Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I)
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The ED&I Curated Collection responds to NAEA’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Task Force recommendation to build a growing collection of meaningful, high-quality resources that center justice, belonging, and anti-racist practice in art education.
As art educators, we believe that building inclusive and equitable learning environments starts with reflection on our identities, our teaching, and the systems we navigate. This member-exclusive collection is here to support that journey.
Inside, you’ll find peer-reviewed articles, recorded sessions, learning modules, and carefully selected resources that speak to the intersections of identity, power, culture, and creativity. Whether you’re new to this work or seeking to deepen your leadership, the collection offers both inspiration and practical tools to support your classroom, community, and professional growth.
This is a living resource, created by and for art educators, and it will continue to evolve alongside the field.
Looking for something open to all? Visit the NAEA ED&I Hub [Link], a companion site offering free, public resources to support equity-focused teaching and learning, open to members and non-members alike.
Together, these tools reflect our shared commitment to creating learning spaces where every student feels seen, valued, and empowered.
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[September 26, 2024] In today’s complex landscape, the pursuit of equity, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I) can often be met with resistance, skepticism, or even penalties. This presentation explores practical strategies for advancing ED&I initiatives in environments where such efforts are not always welcomed or understood. We’ll delve into the challenges of advocating for change, discuss methods to build resilience, and share insights on how to effectively move forward while managing risks. Join us to learn how to navigate this critical work in a world that continues to evolve, where ED&I remains essential to this progress.
NAEA Open Studio: Navigating ED&I in Unreceptive Environments: Strategies for Progress Amidst Resistance
Thursday, September 26, 2024
Cost: FREE!In today’s complex landscape, the pursuit of equity, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I) can often be met with resistance, skepticism, or even penalties. This presentation explores practical strategies for advancing ED&I initiatives in environments where such efforts are not always welcomed or understood. We’ll delve into the challenges of advocating for change, discuss methods to build resilience, and share insights on how to effectively move forward while managing risks. Join us to learn how to navigate this critical work in a world that continues to evolve, where ED&I remains essential to this progress.
Please note that participation in this live event or recording does not include NAEA professional learning credit.
Jane Montero
Art Educator, Dexter Community Schools
Dexter, MIJane Montero has taught middle-level art for 35 years and currently serves as President for the Michigan Art Education Association. In 2023, Jane received the Outstanding Teaching award from NAEA’s Art Media Technology Interest Group and was Michigan’s Middle Level Art Educator of the Year and National Middle Level Art Educator of the Year, 2021–2022. She is a 2019 graduate of NAEA’s School for Art Leaders. Jane has presented virtually, internationally, nationally, and at state conferences. She has written numerous articles for SchoolArts magazine and coauthored their February 2024 design-focused issue. Jane’s most recent paper, titled “Revolutionizing Creativity: Unleashing the Power of AI in Upper Elementary Art Education,” was presented at the Artificial Intelligence in Education Technology (AIET) international conference in Barcelona, Spain, and received an award for best presentation.
Maria Knuckley Robinson
Director of Studio Art and Pre-Art Therapy, Salem College
Winston-Salem, NCMaria Knuckley Robinson holds undergraduate degrees in business administration and art studio/design, an MAT in Art Education, National Board Teacher Certification, and an EdD in Curriculum and Instruction. She is currently working on an MFA in Painting at SCAD to improve her own work in combining painting, printmaking, textiles, and mixed-media approaches. Maria has extensive training in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, pottery, mixed media, photography, film, metal jewelry, 3D printing, and STEAM curriculum development. She is actively involved with AP Studio Art and Design as a table leader and consultant, NAEA as an At-Large ED&I Commissioner, and the South Carolina Department of Education’s Arts Assessment Program as an assessor, item writer, and professional development instructor. She has a consulting business called Artistry & Assessment, where she travels to schools around the country to assist in developing growth in arts assessment practices.
Catherine Rosamond
Chair of Art Education, School of Visual Arts
New York, NYCathy Rosamond has an extensive background in higher education teaching and research, as well as museum education for K–12 students. At NAEA, she serves on the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Commission and is the co-chair of the Teacher Retention and Recruitment Task Force. Her scholarship interests include artistic research, specifically in investigations that focus on diverse approaches to inquiry.
