In this episode, The Creativity Department is joined by their friend Brice McCasland, the K12 Visual Art Coordinator for Lovejoy ISD in Texas to discuss building community in the art room. Recalling college days when art professors created a deep sense of community, the discussion dives into how they now emulate that in their own art rooms. Sharing a passion for art with students, allowing them to express themselves, creating opportunities for them to work toward a common goal, and giving them s...
Sep 28, 2023•54 min
In this episode, The Creativity Department is joined by 2018 Ohio Teacher of the Year – Jonathan Juravich to talk about the importance of being intentional with Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in the art room. Jonathan shares his dissertation work on SEL, experience working as a national arts advocate, and expertise from years of teaching Elementary students incorporating SEL into his curriculum. Jonathan makes a constant effort to set a good example not only for his students, but his fellow art...
Sep 21, 2023•40 min
It’s National Arts in Education week! Established in 2010, this week-long celebration was created to recognize the impact arts have in education. Dive into this episode and learn the story of The Creativity Department and the impact arts have had on them! Hear how they became Art Educators and what their “who & why” is. Learn who inspired them to become art educators, why they became art educators, and what keeps them inspired to teach day in and day out! Listen in to this inspiring episode ...
Sep 14, 2023•41 min
Paul Kretchmer returns in this episode all about setting art room rules and guidelines in the art room! Paul follows a philosophy he coined as “Happy Art Teacher Rules” which are guidelines for fellow art educators and students to follow – helping create a positive environment, celebrating diversity, and amplifying student voice. Listen in to hear how Paul implements these into his art room!
Sep 07, 2023•49 min
Art educators, Raine Valentine and Joe Boatfield join The Creativity Department in this episode to explore preparing for a new school year! Explore everything from setting the tone of the classroom and connecting with students in the first days of the year, to art room layout and organization and adjusting curriculum to align with standards. Hear what advice these art room veterans have and learn about what could excite students for the coming year.
Aug 31, 2023•48 min
In this episode the Creativity Department is joined by fellow art educator Mike Mitchell to examine the networks, communities, and connections that can create an “Art Ecosystem” around us. Mike is the Art Education Coordinator at Tennessee State University (TSU) with years of experience teaching high school art. Listen in as he dives into what exactly an “Art Ecosystem” is and how it can affect you as an educator as well as an artist. Mike also talks about how he built his own Art Ecosystem thro...
Aug 24, 2023•58 min
In this episode the Creativity Department is joined by fellow podcasters Jen Ferrari & Abi Paytoe Gbayee – hosts of the TAB Storytellers podcast. Dive into TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior) during a discussion covering how Jen and Abi chose it as their pedagogy. Listen in as they share implementation advice, resources for using it in the art room, and useful information like how it can be assessed using a skill criteria.
Aug 17, 2023•1 hr 3 min
In this episode, the Creativity Department is joined by art educators Sharon Carr & Christine Colby to talk about ceramics in the art room! Discover how these experienced ceramic teachers introduce students to the medium. Gain helpful insight into managing student frustrations, tips on classroom and materials management, and discover contemporary ceramic artists to showcase in your art room!
Aug 10, 2023•47 min
In this episode, the Creativity Department is joined by Susan Martin and Melissaa Friedwald of the Bower Center in Bedford, Virginia to discuss how art educators can build relationships with local arts and cultural organizations. Melissa goes into how having a local arts center gives her students the opportunity to discover a community outside of the art room and real-world experience. Melissa and Susan walk us through the process of how they collaborated on the LOVEworks project for the Bedford...
Aug 03, 2023•42 min
In the second part of the Teacher Leadership episode of the Connected Arts Networks (CAN) series, Dr. Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz and The Creativity Department are joined by arts educators Corazón Tierra and Charles Jabour. Dive into this informative conversation focusing on questions such as how do you want to lead? 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 othe...
Jul 27, 2023•59 min
In this episode from the Connected Arts Networks (CAN) series, The Creativity Department is joined by arts educators Tim Needles and Nathan Rødahl for a conversation focusing on teacher leadership and adapting leadership structures in the classroom. Teacher leadership is 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. Listen in and discover strategies that can be used to ensure all studen...
Jul 20, 2023•52 min
In this episode the Creativity Department discusses the concept of expanding permissions around art making, developing ideas, and process with Jorge Lucero. Jorge is an artist, art educator, and author of What Happens at the Intersection of Conceptual Art & Teaching . Explore what can happen if we get out of our heads long enough to think differently about our practices and how by leaning into unconventional processes and ideas, we broaden our ideas of what art can be.
Jul 13, 2023•50 min
In this episode, Davis Publications Curator of Images, Karl Cole joins the Creativity Department to answer common questions about choosing images to use in art lessons. Hear about Karl’s curatorial process and how he tackles questions such as, “How much information should you know about an artist before sharing their work?” Listen in as they discuss curating images for Davis Publications, working with museums and galleries, as well as choosing what artworks and artists to spotlight. Discover if ...
Jun 29, 2023•38 min
In this episode the Creativity Department is joined by current FSU Senior Reahna Robinson to talk about how the art education world and the education community at large can support educators with disabilities. Reahna talks about her own experiences studying to become a music teacher and how she thinks educators with disabilities could best be supported in the classroom, as well as through their colleagues.
Jun 22, 2023•49 min
In this episode the Creativity Department is joined by art educators and creative collaborators Samuel Peck & 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 applicati...
