2021 Award Honorees

Fairwold Academy

Hannah Swanson is originally from Vancouver, Washington. Before becoming an art educator, Hannah worked as a teaching artist and special education paraprofessional in Seattle, Washington.  They moved to Philadelphia to receive their master’s in art education and certification with an Emphasis in Special Populations at Moore College of Art and Design. Being a queer and nonbinary educator, Hannah’s thesis focused on the inclusion of gender variant students in the art classroom. They have presented both statewide and nationally at PAEA and NAEA conferences.

Hannah teaches art at Fairwold Academy, a K-12 approved private school for students with intellectual disabilities and emotional behavior needs. In their time at Fairwold, Hannah has created a virtual gallery that showcases student work weekly, become a founding member of their school’s equity and diversity committee, worked closely with the high school literacy department for cross-curricular projects, and spearheaded a project-based curriculum for a drug and alcohol residential treatment center. Hannah is a bright emerging art educator that has a strong future in the field.

Bethlehem Area School District

Jaime Bloss is an art educator who has been working with students in the Bethlehem Area School District for 15 years. Her master’s work at Kutztown University focused on community connections which led her into a district leadership role acting as liaison to arts organizations, universities, and local artists to bring additional arts programming to over 6,000 students across 16 elementary schools. In working to ensure all students realize their creative potential, Jaime encourages best practices and fosters support from administration and community partners for a department of 10 elementary art teachers. As a practicing artist, Jaime works in abstract watercolors and exhibits locally. She has recently started playing the ukulele and enjoys making her students laugh when strumming along with their artmaking. Her next big project is working with the district webmaster to create an Arts page link that will help families better connect to all the district arts (music, theater, visual arts) programming throughout the year. Jaime is fortunate to work with an amazing team of professional and passionate art educators and is honored to have been given the time to do all she can to support them and their students.

University of the Arts

Rande Blank, MEd, Associate Professor and Director of the MAT in Visual Arts Education Program at the University of the Arts since 2012 and a faculty member in the Art + Design Education department since 2003, teaches graduate courses & mentors students in their practicums. Over the past 25 years, she has been an art educator in a diverse array of settings, from public & private classrooms, teaching art and special education. She has taught in elementary and middle school classes throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey and has had adjunct positions at Tyler School of Art & Moore College of Art & Design. In 2019, Blank founded the NAEA StudioChat Design Thinking virtual professional development for educators throughout the country. The design thinking monthly sessions provide professional development for educators of all disciplines. She is past chair of the NAEA-Design Interest Group and PAEA-Higher Education Division and is the present chair of the PAEA Design Interest Group. Blank serves on planning boards of the NAEA Summer Studio Design Thinking Institute and DesignED. She earned her M.Ed. from Arcadia University. As a practicing artist and trained graphic designer her body of 2D/3D work includes mixed media, mosaics, found object sculptures & acrylic painting.

Moore College of Art & Design

Since retiring from the School District of Philadelphia after 37 years as an art teacher, Joyce Millman continues her engagement in art and art education. Since 2003 at Moore College of Art & Design, Ms. Millman has designed and taught courses in the Art Teacher Certification Program and in the Graduate Program for Art and Special Needs, where she is currently a supervisor for student teachers. She is involved in community art programs as a teaching artist in The Print Center’s Artists in Schools Program and as a liaison for the Picasso Project, part of Public Citizens for Children Youth in Philadelphia. Ms. Millman is a practicing artist who has recently won awards for her paintings at the Philadelphia Sketch Club, Abington Hospital Art in the Atrium, and the Long Beach Island Foundation for the Arts and Science in New Jersey. Her paintings are also on display at Wildflowers Too gallery in New Jersey. Ms. Millman’s published writing includes “Faith Ringgold’s Quilts and Picturebooks: Comparisons and Contributions,” Children’s Literature in Education, December 2005, and “Writing and Dialogue for Cultural Understanding: Multicultural Art Education in an Art Teacher Certification Program” in Art Education, May 2010. Her writing illustrates her interest in multidisciplinary and multicultural learning in arts classrooms.

Shanksville Stonycreek School District

Joy Knepp recently retired after more than twenty-five years as an art educator with the Shanksville Stonycreek School District. She was a visual arts instructor for all students in grades 1-12. She assisted with regional opportunities for students in Somerset County including “Art Seeds,” a program for students to be able to work with local artists and “Teen Week” at Touchstone Center for Crafts, where scholarships were provided to enable students to attend summer programs at a craft school. She earned her B.A. in art and B.S. in Art Education from Penn State University, and graduate credits from several universities including Frostburg State University, MD, California State University, PA and University of the Arts, PA. In addition, Ms. Knepp has been an active glass artist for more than 15 years and exhibits her handmade glass bead jewelry in several galleries in Western Pennsylvania. As a lifelong learner, she continues to take classes at craft schools and glass centers and has taught glass beadmaking at Touchstone Center for Crafts.

Moore College of Art and Design

C. Fitzgibbon is accepting this award on behalf of Moore College of Art & Design.

Founded during the original industrial revolution to advance women in new fields, Moore College of Art & Design is the first and only historically women’s college for art and design. The College’s mission is more relevant than ever, as technology, sustainability and diverse cultures drive and disrupt new and existing industries. Through dynamic BFA and Graduate Studies programs, educational programs for creatively curious youth and professional adult learners, and The Galleries at Moore – a public and dedicated space for contemporary art – Moore is a shaper and leader and creative thought and impact in art, design and industry. Moore’s Master of Art Education with an Emphasis in Inclusive Practices is a rigorous program that prepares and empowers art educators to develop skills for adapting and implementing strategies that enrich the lives of all learners. Students work with faculty and each other to develop and test innovative techniques through action-based research in a field setting, while critically assessing art education policies and documenting the study of contemporary art education issues for diverse learners. Degree candidates in the program graduate fully prepared to enter the classroom and to advance the field of art education through their everyday practice.

E,D, & I Scholarship Award Recipient

Sonia Smith

E,D,& I Scholarship Award Recipient

latifah wright