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faculty
Cathy Smilan
Professor / MAE Graduate Program Director
Art
Contact
508-910-6594
csmilan@umassd.edu
College of Visual & Performing Arts 352A
Education
| Florida Atlantic University | EdD |
Teaching
Courses
Online and Continuing Education Courses
Development and implementation of a capstone project demonstrating mastery in an area of individual focus in art education. In this course, students will develop and submit a proposal, and once approved, implement their area of study. Projects may include visual inquiry and exhibit, theoretical paper or practice-based work in school or community settings.
Exploration of current models of practice for art educators in classroom and community settings. This course guides students through the translation of reserach into strategies for teaching practice. Teacher-artists research and desgin pedagogical approaches to teaching art and managing artistic learning spaces, including PK-12 classroom studios, museum education venues and communnity art eduction maker-spaces. Students individually and collaboratively discuss current readings on teaching art and create models of practices as an art eductor resource. Course content additionally serves as a spring-board for further inveistigation in AED 616: Action Research.
Applies studio skills and visual critique to explore student developed inquiry questions related to social issues of [in]justice and advocacy. Rigorous examination of studio practice, critique and critical pedagogy is designed to advance studio processing, critical inquiry and educational advocacy. Visual documentation analysis from the perspective of artist/researcher/teacher/critic utilizes Arts-based research (ABR) paradigm and contemporary critical transformative theory.
Application of visual studio skills in the exploration of student developed inquiry question. Rigorous examination of studio practice from a research and theoretical perspective is designed to help students apply their studio practice to their teaching practice, thus informing both methodologies. Visual documentation analysis is explored from the perspective of artist/researcher/teacher through utilization of the Art-based research paradigm in arts education. Expectation of 6 studio hours per week outside of class with 3 hours in-class critique and discussion of work.
Research
Research interests
- Art-based Research
- Social Justice Art Education
- Art and the Environment
- Community Partnership
- Curriculum and Assessment
Select publications
- Smilan, C., Guzman, A., & Schwarz, J. (2025).
Who Am I to Teach You That? - Smilan, C. & Siegesmund, R. (2024).
Authentic secondary art assessment: Snapshots from art teacher practice - Smilan, C. (2023).
Visualizing climate change: Here we come to save the day!
International Journal of Education through Art, Special Issue: Art, Sustainability and Partnerships, 93-111. - Smilan, C. (2021).
Reclaiming identity: Feminist actionism in art education
The Women’s Caucus lobby activism book, 37-53.
Cathy Smilan joined UMass Dartmouth in 2007 and began serving as the Master of Art Education Graduate Program Director in 2009. She revised the program to include Pedagogy, Theory and Studio components; the fully online MAE was launched in Fall 2021. Her research interests in social justice art education, the environment, mindfulness pedagogy, and art-based inquiry are evidenced in the courses she teaches and in her presentations and publications. She serves as reviewer for the International Journal of Education through Art.