In this episode of K12ArtChat, the Creativity Department talks with NAEA Supervision & Administration Division leaders Gino Molfino and Sarah Ackermann about the recent pre-convention webinars they are moderating around the topic “Leading with Purpose”. They share practical advice on how they navigate district politics, collaboration across subjects, and how educators can advocate for stronger K–12 visual arts programs. Listen in to hear more from Gino and Sarah about how you can influence meaningful change in your art program!

Students are already creating with images, sound, and video—are our art classrooms keeping up? In this episode, Matt and Laura sit down with Yes Ma’am, a media arts collective of three high school art educators from Charlotte, North Carolina, to explore the growing role of media arts in visual arts education. From CTE pathways to state standards, they share how digital media helps connect with student interests, spark engagement, encourage creative risk-taking, and can expand what it means to be an artist. Hit play and get inspired.

In this episode, Matt & Laura talk to Millersville University’s Professor in Art Education – Dr. Leslie Gates! Listen in to this information packed episode where she shares her approach to student led assessment. Discover how it affects student engagement and risk-taking in the art room. Hear how art educators can reframe assessment about mastery of skills and “grading” artistic ideas to having students work toward achieving benchmarks they help set. Additionally, learn how student led assessment can help build social skills around receiving critiques, peer-feedback, and self-reflection. Listen to hear more from Dr. Gates! 

In this episode, the Creativity Department chats with returning guest and longtime art educator, Jeanne Bjork about handling difficult transitions. Listen in for a fresh perspective on how educators at crossroads such as retirement can approach these changes with optimism, not fear. Discover strategies for staying positive, creative, and curious. By pursuing opportunities within her passions, making time to create art, and exploring new mediums Jeanne has cracked the code to approaching any crossroad fearlessly. Listen in to hear Jeanne’s inspiring outlook on what comes next!

After a year filled with challenges, growth, and hard-earned perspective, the Creativity Department’s annual New Year episode couldn’t just be about self-reflection.  To kick off 2026, we take a different approach. Davis Publications Marketing Director, Toni Henneman, steps in as guest host to guide a forward-looking conversation centered around professional identity, 2026 goals, and moments that made us proud to be art educators! Happy New Year!

In this episode, the Creativity Department talks to NAEA’s Higher Education Division Director, Yichien Cooper and the Preservice Division Director, Reilly Powers about the ever-important topic of advocacy! Dive in to hear how art educators can communicate the value of studio practice and creative research as well as the role non-arts educators and the community play in successful arts collaboration. Discover how graduate programs can work together with schools to present a unified and compelling picture of the importance of arts departments’ contributions - whether scholarly, creative, or pedagogical! 

In this episode, the Creativity Department talks to professors, educators, and artists Sean Justice, Marta Cabral, and Andrea Kantrowitz about how art educators can reimagine and reframe tools and materials using multi-modal learning techniques. For example, a simple change in terminology can be the catalyst to looking at a tool in a new light. Listen in and hear how utilizing a “material inquiry lens” can help students understand that materials can be used in a multitude of unique ways that aren’t necessarily conventional. 

In this episode the Creativity Department explores the intersection of art education and collaborative storytelling with Cameron McKinstry, K12Art Chat Producer, Game Master, and Marketing Associate for Davis Publications. Listen in and hear how tabletop role playing games (TTRPGs) can benefit students and open new ways of thinking in the art room. From character and world design to visual, oral, and collaborative storytelling, TTRPGs open a rich landscape of artistic expression that can help foster creativity, critical thinking, and social skills.

Join the Creativity Department as they talk with Dr. Jeff Broome, Professor of Art Education at Florida State University and artist-scholar Dr. Renee Sandell about their collaborative work - Real Lives Now: Narratives of Art Educators and 21st Century Learning. Together, they explore how authentic storytelling reveals the deeper meaning behind art education. Highlighting creativity, communication, and critical thinking in today’s classrooms.

In this episode, the Creativity Department talks with Sarah Delphus, NAEA’s Eastern Region Vice President-Elect, about ways to make hybrid learning spaces into environments where students can be their creative selves. Explore practical strategies for adapting lessons to meet specific student needs, challenges and successes of integrating technology into creative instruction, as well as reliable techniques to keep students engaged online. Listen in to learn more from Sarah!