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Contains 2 Component(s) Includes a Live Web Event on 09/18/2025 at 7:00 PM (EDT)
[September 18, 2025 | 7pm ET] Students and educators from immigrant, refugee, and mixed-status families face unique challenges, fear of separation, cultural erasure, and emotional trauma that impact their sense of belonging in schools. In this Open Studio Conversation, presenters share personal narratives and professional expertise to explore how the visual arts can serve as safe and brave spaces for connection, resilience, and authentic expression. Participants will gain actionable strategies for protecting student privacy, navigating restrictions on cultural and linguistic representation, and responding to urgent scenarios (including ICE presence on campus). The session emphasizes best practices grounded in lived experience, offering tools that affirm identity, strengthen community, and empower educators to support every learner with care, creativity, and confidence.
NAEA Open Studio Conversation: We Make Us Safe: Creative Resistance for Empowering Art Educators to Support Immigrant and Mixed-Status Students
Thursday, September 18, 2025 | 7pm ET
Cost: FREE!Students and educators from immigrant, refugee, and mixed-status families face unique challenges, fear of separation, cultural erasure, and emotional trauma that impact their sense of belonging in schools. In this Open Studio Conversation, presenters share personal narratives and professional expertise to explore how the visual arts can serve as safe and brave spaces for connection, resilience, and authentic expression. Participants will gain actionable strategies for protecting student privacy, navigating restrictions on cultural and linguistic representation, and responding to urgent scenarios (including ICE presence on campus). The session emphasizes best practices grounded in lived experience, offering tools that affirm identity, strengthen community, and empower educators to support every learner with care, creativity, and confidence.
Please note that participation in this live event or recording does not include NAEA professional learning credit.
Anna Pilhoefer
Past Chair, NAEA Equity, Diversity,& Inclusion Commission
Anna Pilhoefer, an artist and arts educator with more than 20 years’ experience, has led TK–12 teaching, districtwide arts leadership, and nonprofit program management. She has expanded arts access for thousands of students and served on the team of 20 that developed the California Arts Framework. She is currently the TK–12 arts program specialist for Santa Barbara Unified School District.
Isa Obradovich
Art Education & TESOL Student; English Language Learner Writing Center Consultant, Miami University
Isabella “Isa” Obradovich is a senior at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, studying art education and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Isa was born in Washington, DC, to immigrant parents from France and Peru, and she was raised speaking French and Spanish, learning English upon entering school. Isa is a passionate artist, educator, activist, and content creator, and she was awarded the National Preservice Art Educator of the Year award by NAEA in 2025. In addition to her role as Preservice Commissioner on the NAEA ED&I Commission, she serves on the Ohio Art Education Association (OAEA) DEI Committee.
Cathy Rosamond
Chair of Art Education, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
Cathy Rosamond has an extensive background in higher education teaching and research, as well as museum education for K–12 students. At NAEA, she serves on the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Commission. Her scholarship interests include artistic research, specifically in investigations that focus on diverse approaches to inquiry.
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The NAEA Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Commission aims to center perspectives and amplify voices of historically minoritized and/or underserved art educators and learners. The ED&I Commission has been committed to this work since its inception in 2019. In this webcast, members of the ED&I Commission will provide an overview of the important work of the Commission, and share exciting news on upcoming projects and initiatives. Over the past several years, the Commission has created scholarship opportunities for the NAEA Convention and NAEA programming, as well as presented at National Conventions. In doing so, the Commission has continued to address and adhere to recommendations created by the NAEA ED&I Task Force. Learn more about tools and resources developed by the Commission, such as an online network connecting members with NAEA’s affinity and identity groups, and download the Commission’s past and most recent columns and writings. Webcast participants can also email questions to the Commission prior to the live webcast at edi@arteducators.org, and we will also open the floor to questions during the live session.