Jun 15, 2023•1 hr 10 min
In this episode the Creativity Department is joined by returning guest Tim Needles to talk about the disruption Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is causing in the art and education worlds. They tackle topics such as how art educators can embrace this technology as a hi-tech tool and how to ensure students use it in safe and responsible ways. Explore how A.I. can be incorporated into the creative process instead of taking the place of it. Listen in to join the conversation!
Jun 08, 2023•34 min
In this episode the Creativity Crew is back and they’re here to talk about how they’re surviving the end of the school year! Candido, Raine, and Joe share their end of year challenges and how they overcome them to tackle the next school year. From changing rooms, how they’re staying creative over the summer, what to do with students during standardized testing, and giving students the opportunity to take on projects they’re passionate about before the year ends. Listen in to hear more!
Jun 01, 2023•42 min
In this episode the Creativity Department continues the discussion about Social Emotional Learning (SEL) from the perspective of the educator. Dive into a conversation about the importance of focusing on your (educator) emotional wellbeing to support that of students. 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. Liste...
May 25, 2023•33 min
In this episode, The Creativity Department is joined by Arts Educators Meg Hickey & Kristie Farr for the second Connected Arts Networks (CAN) episode focused on Social Emotional Learning (SEL)! Hear how they incorporate emotional intelligence into their classrooms and curriculum, discover how they create emotional safe spaces and how it helps students open up in class. Listen in to learn how building a sense of community amongst students helps them thrive.
May 17, 2023•42 min
In Episode 3 Part 1 of the collaborative CAN series, Matt & Laura are joined by Heather de Koning Foley & Cristin Carole to talk about Social Emotional Learning – how they as Art Educators incorporate it into their curriculum, how they teach their students self-awareness, and how you can introduce these concepts into your own art room. Listen in to hear more!
May 11, 2023•43 min
In this episode, James Rees and Emily Fox King join the Creativity Department to discuss taking care of your creative practice as an art educator. James and Emily are professional artists. James is also a researcher and retired art educator. Both bring their unique perspectives to this conversation where they share their experiences dealing with creative risk, the challenges of being a professional artist, overcoming creative blocks, and balancing work and life. Listen in to hear strategies you ...
May 04, 2023•35 min
In this episode Kris Bakke joins the Creativity Department again to talk about all things related to art materials! Now with Royal Brush Manufacturing, as their Art Education Manager, Kris has new ideas to share 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?”
Apr 27, 2023•46 min
With the NAEA 2023 conference wrapped up, The Creativity Department sits down with returning guest Orlando Graves Bolaños to talk about the largest art education convention in years. Orlando was the Co-coordinator alongside Laura for this year’s conference in San Antonio, Texas. Hear about sessions they attended, what inspired them, and their take aways from San Antonio, Texas as they dive into their personal experience from the largest convention in years.
Apr 20, 2023•40 min
A blast from Laura’s past joins the conversation in this week’s episode! Dr. David Moya is a professor of Art Education at the University of Houston - Clear Lake. He is also a former student of Laura’s. He joins The Creativity Department in this episode to share his expertise on how to best support pre-service art teachers. As Director and Professor of the program he himself graduated from, Dr. Moya is uniquely qualified to discuss what pre-service art educators need and would benefit from in th...
Apr 06, 2023•1 hr 3 min
Elementary Art Educator Meera Ramathan joins the Creativity Department to talk about infusing literacy into the elementary art room. Using a variety of methods Meera weaves the learning of developmental skills with art, literacy, and visual literacy to create an engaging curriculum for a wide range of elementary age students. Meera shares many of the ways she teaches that literacy is not just about knowing how to read; it spans multiple life skills.
Mar 30, 2023•29 min
Fiber Artist and retired Art Educator, Christine Miller joins The Creativity Department in this episode to talk about thinking and questioning! What does that mean, though? Christine shares her experiences as an art educator and the ways she nurtures her students critical thinking skills using active listening and opening them up to metacognition – thinking about your thinking. Discover how slowing down to fully absorb tasks, giving students the ability to ask questions, encouraging students to ...
Mar 23, 2023•46 min
Davis Publications Art Historian joins The Creativity Department for a new Coffee with Karl conversion about the importance of Art History in the art room! In this episode learn how Karl uses his unique position as art historian and image curator to highlight underrepresented artists, movements, and artwork in the world. Through the curriculum work he does for Davis, his Curator’s Corner blog, and the Contemporary Art in Context articles he writes for SchoolArts magazine, Karl shines a light on ...
Mar 16, 2023•49 min
The Connected Arts Network (CAN) series continues with part two on the topic of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I). The Creativity Department and co-host Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz are joined by educators Gayle Nicholls-Ali and Lindsey Bauer to continue the discussion on the importance of ED&I in the classroom. In this episode, Gayle and Lindsey dive into the themes from part 1 of the ED&I episode, but from the Visual Arts & Media and Dance perspectives. Hear their personal exper...
Mar 09, 2023•1 hr 16 min
The Connected Arts Network (CAN) series continues with this first of two episodes centered on the topic of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I). The Creativity Department and Dr. Mi'Jan Celie Tho-Biaz are joined by educators Bridget Shepard and Michael Gordon to discuss ED&I in the classroom. Explore 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. Hear ...
Mar 02, 2023•1 hr 14 min
In this episode, the Creativity Department is joined by Kris Bakke, Vice President of the Council for Art Education and Art Education Manager for Royal Brush. Listen in to hear about how to prepare for Youth Art Month and promote your art room during it! Kris shares the most effective ways she’s seen to advocate for your program, stories about past Youth Art Months, and details the positive effects Youth Art Month celebrations have had on art programs. Discover how you can celebrate and advocate...
Feb 23, 2023•49 min
