When the author stepped into the lead specials teacher role at a private elementary school in Charlotte, North Carolina, he was convinced that early childhood educational experiences could shape students' later cognition. He asked himself the question: What novel task might he set for the students that did not rely on rote learning, logic, or…

COVID-19 has shown a point of vulnerability in the education system and has reminded us how important stories and experiences are, especially from the perspective of marginalized students. A much harsher reality has shaped their lives and experiences, and educators need to rethink their educational practices and theories in the context of the…

This article presents a preservice art teacher training project completed in the fall of 2021 as part of an elementary practicum course. The project was designed to focus on cultivating resilience in elementary school students, especially those from economically disadvantaged situations, who may have accrued increased learning loss during the…

Scholars emphasize how exercising the ability to critically evaluate both sides of an issue can reveal false dichotomies and promote an awareness of common ground among differing perspectives (Journell, 2019; Noddings & Brooks, 2017; Zimmerman & Robertson, 2017). As an art education professor in higher education and former elementary art…

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2013), more than 29 million people fall under the UNHCR's mandate, which includes "all persons outside their country of origin for reasons of feared persecution, conflict, generalized violence, or other circumstances that have seriously disturbed public order and who, as a…

This article describes how Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) art teacher SJ Hemmerich intentionally addresses social justice topics they see as problematic within Hemmerich's school community, and features artwork created by artists of color and queer artists from different religions, cultures, and backgrounds and with varying abilities…

As antiracist and antibias education becomes more popular, many educators are now teaching more "diverse" artists in their curriculum. However, educators who strive for conscientization and social justice through their pedagogy must go beyond merely diversifying the artists being taught (Acuff, 2018). Educators must put lesson planning,…

Despite new circumstances of teaching art on a cart, meaning the art teacher is moving from classroom to classroom to implement lessons from the position of guest, it was realized that the author could employ Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) as a method to deliver a choice-based curriculum that supports social-emotional growth. As pioneers of…

Amid a global pandemic, educators felt overwhelmed by the need to convert to new teaching and learning modalities. Students, too, had to adapt quickly to new ways of acquiring and processing information. The author relates how they needed to learn new technologies and rethink how to deliver content and create meaningful experiences for their…

This instructional resource presents contemporary works of art that illuminate and revel in the decadence, decay, and potential for regeneration imminent in organic matter decomposition. In so doing, these artists employ a range of strategies that might be drawn on in the art classroom: observing, illustrating, and reinterpreting decay;…

Sarah Mostow was hired to provide professional development to a group of 10 elementary art teachers who worked at a charter school network in New York City. Searching for what she could offer the charter school teachers, who possessed diverse backgrounds and teaching styles, she wanted to find a structure they could adapt. She decided to distill…

Art education has celebrated pluralism and cultural diversity to bring a more profound understanding between people from different backgrounds. However, since the spread of COVID-19, horrendous discriminatory crimes have increased, such as the 2021 Atlanta massacre, a shooting that targeted Asian American-owned massage parlors. These alarming…

Recently, many studies have discussed the importance of meditation and artmaking in the art classroom (Ganley, 2017; Kohler, 2012; Patterson, 2015; Phillips, 2016; Rohloff, 2008). The practice of meditation and artmaking not only promotes the physical health of the body but also develops the inner attitude of self and identity. Often artmaking and…

An art curriculum is a composite of cultural expressions, the values and experiences that students and teachers bring with them into the classroom, and the social contexts of the learning environment (Kraehe, 2010). In developing art curricular materials, educators are encouraged to integrate a diversity of cultural perspectives. The contemporary…

Art-on-a-cart is the teaching of art from a rolling cart by a teacher without a designated classroom. Mobile, the art-on-a-cart teacher moves from classroom to classroom, implementing art curriculum from the position of a visitor. Contrary to popular belief, art-on-a-cart is not a working condition primarily of new teachers. It can affect any…