NAEA Need to Know Webcast: The NAEA ED&I Commission: Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, and Where We’re Going
January 19, 2023
Cost: FREE!Presenters: Browning M. Neddeau, Anna Pilhoefer, Emily Saleh, Kristin A. Ponden, Cathy Rosamond, Ray Yang
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The NAEA Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Commission aims to center perspectives and amplify voices of historically minoritized and/or underserved art educators and learners. The ED&I Commission has been committed to this work since its inception in 2019. In this webcast, members of the ED&I Commission will provide an overview of the important work of the Commission, and share exciting news on upcoming projects and initiatives. Over the past several years, the Commission has created scholarship opportunities for the NAEA Convention and NAEA programming, as well as presented at National Conventions. In doing so, the Commission has continued to address and adhere to recommendations created by the NAEA ED&I Task Force. Learn more about tools and resources developed by the Commission, such as an online network connecting members with NAEA’s affinity and identity groups, and download the Commission’s past and most recent columns and writings. Webcast participants can also email questions to the Commission prior to the live webcast at edi@arteducators.org, and we will also open the floor to questions during the live session.
Please note that participation in this webcast does not include NAEA professional development credit.
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Unsure how to start a conversation about race in your art room? Join Patty Bode in this timely webinar to investigate the idea that "racism is not everybody's fault, but it is everybody's responsibility." Explore ways in which art educators can talk about race and racism in the preK-12 art room and art education college classroom to help advance our NAEA goals for equity, diversity, and inclusion. Strategies will include dialogue about contemporary art and studio practices that help unmute the discourse on race and racism.
Making Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Real in Art Education Practices
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 | 7-8 pm ET
FREE for NAEA Members; $49 for non-members
Unsure how to start a conversation about race in your art room? Join Patty Bode in this timely webinar to investigate the idea that "racism is not everybody's fault, but it is everybody's responsibility." Explore ways in which art educators can talk about race and racism in the preK-12 art room and art education college classroom to help advance our NAEA goals for equity, diversity, and inclusion. Strategies will include dialogue about contemporary art and studio practices that help unmute the discourse on race and racism.
Patty Bode, EdD
Assistant Professor of Education, Westfield State University, Massachusetts
Patty Bode weaves a tapestry of her art education experiences in both preK-12 public schools and higher education teacher preparation programs. She currently teaches at Westfield State University, where she aims to equip teachers with the tools necessary for preparing their preK-12 students to fully participate in our multicultural democracy. Bode has received several awards from NAEA and from other organizations, including the National Association for Multicultural Education and the Anti-Defamation League. She has published widely; Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education, a book she coauthored with Sonia Neito, is now in its seventh edition and used by teacher education programs nationally and internationally. More information can be found at Bode’s website.
Upon completion of this NAEA webinar, you may earn 1 hour of professional development credit as designated by NAEA. Once the webinar is completed, you may view/print a Certification of Participation under the "Contents" tab. You may also print a transcript of all webinars attended under the "Dashboard" link in the right sidebar section of the page.
Clock hours provided upon completion of any NAEA professional learning program are granted for participation in an organized professional learning experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction and qualified instruction, and can be used toward continuing education credit in most states. It is the responsibility of the participant to verify acceptance by professional governing authorities in their area.
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Arts equity can take many forms. Join us as Art Education Senior Editor Amelia Kraehe dives into a conversation with Journal authors for a closer look at arts equity and inclusion. Authors will share stories about curriculum projects, practices, and outcomes that illustrate contemporary approaches to creative activity as a human right.
Art Education Journal Connections
Arts Equity: Practicing Creative Activity as a Human Right
Wednesday, April 25 | 7-8 pm ETArts equity can take many forms. Join us as Art Education Senior Editor Amelia Kraehe dives into a conversation with Journal authors for a closer look at arts equity and inclusion. Authors will share stories about curriculum projects, practices, and outcomes that illustrate contemporary approaches to creative activity as a human right. These tales from the field connect everyday concerns ranging from teaching for equity in the art classroom to global human struggles for freedom. What will their stories inspire for you and your classroom?
John Ploof and Lisa Hochtritt (Art Education, January 2018) tell the story of a justice-oriented teacher think tank that collaborates on professional development and curriculum planning. Join with Steve Ciampaglia (Art Education, July 2017) to discover the Plug-In Studio, a new media arts collective that works alongside African-American youth in the development of culturally relevant and socially responsive art video games. And, Cindy Maguire (Art Education, July 2017) will share her experience partnering with a refugee camp in Algeria to put on an international human rights festival with socially engaged artworks.
