What does an artist’s practice look like when the artist is also a teacher? Graduates of Luther’s art education program, along with current students, will explore that topic during a spring exhibit and forum. Works created by seven Luther alumni who teach elementary, middle, and high school students will be included in the show Those Who Can Do Teach, on display in Preus Library, April 12 to May 27. Some of the show’s participants will share their experiences and ideas with current students through an educators retreat during the exhibit.

Alumni are valuable resources for Luther’s art education program, says program director Lea (Donhowe) Lovelace ’97. She regularly invites grads back to campus to provide students practical perspectives on teaching, asking, for instance, what they wish they had known before entering the classroom.

As the Q&A with this story on the next page shows, grads are well able to use the lessons and methods they learned at Luther, concentrating on helping children in their classrooms make meaning of their lives. Luther’s art education program, Lovelace says, “focuses on teaching contemporary art lessons, using contemporary art as inspiration, which opens up possibilities about making interdisciplinary curricular connections and addressing social justice issues.”

Art education students also hear from a variety of professionals—in museum education, art therapy, studio art—and investigate how art, community, and education intersect. Luther’s Art in Community course, in particular, connects students to the world outside Luther and lets them try on teaching in a practical way. Over the years, students have done projects with Decorah’s Peace and Justice Center, a pottery studio, a teen art program, a high school art club, and an organization that works with persons with developmental disabilities. Lovelace says students come to understand how audiences are different and need different ways of teaching.

Luther’s art educators major in art and minor in education and have likely come to the program through their love of creating art. Lovelace says the exhibit Those Who Can Do Teach will explore “how when you’re a studio artist you might be working in one way, and when you’re a teaching artist, an artist educator, the time and space that you have to work on your practice might look a little different. Some of our art educators are school art teachers who have incorporated a space in their own classroom to make their work while the students are doing their own work. Some teachers say they just want to have a sketchbook practice, where every day they’re making one drawing. Some find that it is important to have the space and be painting on canvas in their home or studio after school, and some find that their artist practice is being in the education space and learning how that influences them in and outside the classroom.”

Q&A with the artist educators

Lars Johnson ’16

Art teacher at Ellis Middle School, Austin, Minn.

How did Luther’s art education program influence what or how you teach?
The department does a great job of telling us it’s okay to be an artist and an educator, not just an art educator. This is an important distinction to me, because that’s the way I try to lead my professional life—by still staying grounded in the art world, while also living in the educational world.

What is your goal as an art educator?
My goal is to empower students, to teach curriculum that is contemporary and relevant to my student’s interest, and hopefully make a small impact on their lives. I hope to foster a classroom environment where everyone is welcome and where students feel comfortable and supported.

What are your biggest challenges in the classroom?
When students flat-out refuse to do art, there is only so much motivating I can do. But this is also the challenge of teaching that can result in the most fulfilling moments. I would also say another challenge is trying to get through a lesson when you are exhausted and all you want to do is sit down, but you have 30-plus students trying to get your attention. Coffee helps—lots of black coffee.

How do you find time and space to create your own art?
I maintain a pretty consistent sketchbook practice, but my art-making process has changed. My art projects are now crafting lessons that I think my students will love and engage with. However, I feel this is the plight of all art teachers—how do you find time to still make art? One of my goals for this next year is to figure out how to balance both parts of my life.

Micayla Irmiter ’14

Art specialist at Hiawatha Leadership Academy–Northrop, a public charter school in Minneapolis

What are your biggest challenges in the classroom?
The truly challenging part of being a teacher is trying to actively disrupt systemic inequity for 400 different students who are faced with different obstacles each day. I don’t know what students have experienced before they enter the art studio. I don’t know what they will experience when they leave the art studio. On a structural, systemic level, I do know that English language learners, students of color, students experiencing trauma and/or poverty, and students with special needs have been presented with an uneven playing field in schools. I do know that I have a lot of work to do to deal with my implicit biases and how I perpetuate inequities. My challenge is to do the work so that when students enter the art studio I am able to give each one of them exactly what they need to thrive. My challenge is to push myself to help every student feel validated, respected, and cared for in the art room.

What would you tell current art education students?
Each student is a powerful change maker—take them seriously. Each one of them might need something just a little bit different from you. Set the precedent that their voice matters in the art studio and then actually listen. If a student wants to be called “T-Rex” ask why, internalize the answer, and then call them T-Rex. Future generations of artists and art viewers depend on you to be as caring and thoughtful and positive as you can be.

Are you involved with art organizations outside of the classroom?
I volunteer at the Walker Art Center during Free First Saturday programming.

