the (ART ED STORIES) Archive

We’re a digital archive collecting anonymous stories from K-12 art teachers. Through experiences – challenges, triumphs, and innovations – we’re building a collective history to honor and inspire art education.

Start exploring

  • “These kids were pretty distraught that their prior elementary school had been closed down and they had to go to a new school. Those were some of the changes I was dealing with. I was adjusting to teaching elementary again on top of what felt partially almost like grief counseling.”

    –Art Teacher, Virginia

  • “Policymakers don't recognize the fact that art teachers open doors to other content areas for students who think differently, who are differently abled, who approach things in different ways.”

    –Art Teacher, Tennessee

  • “I would say that professional art educator associations have played a big role for me personally in finding a sense of value and to feel valued for what I know and what I can do. Those communities have been a great place to learn and grow and to feel like a like a real teacher and a real artist.”

    –Art Teacher, Texas

  • New List Item

Explore the archive by state.

Explore the archive by topic.

artedstories . artedstories .

“One day, it was the second-grade class and there was a sweet little kid who lost a pencil that had the name of his old elementary school on it, and he just started sobbing. Just absolutely sobbing. I asked him ‘Are you okay?’ and he said ‘No, I lost my favorite pencil from my old elementary school.’ And I thought, “Oh. This is what they mean. This is what they mean when they say that [these closures] can actually be really hard on [the students].”
– Art Teacher, Virginia

Read More