Visual Arts Teachers Flourish with Free Professional Development

Blog Post Author

Posted By

Matt Boyce

Arts in Education Program Manager

Posted
Thursday, August 14th 2025
Share This Blog
Tags
AAC
Teachers from around the state gathered July 25 in El Dorado to connect, create and learn together during a free, professional development session held at the South Arkansas Arts Center.  

“It’s nice to have more professional development geared specifically to arts teachers,” said teacher Kristen Elliot, of Smackover-Norphlet School District. “Just to have it available and get to create and collaborate with other arts teachers from around the state makes this professional development special.”   

Elliot is among 145 teachers who have benefited from the professional development sessions. For the past three years, the Arkansas Arts Council has collaborated with the Arkansas Department of Education and the Division of Elementary & Secondary Education to host programs that help educators meet their state curriculum requirements. This year’s CommUNITY Arts: Visual & Fine Arts Professional Development session brought together fine arts teachers from all over the region, including school districts Rison and Smackover-Norphlet. The session was the last one for this year, but plans are already underway for 2026.

“Often times teacher professional development sessions are done on Zooms or in traditional educational settings, so we wanted to be able to bring teachers into creative spaces and art centers around the state while also connecting the centers and teachers with arts -in education-teaching artists. The idea is to build connectivity, collaboration and educational opportunities in a new and engaging way,” said Matt Boyce, arts in education programs manager for the Arkansas Arts Council. 

The sessions, which are open to anyone interested in arts and education, offer the opportunity for hands-on learning, Boyce said. Earlier sessions this year included a session for participants interested in music education. Professional, arts-in-education artists lead the sessions, he said.  

Artists Maria Villegas, Lisa Burton Tarver and Mike Means led the visual arts session this year. Participants learned about paper sculpting, pastel, Mod Podge and foam stamp art.  The session helped teachers reignite their love of education and arts, said Villegas, who is a multidisciplinary artist, educator and Arts in Education Roster artist with the Arkansas Arts Council. She has been a teaching artist for nearly 20 years, but the session helped her to continue to develop as a teacher, she said.  

“The more I know my own voice, the more I know the voice of my students, because we are all humans and we share emotions,” Villegas said. “Rediscovering your passion in turn passes onto your students and encourages them.”  


Staff photo: Artist Maria Villegas talks with participants during a professional development workshop held in El Dorado this past July. 

Popular Blog Posts


Filter Blogs