About the Director
Statement from Dr. Carol Edwards, Building Creative Futures Workshop Director:
The BCF workshop offers you hands-on experience within a studio environment, with practical applications to YOUR classroom setting. As an artist and educator myself, I know how very important it is for you to continue to fuel your passion for the creative process, in order that your passion can then be transferred to your students. Our primary goal at BCF is therefore to carve out sufficient time during the morning and early afternoon workshops for you to connect with your creative side.
In the late afternoons, I will lead the BCF seminars, which will give everyone the opportunity to reflect on the day’s studio activities, and to share ideas to fuel our growth as artist educators. I know that each workshop participant will bring a unique perspective to the workshop, because every teaching situation is different. It is this uniqueness, wedded to our common purpose, which will create the just right context for you to stretch yourself as an artist, and to make important connections to your teaching.
I know that your experiences in this workshop will be rich, relevant, and meaningful, for all the activities have been designed with you in mind. I look forward to working side by side with each of you.
Dr Carol Edwards' Biography:
Carol Edwards is the Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Texas Tech University. Previously, Dr. Edwards served as Dean of Western Washington University’s College of Fine and Performing Arts. She earned her doctorate in art education from Florida State University, a master’s degree from the University of Alabama, and a bachelor of fine arts from Mississippi University for Women. Dr. Edwards is a Professor of Art Education and she has taught art education and art theory/criticism courses. In collaboration with the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Dr. Edwards published Rings: Five Passions in World Art. A Multicultural Curriculum Handbook distributed by Crystal Productions. Dr. Edwards assisted in the construction of the Early and Middle Childhood Arts Standards for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Dr. Edwards was awarded a fellowship to attend the National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute at the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii where she studied South Asian culture and civilization. As a result of her interests and knowledge of South Asian cultures, she received a Chancellor’s Award to travel and study in India.
Dr. Edwards has been the recipient of numerous awards: Georgia Women in the Visual Arts Award, Kennesaw State University’s Distinguished Teaching Award, Georgia Board of Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award, Georgia Art Education Educator of the Year in Higher Education Award, and the Innovative Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Technology Award. Her memberships include Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society, the International Council of Fine Arts Deans, and the National Art Education Association.