Want to get a head start? Check out the articles mentioned below in archived issues of Art Education. Use your NAEA login credentials to access digital issues now at www.arteducators.org.
Amelia (Amy) Kraehe
Senior Editor, Art Education, The Journal of the National Art Education Association, and Assistant Professor of Art Education, University of North Texas
Amelia (Amy) Kraehe is senior editor of Art Education journal. She was an elementary art teacher, museum gallery teacher, and community-based art educator before entering higher education. She now teaches and mentors beginning K-12 art teachers and art education researchers at the University of North Texas where she is an assistant professor of art education. In the community, Kraehe collaborates with school leaders on arts equity initiatives in urban public schools, and she works with art museum educators and directors to develop inclusive and equitable museum practices. She is a published author with numerous journal articles and two books—The Palgrave Handbook on Race and the Arts in Education, and Pedagogies in the Flesh: Case Studies on the Embodiment of Sociocultural Differences in Education.
Steve Ciampaglia
Associate Professor of Art Education, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Co-Director, the Plug-In Studio
Steve Ciampaglia is a new media community artist and associate professor of art education at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His research areas are social justice and community arts, critical pedagogy, art + tech, and media arts education. Ciampaglia, who has presented his artwork and research at MIT, Stanford University, and Columbia University, has been published in the Harvard Educational Review, Studies in Art Education, and the Journal of Social Theory in Art Education. He is a co-founder of the Plug-In Studio—a socially engaged new media art collective that collaborates with youth and adults in diverse Chicago communities to make video games, interactive kinetic sculpture, augmented reality graffiti, soft circuits, and other art with technology. The studio was named a 2015 Fellow by A Blade of Grass Fellowship for Socially Engaged Art.
Cindy Maguire
Director, Art and Design Education, Adelphi University, New York
Cindy Maguire is director of the undergraduate art and design education program at Adelphi University. She also co-directs ArtsAction Group, an international community-based collective committed to facilitating arts initiatives with children and youth in conflict-affected environments. Through respect, open dialogue, and long-term cooperation, the group works with local partners to create, produce, and share these experiences with a broader global audience. Previously, Maguire was a researcher at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University and NYU’s Institute for Education and Social Policy. She taught visual arts education in the Los Angeles City Schools for over eight years. Primary research interests include STEAM and the role of collaborative and socially engaged art in personal and social transformation. Maguire is also a practicing artist. She received her BAE from University of Kansas; her MA from California State University, Long Beach; and her PhD from New York University.
John Ploof
Professor, Art Education, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
John Ploof is a socially engaged artist and educator who works with participatory projects that utilize art, design, and visual culture to galvanize activity around social issues. Ploof produced over 20 projects with the four-person collective Haha (1988-2008). He has authored and co-edited three books on social issues and contemporary art: The Object of Labor: Art, Cloth, and Cultural Production (MIT Press + SAIC Press, 2007); With Love from Haha, Essays and Notes on a Collective Practice (WhiteWalls + University of Chicago Press, 2008); and Art and Social Justice Education: Culture as Commons (Routledge, 2012). A professor of art education at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ploof teaches courses such as The Art of Crossing the Street: Creativity and Culture in the 21st Century; Knowledge Lab; and Thesis Research as Social Inquiry.
Lisa Hochtritt
Associate Professor, Art & Visual Culture Education, University of Arizona, Tucson
Lisa Hochtritt is associate professor, art, division of art & visual culture education at the University of Arizona, Tucson. She obtained her EdD at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City, and her MA and California state teacher certifications in art, speech, and drama at San Francisco State University. Hochtritt received the NAEA award for Higher Education Art Educator of the Year, Pacific Region (2014), and the Colorado Art Education Association Art Educator of the Year award (2011). She is co-editor and author, with Therese Quinn and John Ploof, of Art and Social Justice Education: Culture as Commons (2012), published by Routledge, and the forthcoming Routledge anthology, co-edited with Elizabeth Garber and Manisha Sharma, Makers, Crafters, Educators: Working For Cultural Change.
