Over the last two years, as part of my coaching five (wonderful) art teacher candidates in UVEI’s teacher internship program, I’ve visited many art classrooms and talked with many art educators. For all the differences in demographics, geography, and school and classroom sizes, I’ve been inspired by several things I’ve noticed across these art learning environments: the trust between art teachers and students that fosters helpful feedback and critique; students taking risks, persisting through struggle, and reflecting on their learning; and joy that comes from both the process and products of art making. I recently spoke with several art educators connected with UVEI–alumni and mentor teachers–about how they create, and experience, this type of classroom environment.
The Meaning of the Art Room
The art room is more than just a classroom, and students are drawn to it at all times of day. As Sarah Glass, Art Teacher at Hanover High School (Hanover, NH) and UVEI mentor, points out “We’ve got kids eating lunch in there, we’ve got kids coming in doing projects for social studies in there, we’ve got kids coming to just hang out and be near creative people. And I think I just love that open door feel to our space.”
The open door helps create a space to gather and interact with people who share differences. Some are there to make art, others are there to observe, and still others because they know it’s a space where all are welcomed, where they can develop their identities and find community. Jonathan Warren, (TIP ‘16, MEd ‘20), art teacher at Lebanon High School (Lebanon, NH) notices that “There’s a weird crossover of, not just the queer kids, but also some athletes. And so it results in this weird hodge podge of cross culture, kids all getting to hang out.”
Nathan Shartar-Howe (TIP ‘06, MEd ‘25) is a UVEI mentor who teaches art at the Abbot Downing School in Concord, NH. Even at the elementary level, according to Nate, “Almost two dozen kids come in at recess at times, and that’s their place to be for that half hour. And I just let it be an open studio. And they love it. It’s neat that they want to come and just create.”
“It’s a space that is like a family dining room table…”
Additionally, we often assume the art room is a space where individuals work independently, and while that is true, many art educators set up their room to foster community, discourse, and collaboration. Jon says “It’s a space that is like a family dining room table, where [students] all sit around, and they may sit down next to somebody who they may not necessarily know. And so there’s people throwing on the wheel, there’s people hanging out. There’s people doing projects.”
Fostering a sense of belonging is crucial for students’ well being in school. According to Darling-Hammond, Alexander, and Hernández (2024), “For students’ full learning potential to be unleashed, they need to be in an environment that is both physically and psychologically safe, calm, and consistent—a place where they can experience trust and belonging, so they can take risks and thrive” (p. 23). How do art educators go about fostering this kind of positive space?
How Art Educators Foster a Creative and Joyful Environment
Fostering student agency through meaningful choice is a high priority for these art educators. For example, in a drawing unit where students are learning about abstraction, Jon had students write a personal story and transform it into abstract art, which drew many students out through “just the investment of, I’m getting to tell my story.” Every Wednesday, Sarah gives her ceramics students a prompt, and students have to find an image (in the classroom – no online sourcing) that relates to that prompt. “It’s much more engaging for me because it’s like a mini challenge each week. I’m trying to figure out how to tie in something that they have found, not something that I’ve pre planned. And there’s a sense of discovery when they do it.”
‘Oh, that’s amazing. I did that.’
Educators strive to develop the mindsets of their students, helping them engage fully in the creative process, take pride in their accomplishments, and persist through challenges. Sarah acknowledged that many students come to the art room with assumptions about artistic ability as fixed, and she and her colleagues intentionally and carefully assess “so that kids can actually see their growth. So it’s not just me saying you’ve gotten better at this. They look at what they created at the beginning of a unit and what they’re doing at the end of the unit, and they think, ‘Oh, that’s amazing. I did that’.” But successes are small when students are learning challenging skills, like wheel throwing, so she encourages them to focus on growth at their own pace and to celebrate small achievements. This idea of celebrating success also resonated with Jon. “We’re going to do a Cereal Day as a celebration of what they made on the wheel, and everybody’s going to eat out of the bowls that they’ve made. It may not be a lot of cereal. It may be three pieces of Cheerios. Oh my gosh, they’re ready to go. They’ll come in in the morning and be like, ‘is the kiln empty’?”
Working with younger students, Nate mentioned being careful with feedback and critique because he wants these young learners, who are developing motor skills and physical abilities, to see themselves as capable artists. “You have that kind of relationship that keeps them going, I believe, because I just know that so many people say, ‘my teacher said I couldn’t do it, so I didn’t do anymore.’ Keeping that open for the kids and saying, ‘Hey, I like what you did, you tried really hard on that one. That’s great. It’s different from that, that’s okay, let’s just see where we go with it.’”
Art educators help students develop their own identity as an artist by experiencing a variety of media, techniques, forms, and styles. All three educators recounted examples of students who struggled and disengaged with one form of art (e.g., drawing) but thrived when practicing another form (e.g., ceramics). As Sarah put it, “if you don’t like this unit, it’s like New England weather, just wait a week. There’s going to be something that will get your attention. I guarantee it.” This meaningful choice allows students to see themselves as artists not limited by medium, form, or style. What matters more is joy, expression, and perseverance.
The Relevance and Value of Art Education Today
With widespread school budget crises, and increased emphasis on academic achievement and assessments, arts education, in some communities, is under threat. For example, this winter, due to community reaction, an Upper Valley school board voted to restore unified arts positions (including visual art) that were proposed to be cut. Sarah mentioned that there is little understanding of what actually happens in the art room, which could lead to a diminishing of art education. Nate talked about how being the only art teacher in his school, which is common for elementary art educators, means he has needed to get creative about collaborating with classroom teachers. In Jon’s school, because all art courses are electives, he has to make sure his courses are sufficiently enrolled.
This has never been an issue for him, because, I would argue, students experience and believe in the positive value of art education: engaging in challenging, expressive, creative, and joyful work that builds skills, confidence, and community.
Chris Ward, PhD, is UVEI’s Academic Dean and Coordinator of Graduate Studies. He is also a faculty member in the teaching and school leadership programs, and this year he is coaching four New Hampshire art teacher candidates.
