Our Threads of Leadership: Conversations in Art Education podcast invites you to join us in reflective conversations with art educators and creative leaders who are shaping the future of the field. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Kristi Oliver to explore a leadership journey shaped by curiosity, encouragement, and the invitation to come along. Drawing on her work at Davis Publications and her service as the National Art Education Association (NAEA) Eastern Region Vice President, Kristi shares how volunteering with Art All-State, asking questions, and finding mentors led her into state and national leadership. From the Seattle postcard that put a bug in her ear to the friendships built through countless board meetings, she reflects on making leadership more transparent and accessible, finding the courage to have difficult conversations, and valuing every person at the table. With warmth and humor, she also talks about visual notes, her therapy dog Iris, the pressures facing volunteer leaders, and how AI can support the work while keeping human relationships at its center.

Hosted by Dr. Abi Paytoe Gbayee and Dr. Yichien Cooper, this podcast is part of our collaborative research project Leadership in Threads: A Fiber and AI-Enhanced Exploration. Through intimate dialogue, the series stitches together stories of leadership journeys, personal values, and creative processes from elected art education leaders across NAEA.

Resources Mentioned:

• National Art Education Association (NAEA)

• Massachusetts Art Education Association (MAEA)

• Art All-State Massachusetts

• Davis Publications

• Dare to Lead by Brené Brown

• The Visual Notes Project by Lisa Kay

• NAEA Position Statement on Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-generated Imagery in Visual Arts Education

A special thanks goes out to Emilie Cooper for the episode art design and Ben Cooper for the into and outro music. Your contributions have elevated this work immensely.

This podcast was originally recorded November 12, 2025.

Our Threads of Leadership: Conversations in Art Education podcast invites you to join us in reflective conversations with art educators and creative leaders who are shaping the future of the field.

In this episode, we sit down with Mark Graham, the National Art Education Association (NAEA) Pacific Region Vice President-Elect*, to explore a leadership journey grounded in community, curiosity, perspective, and the belief that art education serves “all the children of the world.” Mark reflects on his long involvement with NAEA, including conference presentations, the Research Commission, regional leadership, and the professional conversations that sustain art educators who may be working alone in their schools. He also shares how his experiences as an art department chair, district arts coordinator, higher education faculty member, AP Art and Design reader and leader, and internationally engaged art educator have shaped the way he thinks about advocacy, children’s artistic potential, and the need to broaden who is represented in classrooms, curriculum, and leadership. Throughout the conversation, Mark offers rich metaphors of gardens, lichens, weaving, and tapestry, reminding us that leadership is often relational, generative, symbiotic, and strengthened by the threads beside us.

Hosted by Dr. Abi Paytoe Gbayee and Dr. Yichien Cooper, this podcast is part of our collaborative research project Leadership in Threads: A Fiber and AI-Enhanced Exploration. Through intimate dialogue, the series stitches together stories of leadership journeys, personal values, and creative processes from elected art education leaders across NAEA.

Resources Mentioned:

• National Art Education Association (NAEA): ⁠arteducators.org⁠

• NAEA Research Commission: https://www.arteducators.org/community/committees/research-commission/

• NAEA Divisions and Regions: https://www.arteducators.org/community/divisions-and-regions/

• International Society for Education Through Art (InSEA): https://www.insea.org/

• College Board AP Art and Design Program: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/art-design-program

• Utah Art Education Association (UAEA): https://www.utaharteducation.org/

A special thanks goes out to Emilie Cooper for the episode art design and Ben Cooper for the into and outro music. Your contributions have elevated this work immensely.

This podcast was originally recorded November 11, 2025.

*Since the time of this recording Mark has become the sitting Pacific Region Vice President.

Our Threads of Leadership: Conversations in Art Education podcast invites you to join us in reflective conversations with art educators and creative leaders who are shaping the future of the field. In this episode, we sit down with Jeanie Guilbert, the National Art Education Association (NAEA) Middle Level Division Director, to explore a leadership journey rooted in curiosity, advocacy, community, and a deep commitment to access. Jeanie shares how a path that began in fashion design and elementary art education led her into middle level teaching, higher education, state committees, gifted arts programming, and national leadership. Along the way, she reflects on the moments that taught her to step into the conversation, from seeking more relevant professional learning for art educators to building community partnerships, following policy decisions, and learning how to advocate for every student. She also discusses servant leadership as a practice of bringing people with you, the importance of seeing leadership through “empathy glasses,” and murals as an image of collective voice, reminding us that leadership is less about hierarchy and more about listening, representation, and making space for others to think beyond.

Hosted by Dr. Abi Paytoe Gbayee and Dr. Yichien Cooper, this podcast is part of our collaborative research project Leadership in Threads: A Fiber and AI-Enhanced Exploration. Through intimate dialogue, the series stitches together stories of leadership journeys, personal values, and creative processes from elected art education leaders across NAEA.

Resources Mentioned:

• National Art Education Association (NAEA): ⁠arteducators.org⁠

• NAEA Middle Level Division: https://www.arteducators.org/community/divisions-and-regions/

• Virginia Department of Education Fine Arts: https://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching-learning-assessment/instruction/fine-arts

• University of Mary Washington College of Education: https://education.umw.edu/

• Canstruction: https://www.canstruction.org/

• Declaration of Learning: https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2013/01/library-signs-declaration-of-learning/

• Arts Education Alliance: https://www.arteducators.org/advocacy/arts-education-alliance/

• Mural Arts Philadelphia: https://www.muralarts.org/

• Bisa Butler: https://www.bisabutler.com/

A special thanks goes out to Emilie Cooper for the episode art design and Ben Cooper for the into and outro music. Your contributions have elevated this work immensely.

This podcast was originally recorded November 2, 2025.