In this episode of TAB Storytellers, Jen and Abi sit down with the incredible Dale Zalmstra, whose work and mentorship have profoundly shaped TAB practice in Colorado and beyond. Dale shares her nontraditional path into art education, how she found TAB early on, and why community, reflection, and teacher involvement are essential to sustaining student-centered, choice-based learning. This conversation is a powerful reminder that TAB is a philosophy—rooted in trust, creativity, and authenticity—that continues to grow through relationships and shared leadership.

Resources:

Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB)

Website: https://teachingforartisticbehavior.org

Core ideas: The child is the artist. The classroom is the studio. What do artists do?

Mighty Networks – TAB Community

Online community of TAB educators (linked through 

TeachingforArtisticBehavior.org → “Join Our Community”)

TAB Art Educators Facebook Group:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/178282718971259/

National Art Education Association (NAEA)

https://www.arteducators.org

Colorado Art Education Association (CAEA)

coloradoarted.org

ArtSource (Colorado)

www.artsourceco.org

TAB Colorado and TAB CO Conference 

TAB Colorado: coloradotabinc.org

TABStock

https://www.facebook.com/groups/248738239772624/

Colorado Visual Arts Standards

Colorado Visual Art Standards

What Artists Do

Subtitle: TAB Pedagogy and Practice for K–12 Choice-Based Art Classes

By Jen Ferrari and Jill Hogan

Publication date: June 26, 2026 (preorders available at time of recording)

Here is a link to a lightly edited transcript of this episode. We recognize that there are probably errors and grammatical issues. If anyone with the time or inclination to edit this wants to do so, please email us at [email protected].

In this episode of TAB Storytellers, Jen and Abi sit down with Dr. Yichien Cooper to explore how curriculum can be a living, justice-centered practice shaped by listening, trust, and creative risk-taking. Yichien shares how she brings the principles of TAB into higher education spaces, even without a formal art education program, and how honoring students' lived experiences can transform both teaching and learning. It’s a conversation full of reflection, encouragement, and powerful reminders that what we do in the classroom plants real seeds.

Resources:

Teaching for Artistic Behavior: teachingforartisticbehavior.org

TAB community (Mighty Networks): teaching-for-artistic-behavior-inc.mn.co. 

National Art Education Association (NAEA): arteducators.org. 

TAB Art Educators Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/178282718971259/

Here is a link to a lightly edited transcript of this episode. We recognize that there are probably errors and grammatical issues. If anyone with the time or inclination to edit this wants to do so, please email us at [email protected].

In this episode, join Jen and Abi as they sit down with retired Arizona art teacher Colleen Eckles to learn how she moved from traditional, product-driven projects into a full TAB practice over the course of her 29-year career. Colleen shares the messy middle, “Free Art Fridays,” center set-ups, admin conversations, and high-stakes testing, along with the joy of trusting kids as artists and finding community through TAB books, conferences, and online spaces. Colleen brings a heartfelt encouragement for teachers, both new and folks on the edge of burn out, to start small, find their people, and keep honoring students’ creative agency.

Resources:

Teaching for Artistic Behavior: teachingforartisticbehavior.org

TAB community (Mighty Networks): teaching-for-artistic-behavior-inc.mn.co. 

TAB Art Educators Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/178282718971259/

Blocks Paper Scissors Podcast - Clark Fralick and Clyde Gaw https://blockspaperscissors.podbean.com/

Make Artists Podcast - Ian Sands https://open.spotify.com/show/4dLxBE4pANtQ5Iw44gCWMk

Abi’s Dissertation - Teaching for Artistic Behavior: A Definition and Historiography: https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/teaching-artistic-behavior-definition/docview/2817860186/se-2

National Art Education Association (NAEA): ⁠arteducators.org⁠. Here is a link to a lightly edited transcript of this episode. We recognize that there are probably errors and grammatical issues. If anyone with the time or inclination to edit this wants to do so, please email us at [email protected].

Join Jen and Abi as they chat with Anna Gibson, TAB art educator in Santa Fe, and Steve Heil, New Mexico Lead Department Analyst at New Mexico Public Education Department, about nurturing advanced artists within a TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior) framework. They trace their TAB journeys, explain an inclusive advanced-art model (screening, teacher nomination, or self-selection), and show how authentic showcases and contests build agency, visibility, and healthy “eustress,” especially for students from marginalized backgrounds. The conversation blends creativity research, gifted-education practices, and culturally responsive teaching to keep young artists in the pipeline from elementary through high school and beyond.

