studying art history is important? It helps us make sense of the past and connect it to the present, exposes us to cultural diversity, and enhances observation skills. Just spend a few minutes with an Art Historian and this becomes clear. But where do you find an Art Historian? Luckily, Davis’s very own Curator of Images Karl Cole is an Art Historian! We’re excited to introduce a new series featuring Karl. In this episode, The Creativity Department and Karl discuss his unique career as Curator and Art Historian for Davis. Hear about what led him to art education and gather information you can use to introduce this interesting occupation to students.
Listen Now | Episode 109
Bryan Benedict
Did you have Hot Wheels as a kid? Do your children or students collect them? How cool is it that someone’s job is to design them? That’s what Bryan Benedict thought as a kid and now he’s the Design Lead for Hot Wheels and Matchbox Diecast for Mattel! After working with big-name car companies such as Mercedes-Benz, Ford, and GM, Bryan joined Mattel to work with different franchises to make both fantastical and real-life cars in toy form. In this episode, he discusses his career path with The Creativity Department. Listen in to hear about the unique opportunities he’s had to work with celebrities and the steps students can take to start a career as a designer.
Listen Now | Episode 108
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.
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