Upon completion of this NAEA webinar, you may earn 1 hour of professional development credit as designated by NAEA. Once the webinar is completed, you may view/print a Certification of Participation under the "Contents" tab. You may also print a transcript of all webinars attended under the "Dashboard" link in the right sidebar section of the page.
Clock hours provided upon completion of any NAEA professional learning program are granted for participation in an organized professional learning experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction and qualified instruction, and can be used toward continuing education credit in most states. It is the responsibility of the participant to verify acceptance by professional governing authorities in their area.
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What does it mean to work for equity, diversity, and inclusion? What is needed to move equity, diversity, and inclusion forward within art education? The National Art Education Association’s Task Force on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion is charged with looking at equity, diversity, and inclusion across the profession. Join this Webcast. Raise questions. Make recommendations. Provide answers. Consider how you can get involved. Lend your hands and your voice to this critical work for our community.
NAEA Need to Know Webcast: Moving Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Forward in Art Education: Questions for Art Educators
Tuesday, September 25
Cost: FREEWhat does it mean to work for equity, diversity, and inclusion? What are the possibilities when mostly white art educators fully engage in creating a more vibrant, diverse, and inclusive community? What is needed to move equity, diversity, and inclusion forward within art education? According to Oprah Winfrey, "Ask the right questions, and the answers will always reveal themselves."
The National Art Education Association’s Task Force on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion is charged with looking at equity, diversity, and inclusion across the profession. Essential to the success of the ART Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Initiative (ART ED & I) is that its work is something that art educators view as part of their own responsibility and something in which each art educator can picture themselves reflected.
Join this Webcast. Raise questions. Make recommendations. Provide answers. Consider how you can get involved. Lend your hands and your voice to this critical work for our community.
Download points to ponder for this webcast.
Please note that participation in this webcast does not include NAEA professional development credit.
Wanda B. Knight, PhD
Wanda B. Knight is chair of the National Art Education Task Force on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and is professor-in-charge of the art education program at Penn State University. She has served as a preK-12 art teacher, museum educator, elementary and secondary public-school principal, and educational consultant. Her work concerning equity, diversity, and inclusion is published widely, and her professional achievements have been recognized through international, national, state, and university awards and recognition.
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Join NAEA members in a conversation that tackles equity, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I) in art education. Inspired by the plenary session at the 2019 NAEA Research Commission Preconference, Stories of Research: Pressing Matters Pressing Forward, panelists discuss pressing issues around ED&I for NAEA and the field of art education. How as a field do we define ED&I? What ED&I initiatives are in place or needed to push the field forward? Following the panel discussion, webinar participants will be invited to share stories, ask ques- tions, and engage in critical discourse on ED&I topics.
NAEA Need to Know Webcast: Pressing Matters: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
May 21, 2019
Cost: FREEPresenters: Wanda B. Knight, Penn State University; Kai Monet, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Courtnie N. Wolfgang, Virginia Commonwealth University; Amy Pfeiler-Wunder, Kutztown University; Kristi Oliver, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Join NAEA members in a conversation that tackles equity, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I) in art education. Inspired by the plenary session at the 2019 NAEA Research Commission Preconference, Stories of Research: Pressing Matters <--> Pressing Forward, panelists discuss pressing issues around ED&I for NAEA and the field of art education. How as a field do we define ED&I? What ED&I initiatives are in place or needed to push the field forward? Following the panel discussion, webinar participants will be invited to share stories, ask questions, and engage in critical discourse on ED&I topics.
Please note that participation in this webcast does not include NAEA professional development credit.
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At a moment when equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives are being challenged in education (including studio art classrooms), this timely webinar features a panel of art education scholars who will share research catalyzed by EDI issues—including race, class, sexuality and gender, ability, poverty, and first-generation experiences. The panelists, who are all members of the College Teaching of Art Working Group, conduct research in a wide range of contexts and places. Each member will highlight how they attend to equity, diversity, and inclusion in their research practice, and how this impacts their teaching. For these panelists, “research” is understood as something learned by art education researchers in their efforts to grow and contribute to the work of unmaking oppressive structures in higher education art and design.