Resources:

Teaching for Artistic Behavior: teachingforartisticbehavior.org

TAB community (Mighty Networks): teaching-for-artistic-behavior-inc.mn.co. 

National Art Education Association (NAEA): arteducators.org. 

New Mexico Art Education Association (NMAEA): newmexicoarteducators.org. 

Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival: recyclesantafe.org. 

Inside Out Project (JR Artist): insideoutproject.net. 

Zaretta Hammond — Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain: crtandthebrain.com

New Mexico Association for the Gifted (NMAG): nmgifted.org 

New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED): web.ped.nm.gov 

NAEP 2016 Arts Assessment (The Nation’s Report Card / NCES): nationsreportcard.gov/arts_2016/ and NCES overview. 

nationsreportcard.gov

George Szekely: georgeszekely.com; book Play and Creativity in Art Teaching. 

Szekely website

Clyde Gaw (TAB/choice-based art): clydegaw.blogspot.com

Navajo Nation: navajo-nsn.gov

Pueblo of Zuni: ashiwi.org

Here is a link to a lightly edited transcript of this episode. We recognize that there are probably errors and grammatical issues. If anyone with the time or inclination to edit this wants to do so, please email us at [email protected].

Join Abi and Jen in this inspiring episode as we dive deep with Chicago-based art educator Kitty Conde. Kitty shares her rich journey from building an art program from the ground up to championing TAB pedagogy in her public school. From organizing community-integrated Shark Tank-style student projects to mentoring over 40 student teachers, Kitty shares actionable insights and honest reflections on scaffolding choice, advocating for student voice, navigating standards, and embracing intergenerational learning. Her passion and systems-thinking approach remind us what it really means to teach artists, not just art.

Resources & Links

• Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) – https://teachingforartisticbehavior.org

• Mighty Networks (TAB Community) – Accessible via the TAB website > "Join Our Community"

• Engaging Learners Through Artmaking by Katherine M. Douglas & Diane B. Jaquith

• Studio Thinking / Studio Habits of Mind – Project Zero, Harvard

• Knowledge Loom – Archived resource, formerly at knowledgeloom.org

• DonorsChoose – https://www.donorschoose.org

• National Art Education Association (NAEA) – https://www.arteducators.org

• National Board for Professional Teaching Standards – https://www.nbpts.org

• Illinois Arts Learning Standards – Based on National Core Arts Standards (https://www.nationalartsstandards.org)

• Thinking Through Art: Studio Thinking from the Start – Lois Hetland et al.

  
  

Here is a link to a lightly edited transcript of this episode. We recognize that there are probably errors and grammatical issues. If anyone with the time or inclination to edit this wants to do so, please email us at [email protected]

In this episode of TAB Storytellers Abi and Jen sit down with Bridget Kudrle, a veteran TAB teacher and president of TAB, Inc., to talk about the whirlwind of starting a school year, what it means to lead with choice and trust in the art room, and how community keeps us grounded. From QTIP (Quit Taking It Personally) to building routines that save your sanity, Bridget shares wisdom for both new and seasoned TAB educators. 

Resources & Links:

• Teaching for Artistic Behavior

• Regional TAB Groups

• MassArt TAB Institute

• Anti-Racist Art Teachers

  
  

Here is a link to a lightly edited transcript of this episode. We recognize that there are probably errors and grammatical issues. If anyone with the time or inclination to edit this wants to do so, please email us at [email protected]

In this episode of TAB Storytellers, Jen and Abi speak with dynamic art education leaders Matt & Laura Grundler of the K-12 Art Chat podcast. In the conversation, they share insights into their current work, recent projects, and their powerful journey as art teachers and administrators. The conversation also touches on advocacy, mutual support as partners and educators, and how they help guide fellow teachers in embracing their personal and professional identities.

