K12ArtChat the Podcast

This week, Matt & Laura talk to fellow podcaster Candido Crespo! The Grundlers and Candido talk about building and nurturing your own creative community. Whether it be in the art room, in your wider community, or solely online – everyone can benefit by surrounding themselves with like minded people!

In this episode The Creativity Department speaks with Nancy Walkup, Editor in Chief, and Frank Juarez, Contributing Editor, of SchoolArts magazine. Learn about how easy it can be to get published, why it is so important, and all the beneficial things it can lead to (invitations to present, books, etc.). Getting published may be the best thing you do for your career.

In this episode – the Creativity Department speaks with Wall Street Journal reporter Kelly Crow! One aspect of art that is commonly overlooked in the classroom is the business side. As an art reporter, it is Kelly’s job to stay on top of the fine art market, its collectors, and most importantly - its artists. During the conversation she dives into suggestions on how to introduce the ins and outs o...

The Creativity Department speaks with Jeannine Flores, Vice Chair of Create CA. Listen in to this informative conversation about building vibrant and visible local alliances that spark partnerships and spread art advocacy. Learn how Create CA is working to ensure every student receives a complete and creative education.

In this episode – The Creativity Department talks with Kerri Smith, author of Wreck This Journal! Joining them is Carrie Baughcum, author of My Pencil Made Me Do It. Each author talks about their approach to sketch noting as art and as a form of self-care. Discover what inspired the creation of their books, their creative process, and how the prompts for their books came to be.

In this episode – Team Grundler are chatting together about how to deal with end of the year burnout and reigniting the joy of teaching. Matt and Laura also go over your answers from the chat, stories from the art room and multiple happy teacher moments!

In this episode The Creativity Department wraps up their chat with NAEA Leadership about Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I). This meaningful conversation, driven by questions and topics sent in for discussion from art educators in the field, continues to explore details we all must deeply consider when thinking through the work needed to create social transformation and remove barriers. F...

In this episode – The Creativity Department chats with NAEA Leadership about Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I). This meaningful conversation, driven by questions and topics sent in for discussion from art educators in the field, dives into the detail we all must deeply consider when thinking through the work to be done to bring about social transformation and remove barriers. From though...

Matt and Laura chat with Keisha Casiano about dignity in the art room. How do you teach students about mindsets and to be proud of who they are, no matter their disability? It’s harder than it sounds, that’s where Keisha comes in. She has years of experience working with students with disabilities and learning to overcome her own disability. Whether it’s using a piece of cardboard to paint or anot...

The Creativity Department talks with Dr. Dorothy VanderJagt of iFireUp about embedded professional learning. Dr. VanderJagt dives into the importance of developing a culture of trust among educator colleagues to ensure a safe space exists. Meaningful PD is built on this trust and the ability to safely cross examine and collaborate. When PD is embedded in the workday - like learning walks or during...

Orlando Bolaños talks with the Creativity department about Social Engagement Practice, how our art rooms are mirroring the diversity of our students, and how Culturally Relevant Pedagogy can be used to achieve teaching goals. Orlando goes into detail about how a student’s own identity can be used to develop strong student-teacher relationships and advocate for growth in the art room.

The Creativity Department speaks with Sandra Munoz & Esmerelda Fernandez, bilingual art educators from Plano, Texas. Sandra and Esmerelda share their experiences with ELs, the communities they come from, and how the arts can help them find their personal identities. It’s not always easy to create equity in bilingual communities, but Sandra and Esmerelda share their stories and resources on how...

In this episode – the Creativity Department talks with Dr. Desiree Alexander about building relationships with students in the art room and promoting connection with students with a variety of backgrounds and "lenses". Class identity and collective culture within the art room can be difficult to implement, but as Dr. Alexander explains – it can help students open up with their art.

The Creativity Department speaks with NAEA Elementary Division leaders Tiffany Belz and Devon Calvert about the importance of support and engagement. Discover how much help is available through your state and local art associations. Listen in to hear about the benefits of having an entire community of educators ready to share and collaborate across your state and the country.

The Creativity Department speaks with Dr. Heidi C. Powell, recipient of the FAEA Art Educator of the Year Award for higher education, about her research on the topic of cultural continuity and what it means to hold true to traditions and heritage in a contemporary way. During the conversation Dr. Powell discusses how we create national and community identity through art making practice and how tho...

In this episode the Creativity Department talks to artists turned teachers Sean Justice and Andrea Kantrowitz about multimodal and collaborative learning. Focusing on visual journals, sketch noting, and bring different ways of thinking, doing, and learning into contact with each other, this episode is packed full of unorthodox ways to teach your students how to be creative.

The Creativity Department speaks with Manuel Herrera, Coordinator of Learning Services for the Affton School District and adjunct professor for Webster University in St. Louis, MO. Manuel is an educator, speaker, and illustrator who specializes in sketchnoting, visual thinking, and design thinking. Listen in for ideas on how to implement the many benefits of using visual thinking strategies, sketc...

As you face what the new school year holds, take a few minutes to hear about tools like Padlet and Flipgrid. The Creativity Department speaks with educator Mike Call about how the digital tools we have come to rely on help bring students together. 

The Creativity Department discuses using drawing, sketch noting, visual journaling, and creativity to process large problems with young students. In this episode they speak with author and educator, Chris Gadbury. Listen in to learn about the work he does around the world promoting student agency and creativity while tackling global issues we are all challenged with solving.

In this episode, The Creativity Department is joined by Karen Blessen, founder of 29 Pieces and creator of The American Love Project. Listen in as Karen and Judy Stone-Nunneley, Visual Arts Coordinator for Grand Prairie ISD in Texas and project participant, discuss The American LOVE Project. Learn about this nationwide public art project designed to illustrate the power of art to transform communi...

In this episode – Reggio Emilia expert and author Cathy Topal joins The Creativity Department to discuss art education in early childhood. During the conversation, Cathy shares strategies to build community, how to approach design with young children, and what she defines as an open-ended lesson. 

An insightful conversation with Hall Rockefeller, art historian and founder of Less Than Half, an online platform created to proactively address the lack of information that exists about female artists. Laura, Hall, and Matt discuss the importance of uplifting under-represented voices. During the conversation, they explore themes such as supporting female and non-binary students as artists, how to...

In this episode, recorded earlier this year, The Creativity Department talks with Learning Experience Designer, Kurt Klynen about ways creativity can be used to shape experiences, inspire your work and those around you, and essentially get us through anything.

During this year of COVID, it was important to know when to disconnect and step away. In this episode Laura and Matt are going to talk just a little about what they did this year to take care of themselves. They share suggestions teachers like you offered up during the Twitter chat on June 10th and most importantly encourage you to do everything you can to shut it all off and enjoy some down time!

During the June 17th Twitter chat Joseph Boatfield and returning guest Kevin Hsieh facilitated a conversation about LGBTQ+ inclusiveness in the art room. The chat covered inquiries about stereotypes, how to navigate the topic with administration, and how to show support for students. In this episode The Creativity Department speak candidly with Kevin and Joseph to get their own perspective on the...