Jenna Darsee ’15

K–5 art teacher, Irving Elementary, Indianola, Iowa

What’s the best day you’ve had on the job?
It sounds cheesy, but every day is the best day on the job, because I have the best job. When you get notes about being a future artist or a hug from a kid as they pass you in the hallway, that’s what makes this job such a blast!

How do you find time and space to create your own art?
I try to collaborate with artist friends and have studio days. Sometimes that means working together in the same space, other times it simply means agreeing to both work at the same time so you have someone that you can snap your ideas to and get an instant critique. It’s tricky when you leave college and aren’t surrounded by peers you can pull into the studio with you. It’s all about making time for what’s important to you.

Are you involved with art organizations outside of the classroom?
I am involved with Art Educators of Iowa as marketing and mentoring chair. I also try to stay active in the Des Moines Art Center.

What would you tell current art education students?
I would tell them to always take risks, push students to be the best that they can, allow students to make their own choices within their creating, and don’t be afraid to try something new.

Jenny Bonnell ’15

Long-term substitute teacher at Countryside Elementary School, Edina, Minn.

What are your biggest challenges in the classroom?
I would say my biggest challenge in the classroom is breaking through to students who feel like they “just can’t.” It’s really sad to see a child who has so much imagination and creativity become defeated because they are afraid of trying something new and “failing.” That being said, it’s amazing to see them break down that barrier and finally create something that they are proud of.

What is your goal as an art educator?
My goal is to help every student realize their creative potential. Even if they don’t identify with art-making, I want students to learn how to problem-solve, engage and focus on activities, reflect on their art-making and past experiences, and express themselves.

Are you involved with art organizations outside of the classroom?
Yes, when I lived in Iowa I was on the board of the Art Educators of Iowa as the co-rep for the Prairie Lakes AEA. I also attend conferences through the Art of Education and am currently trying to get integrated in the Art Educators of Minnesota. 

Katie Mathis ’15

K–6 art teacher and assistant volleyball coach, West (Iowa) Branch Community Schools

How did Luther’s art education program influence what or how you teach?
Throughout my time at Luther, I was able to spend a lot of time in various art classrooms—observing, assisting, and actually teaching or co-teaching with my peers. While our coursework was engaging and rigorous, it’s impossible to know how a lesson will really play out, or how to manage a classroom, or even how to arrange the tables and materials without actually getting into the classroom and seeing it or doing it for ourselves. And although I am constantly learning and adapting lessons and classroom management strategies, those experiences definitely helped to build my confidence and prepare me for my own classroom.

What is your goal as an art educator?
To engage my students in a relevant and meaningful art curriculum, meaning that they are able to connect what they learn in art class to their own lives and interests. I strive every day to make personal connections with my students to best tailor each lesson to both their skill levels and interests.

What are your biggest challenges in the classroom?
There is never enough time to prep! I could spend my entire day just cutting paper, prepping materials, and creating teacher samples or developing new lessons. Since that’s not possible, I’m typically the first teacher to school each morning and spend about an hour before school starts prepping for the day.

Are you involved with art organizations outside of the classroom?
I am a member of and the acting treasurer for Art Educators of Iowa.

Robin Schone Hengesteg ’16

Kindergarten and past K–8 art teacher at Lovell (Wyo.) Elementary School

How did Luther’s art education program influence what or how you teach?
The art education program at Luther had a huge impact on how I teach art. It cemented the understanding that students need room to explore and experiment. Art assignments that revolve around meaningful topics that students can relate to keep the students invested in the project and engaged in the process.

What is your goal as an art educator?
My big goals in the art classroom are to create an environment where students feel comfortable and willing to take risks. I want them to problem solve and learn experientially. I believe that the elements of art and the principles of design can be taught to students of all ages, and once they have a firm understanding of these concepts, they are better equipped to communicate their ideas visually and feel empowered as artists.

What would you tell current art education students?
Making your own curriculum is a lot of work, but it’s an opportunity to create something powerful for your students. Always reflect and reinvent your curriculum. Keep it current and introduce students to contemporary artists and careers. The days of building a curriculum and using it for 20 years are over and gone. Modern teachers must be adaptable and innovative.

Maxwell Green ’17

Just finished student teaching at Irondale High School in New Brighton, Minn., and Lyndale Elementary in Minneapolis

How did Luther’s art education program influence what or how you teach?
We talked a lot about cultivating a safe, creative atmosphere where students can express themselves and have new, meaningful ways to break up their day and critically engage with their own lives and the world around them. I think those conversations have helped me better consider how my curriculum and teaching strategies can be more process-oriented as well as culturally and emotionally engaging.

How do you find time and space to create your own art?
I try to create in the classroom with my students as much as possible, but I also just make sure to give fairly strict priority for at least an hour or two in my studio space at home every night. Additionally, I try to keep in touch with my art pals and get together to paint or chat about art, too.