Here are links to resources or more information that was discussed in the TABcast: K12 Art Chat Podcast (Matt & Laura Grundler)

• https://www.davisart.com/free-resources/k12-artchat/

The Creativity Department for all things Matt and Laura 

• https://www.grundlerart.com/
  

Peter H. Reynolds (Author & Illustrator)

• https://www.peterhreynolds.com/

• The Dot

• Sky Color
  

Studio Thinking

• https://www.studiothinking.org/
  

Dwayne Edwards / PENSOLE Lewis College of Business & Design

• https://www.plcdetroit.com/

  
  

Davis Art Publications

• https://www.davisart.com/
  

Understanding by Design (UbD)

• Understanding by Design White Paper
  

Here is a link to a lightly edited transcript of this episode. We recognize that there are probably errors and grammatical issues. If anyone with the time or inclination to edit this wants to do so, please email us at [email protected]

In this episode of TAB Storytellers, we are joined by Connie Stewart, Professor Emeritus from the University of Northern Colorado and a passionate advocate for student-centered, contemporary art education. Connie shares her journey with Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB), her commitment to individualized instruction, and her work with contemporary artists and big ideas in the classroom. She offers practical advice on questioning strategies, meaningful integration, and staying curious as both an educator and artist. Tune in for an inspiring conversation about honoring student voice, fostering inquiry, and keeping your own artistic spark alive.

For more information about TAB, please visit the TAB website: www.teachingfor artisticbehavior.org. Also, you are invited to join us on Mighty Networks (https://teaching-for-artistic-behavior.mn.com/), an online platform dedicated to everything TAB!

Here are links to resources or more information that was discussed in the TABcast: 

Teaching Contemporary Art with Young People

Authors: Julia Marshall, Anne Thulson, Connie Stewart

Critical Conversations in Art Education

Editors: Lisa Hochtritt, Eli Burke, Toya Northington, Connie Stewart

Think 360 Arts for Learning

Website: https://think360arts.org

Artists:

Cyrus Kabiru

Known for: C-Stunners – wearable sculptures made from discarded materials

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ckabiru/

Tomás Saraceno

Known for: Interdisciplinary installations involving spider webs, sound, air, and architecture

Website: https://studiotomassaraceno.org

John Constable

Known for: Detailed cloud and landscape studies (historical reference)

Public domain works available via Wikimedia Commons

Some Additional Artists:

These artists have done work that could be curated for the classroom depending on your age group and community

Titus Kaphar 

Lenka Clayton

Laurel Roth Hope

Alberta Aguilar

Cyrus Kabiro

Aram Han Sifuentes-banners (could be used to express opinions about school, local community)

Joo Young Choi

Guerilla Girls; the art of complaining

Ibrahim Mohama

Here is a link to a lightly edited transcript of this episode. We recognize that there are probably errors and grammatical issues. If anyone with the time or inclination to edit this wants to do so, please email us at [email protected]

In the last episode of TAB Storytellers season 3, Abi and Jen decided to end with a candid, heartfelt conversation that celebrates their journey, the evolution of TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior), and the challenges and triumphs of teaching art in diverse environments. They reflect on their personal and professional growth, share updates about roles, research, and family life, and explore meaningful themes like student agency, teacher identity, and curriculum design. It's a rich and inspiring check-in that reaffirms the community and philosophy behind the TABcast.

For more information about TAB, please visit the TAB website: www.teachingfor artisticbehavior.org. Also, you are invited to join us on Mighty Networks (https://teaching-for-artistic-behavior.mn.com/), an online platform dedicated to everything TAB!

Here are links to resources or more information that was discussed in the TABcast: 

• Engaging Learners Through Artmaking (Book, 2nd Edition)

• Fred Tjardes School of Innovation, Greeley, CO

Here is a link to a lightly edited transcript of this episode. We recognize that there are probably errors and grammatical issues. If anyone with the time or inclination to edit this wants to do so, please email us at [email protected]

In this episode of TAB Storytellers, Jen and Abi are joined by Dyango Chavez-Cutiño, a school programs educator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (ISGM) in Boston, Massachusetts. A TAB teacher by trade, Dyango recently joined the ISGM as a museum educator to help facilitate their school programs. The trio discusses TAB in classroom and museum learning environments, the framework of Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) and how it is used in art as well as other subjects, and the benefits of integrating VTS in various curricula.

For more information about TAB, please visit the TAB website: www.teachingfor artisticbehavior.org. Also, you are invited to join us on Mighty Networks (https://teaching-for-artistic-behavior.mn.com/), an online platform dedicated to everything TAB!

Here are resources to more information discussed in the TABcast: 

• Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum – “Thinking Through Art” Program  https://www.gardnermuseum.org/organization/education/thinking-through-art

• New York Times – Visual Thinking Strategies Page A page dedicated to using VTS with contemporary images and real-world events, recommended for high school teachers. https://www.nytimes.com/section/learning/picture-prompt

Here is a link to a lightly edited transcript of this episode. We recognize that there are probably errors and grammatical issues. If anyone with the time or inclination to edit this wants to do so, please email us at [email protected]