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.  

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 through years of teaching, networking, connecting through social media, and mentoring.

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. 

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! 

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 welcome center – including how they planned the project with students, allocated materials, how the students infused their own artistic style, and how they incorporated student participation from multiple schools. Listen in to hear more! 

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 others.

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 students’ needs are met. 

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.

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 there is anything missing from your own selection process.

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.