Balance Teaching With Your Art Career

The primary focus of the M.A. in Studio Practice for Art Educators (Hybrid) is to help active art educators develop their artistic practice, while considering it in relation to their work as educators. This program pushes students to devote time to their art practice and gives them the structure they need to further their artwork. Support comes from expert faculty, peer feedback, and in-person residencies in our communal art studios.

As students develop their studio work, they engage with contemporary art through published texts, exhibitions, and artist presentations.

The program also supports student careers by teaching them how to document and present their work, create an artist statement, search for exhibition opportunities, and more. Our Summer Residencies are similar to an artist-in-residence experience, providing a creative, supportive atmosphere within a tight knit community.

Our students are also given the tools necessary to fully embrace their careers as professional artists. For example, the Professional Practice for Artists course allows our students to learn things like how to research opportunities for exhibition. Students will leave the program with the following:

• An enhanced portfolio of artwork
• A professional website where students can display their work
• An artist’s CV
• An artist’s statement (that can be used when submitting work to exhibitions, artist residencies, and competitions)
• A network of faculty members and fellow artists

Art Education Online

Online teaching and online artist collaborations are here to stay in the art education world, and both are built into the program. Students will have a model for powerful online and hybrid teaching and learning.

Dr. Olga Hubard, Director and Associate Professor of Art and Art Education, Teachers College, Columbia University

Art education is changing and transforming. As more studio classes require online formats, it’s important to ensure art students and teachers are comfortable integrating technology into the classroom.

The M.A. in Studio Practice for Art Educators (Hybrid) gives our students the opportunity to learn the most effective online methods and practices to utilize in their own classrooms. You will learn new software and programs, as well as experience for yourself rich studio activities that your students can do both synchronously and asynchronously.

Envision Your Future as an Art Educator

Art teachers/educators can work in several settings, including

• P-12 schools
• Colleges and universities
• Museums
• Community centers
• Youth programs
• Healthcare centers

I strongly believe that maintaining an art practice is important to my work as an educator. After going through some difficult pandemic years as a teacher, I wanted to take the time to focus more on my own art.

Jeni Crone Griffin, M.A. in Studio Practice for Art Educators (Hybrid), Teachers College, Columbia University

Salaries for art teachers have increased by 38.7% over the past three years, according to Lightcast, a workforce data analysis company. The current median salary is $61,100.

The M.A. in Studio Practice for Art Educators (Hybrid) can help art educators thrive in these and other environments.

Art educators are in the highest demand in these top five states, based on employment statistics:

1. California
2. Texas
3. Massachusetts
4. North Carolina
5. New York

Please note that while the M.A. in Studio Practice for Art Educators (Hybrid) helps students develop as studio artists and delve into the future of art education by experiencing online learning, it does not provide a designated path to teaching certification.

However, it’s important to note that graduates who already hold NYS initial certification and who meet other requirements for a professional certification may use this master’s degree to apply for professional certification on their own. Those interested in teaching in New York State should review the NYS Professional Certification Visual Artist requirements. Out-of-state applicants should check with their Department of Education.