In this episode, the Creativity Department discusses the challenges of having a career as an art educator and personal life as an artist.  Joined by the newly formed Creativity Crew –Candido Crespo, Raine Valentine, and Joe Boatfield – who will regularly join Matt and Laura to talk about hot topics (like this one), they dive into everything from managing a social media presence and displaying personal art in the classroom to carving out time for creativity. Listen in to the Creativity Crew share their experiences and learn how you can benefit!

In this episode, The Creativity Department is joined by returning guest James Rees! This year, James retired from the art room. During the conversation, he shares stories from the field including how his career has changed over the 30 years he taught.  Listen in to hear how he developed a plan for staying connected and continued growth in retirement.  Get some inspiration to use when planning your own next steps. 

In this episode, The Creativity Department is joined by Davis Author Marilyn Stewart to talk about the importance of creating a culture of belonging in the art room. Marilyn shares her 50 years of experience writing curriculum and preparing educators for the art room. Learn how she develops curriculum and the strategies she employs when doing so. Listen in to this engaging episode to get the inside scoop from one of art education’s subject matter experts and hear about the NEW middle school title from Davis!

It’s no secret that art teachers can feel isolated in their school communities. It’s important to continuously consider what supports you need from your district and administrators! In this episode, The Creativity Department is joined by Don Masse, Visual And Preforming Arts Resource Teacher for San Diego Unified School District.  During the conversation they dive into the importance of visibility and discuss how art teachers like yourself can advocate for their programs as well as strategies to get administration on board with the great ideas you have. Listen in for inspiration on how to nurture this important relationship! 

As school years across the country come to a close, The Creativity Department reflects on this year’s podcast guests and the biggest lessons taken away from them. The Grundlers have covered miles of ground this year, from artist interviews to discussions about equity and diversity, to careers in art and a plethora of resources to use in your art room. Check out all the inspiration and dive in. 

In this episode, The Creativity Department is joined by Dorothy Fatunmbi, a medical illustrator working at the Office of External Education at Harvard Medical School! Originally planning to become a veterinarian, Dorothy took a class on medical illustration and immediately found her passion. Listen in to hear her journey, experiences, and suggestions to share with aspiring artists that show there are plenty of career paths with STEAM ties! 

The host of the Teaching Artist Podcast – Rebecca Potts Aguirre joins Team Grundler for this episode to talk about the balance between being a working artist as well as an art educator. Which comes first, your own art or teaching art? Rebecca and the Grundlers discuss how they juggle both careers and the inevitable overlap that happens between the two.   

In this episode – The Creativity Department discuss empowering women educators and artists with art educators Natalie Chanel, Tiffany Lin, and Jen Holsinger-Raybourn! Learn how they shine a light on female artists in their classes, tackle topics like pay transparency and how to advocate for it, how they ensure people of other cultures are represented throughout the year, and how they continue to pursue their art outside the classroom. 

In this episode - things are reversed! With a panel of previous guests, the Creativity Department develops questions to ask art educators in an upcoming #K12ArtChat on Twitter!  Joined by Candido Crespo, Joe Boatfield and Raine Valentine, The Creativity Department dives into teacher appreciation, mental health, self-care, and difficulties the past 2 years have brought. Listen in to hear three distinct points of view on these topics and how questions will be asked on an upcoming #K12ArtChat on Twitter! 

In this episode, The Creativity Department is joined by the cofounders of the Zentangle® Method of artmaking – Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts! They share their story about Zentangle’s creation, the experiences they’ve had with students in the classroom, and the work they are doing with Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researching the benefits of art on mental health.