NAEA Need to Know Webcast: Toward Disrupting Research Dispositions: Doing the Work of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in Times of Precarity
March 16, 2023
Cost: FREE!Presenters: Stacey Salazar, Daniel T. Barney, Mark A. Graham, Kathy Marzilli Miraglia, Sam Peck
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At a moment when equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives are being challenged in education (including studio art classrooms), this timely webinar features a panel of art education scholars who will share research catalyzed by EDI issues—including race, class, sexuality and gender, ability, poverty, and first-generation experiences. The panelists, who are all members of the College Teaching of Art Working Group, conduct research in a wide range of contexts and places. Each member will highlight how they attend to equity, diversity, and inclusion in their research practice, and how this impacts their teaching. For these panelists, “research” is understood as something learned by art education researchers in their efforts to grow and contribute to the work of unmaking oppressive structures in higher education
art and design.Please note that participation in this webcast does not include NAEA professional development credit.
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Each individual educator is on their own journey of understanding equity, diversity, and inclusion concepts, context, and actions. In this conversation, discover tools and strategies for your own growth as an educator, as well as how to best support your diverse learners. Our expert guests will share their own stories and journeys as peers who are tackling this work in their own settings—from working directly with learners to the bird’s eye view of supervision and leadership. Participant-generated questions will guide the discussion, which will be focused on solutions and support.
NAEA Town Hall: Art Education and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Moving from Ideas to Action
December 15, 2020
Cost: FREE!Presenters:
Libya Doman, Elementary Art Teacher and Cultural Proficiency Facilitator, Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, VA
Matthew Neylon, Director of Visual and Performing Arts, The Mount Vernon School, Atlanta, GA
James Haywood Rolling, Jr., Professor and Chair of Arts Education, Syracuse University, Manlius New York
Ruth Mercado-Zizzo, Senior Director of Arts and Equity, EdVestors, Boston, MA
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Each individual educator is on their own journey of understanding equity, diversity, and inclusion concepts, context, and actions. In this conversation, discover tools and strategies for your own growth as an educator, as well as how to best support your diverse learners. Our expert guests will share their own stories and journeys as peers who are tackling this work in their own settings—from working directly with learners to the bird’s eye view of supervision and leadership. Participant-generated questions will guide the discussion, which will be focused on solutions and support.
Please note that participation in this Town Hall does not include NAEA professional development credit.
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[June 1, 2022] Join us for reflection on the trajectory of art museums in making authentic change in the realm of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Art museum educators have a unique opportunity and responsibility to foster meaningful, inclusive, and accessible learning experiences for K–12 learners. To enact this work, they continuously strive to deepen their understanding of the identities and needs of a diverse set of learners, prioritizing the needs of those who have traditionally felt the museum was not a place for them. In response, art museum educators have become very intentional about what (i.e., which artworks and which narratives related to them), how (i.e., the pedagogy), and who is involved in teaching, as well as how to approach and nurture relationships with schools. Museum educators are also committed to a continual process of reflection on and disruption of the ways that white supremacy culture informs the work they do with staff—including hiring, management, mentorship, team building, and retention.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Art Museums
Wednesday, June 1, 2022
FREE for NAEA members; $49 for nonmembersJoin us for reflection on the trajectory of art museums in making authentic change in the realm of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Art museum educators have a unique opportunity and responsibility to foster meaningful, inclusive, and accessible learning experiences for K–12 learners. To enact this work, they continuously strive to deepen their understanding of the identities and needs of a diverse set of learners, prioritizing the needs of those who have traditionally felt the museum was not a place for them. In response, art museum educators have become very intentional about what (i.e., which artworks and which narratives related to them), how (i.e., the pedagogy), and who is involved in teaching, as well as how to approach and nurture relationships with schools. Museum educators are also committed to a continual process of reflection on and disruption of the ways that white supremacy culture informs the work they do with staff—including hiring, management, mentorship, team building, and retention.
