In this episode The Creativity Department talks with returning guest Brice McCasland about building grit through the creative process. Discover how art educators help students embrace creative risk-taking, develop confidence through vulnerability, and recognize that resilience is about continuing to create through challenges. Brice also reflects on how sharing his artistic process, stories, and finished work with patrons continually renews his own creativity, giving him fresh inspiration and energy to bring back to his students.

How can you connect with art educators across the country, bring new perspectives into your art room, and strengthen art education beyond your own classroom? In this episode, The Creativity Department talks with SchoolArts Editor-in-Chief Frank Juarez about the impact of being published. Discover how your ideas can inspire other educators, influence art curricula, and make an impact far beyond your own art room. 

In this episode, The Creativity Department talks with media arts educators from Perdue University – Petronio Bendito and Bob Sabol about how to inspire lasting creative growth in students while the digital world (and art education) is always changing. Bob and Petronio share how they go about designing lessons and experience that go beyond the National Standards and how they create their “forever lessons” for the modern art room. Listen to hear more from Bob and Petronio! 

In this episode The Creativity Department talks about what resilience looks like in the art room. The Grundlers share their experience on the importance of staying creative outside the art room, trying new things, not getting discouraged when something doesn’t turn out as you planned, and leaning on your peers. As many schools break for the summer, the Creativity Department wants to be sure you’re ready to tackle next year with practical techniques on how to keep your students and yourself resilient!

In this episode The Creativity Department and art educator Bobby Eppleman discuss the philosophy of “giving students what they want before giving them what they need”. Explore how dialing in on student interests sparks deeper learning, helps guide them through resistance, and ultimately helps them unlock greater creative freedom and confidence. Discover how to help students focus on the curriculum without making it feel like a bait-and-switch. Tune in to hear more from Bobby!

In this episode, the Creativity Department talks with artist and educator Michael Bell about how he strikes a balance between his professional career and creative practices. Including how to blend your personal creative research into your curriculum, navigating the transition from “educator” to “artist” in your free time, and how maintaining a status as a practicing artist can help advocate for your curriculum and program. 

 In this episode, the Creativity Department talks with the Senior Programs Officer for the National Endowment for the Humanities – Julie Carmean! With America’s 250th birthday in July, Julie outlines how art educators and students can celebrate through the American Heroes Student Art Contest. The contest invites students to depict historical figures from a curated list of 250 notable Americans through handmade art. Julie shares insight on how the list of heroes was curated as well as the thinking behind the contest’s handmade-only guidelines. Listen to learn more and hear how your students can participate in this amazing opportunity! 

The temperature in the art room can change from day-to-day but, we’re not talking about how hot or cold the room is! Matt and Laura chat with returning gust Daniel Bryant to talk about his philosophy on “Setting the Thermostat” in the art room. How it can range from student’s attitudes, the different “temperatures” for high energy brainstorming versus low energy focus artmaking, and how environmental settings can have a “cooling” effect. Daniel shares how he keeps his art room cool as the end of the year heats up! 

What happens when foundational skills meet meaningful artistic exploration? In this episode, The Creativity Department explores how a theme-based approach can bring the elements of art and principles of design to life through Big Ideas and thematic units. They share how this approach helps students connect technique, personal voice, and real-world context—leading to more authentic, engaging artwork. The conversation highlights practical strategies for scaffolding skills while encouraging inquiry, interpretation, and creative risk-taking. 

Advocating for your art program can feel like a daunting task! But you don’t have to do it alone. In this episode, The Creativity Department sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Stuart Whitehead, Visual Arts Supervisor for Prince George’s County, Maryland, to explore what effective advocacy looks like in action. Drawing from her own experience championing visual arts as a vital part of students’ day-to-day learning, Dr. Whitehead shares practical strategies to use right now. Tune in to learn how intentional advocacy can elevate your program and expand the impact of visual arts education in your community.