Laura Gomez
MFA Candidate, School of the Art Institute Chicago
Laura Gomez was born in Madrid, Spain. She received a BFA from Florida Atlantic University with a concentration in sculpture. She is the recipient of the 2016 Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry Grant and the Esther Saylor Rothenberger Endowed Scholarship for Humanities; she presented at the Undergraduate Research Symposium in the spring of 2017. Gomez has worked at the University Galleries, FAU, as a galleries assistant and has been the project manager of Community Justice: The Black Panther Party & Other Civil Rights Movements and Home Mask Relations: A Social Project by Isabel Berglund, among other exhibitions. She has also been involved in museum education as a youth mentor for the Artist Mentorship Program from the University Galleries, FAU. Gomez is currently working in the NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale as the Lillian S. Wells associate education curator, creating and organizing public programs and educational materials for the public.
Sarah Boyd Alvarez
Senior Fellow for Public Art History, Smarthistory
Sarah Boyd Alvarez is an art museum educator and administrator with over 20 years of experience in program design and management, collaboration, teaching, and curriculum development. Most recently, she served as Senior Director for Students and Educators at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she led a holistic evolution of the museum’s offerings for K-12 learners. Sarah has made notable contributions to the arts and museum education fields through various publications and presentations, including guest editing the Journal of Museum Education (Vol 36, No. 1, Spring, 2011), “Beyond Teachers: Relevance and Value in Professional Development Programs in Museums.” She has also served on numerous advisory committees and task forces dedicated to equity and access in art and museum education.
Sarah has a passion for connecting learners with visual art in ways that feel relevant, inspiring, and meaningful. She believes in the power of arts experiences to bring people and ideas together, to catalyze inquiry about ourselves and the world around us, and to democratize and humanize learning. She holds a BA in art history from Skidmore College and an MA in art history from Rutgers University. She has been a contributor at Smarthistory since 2018.
Celeste Fetta
Director of Education, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Richmond, VirginiaFor more than 20 years, Celeste Fetta has been active in the museum education space. She has served as the director of education at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) for the past 7 years. She also has experience with leading gallery education and adult programs at VMFA, in addition to playing an active role in the development of its 2020 Strategic Plan. Fetta was honored in 2018 as the Virginia Museum Educator of the Year by the Virginia Art Education Association for her contributions in the field and currently serves as the Southeastern Region Representative on the NAEA Museum Education Development Committee. She holds an MPhil in decorative art history from the University of Glasgow and a BA in art history from the College of William & Mary and currently resides in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband and two children.
Upon completion of this NAEA webinar, you may earn 1 hour of professional development credit as designated by NAEA. Once the webinar is completed, you may view/print a Certification of Participation under the "Contents" tab. You may also print a transcript of all webinars attended under the "Dashboard" link in the right sidebar section of the page.
Clock hours provided upon completion of any NAEA professional learning program are granted for participation in an organized professional learning experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction and qualified instruction, and can be used toward continuing education credit in most states. It is the responsibility of the participant to verify acceptance by professional governing authorities in their area.
Click on a link below to open the resource.
NAEA Platform and Position Statements:
- Open Letter: Black Lives Matter: An Open Letter to Art Educators on Constructing an Anti-Racist Agenda” written by Dr. James Haywood Rolling, Jr.
- NAEA Position Statement on Diversity and Inclusion in Visual Arts Education
- NAEA Position Statement on Equity for All Learners
- NAEA Position Statement on Social Justice Art Curriculum
- NAEA Position Statement on Visual Arts Education and Social Art
- NAEA Position Statement on Attracting Diversity into the Profession
- NAEA Position Statement on Freedom of Speech Through Visual Expression
- NAEA Position Statement on Use of Imagery, Cultural Appropriation and Socially Just Practices
NAEA Resources:
Other Resources:
Click on a title below to download the resource.
Art Education Journal Special Issues:
- Calling for Critical Peace Amid War Crisis: Humanizing, Affective Art Educational Praxis, Volume 78, Issue 1, 2025 pages 4-62
- Brave Spaces and Next Practices: Reimagining the Preparation of Art Educators, Volume 75, Issue 1, 2022 pages 4-50
- Wreckage of Pandemic History: Lessons Learned, Communities Built, and Stories Told, Volume 74, Issue 6, 2021 pages 4-58
- The Denial of Racism: A Call to Action, Volume 74, Issue 5, 2021 pages 4-56
- Creative Activity as a Human Right, Volume 70, Issue 4, 2017 pages 4-70
