Assistant Professor Christina Hanawalt Elected a Division Director of NAEA

Assistant Professor of Art Education Christina Hanawalt has been elected as a Division Director-Elect of Higher Education of the National Art Education Association (NAEA). 

A 15-member Board of Directors serves as the governing authority to advance the Association’s mission, determine its goals and priorities, provide strategic direction and fiduciary oversight. All positions are elected by members with the exception of the Executive Director.

The Division Directors-Elect will begin their terms as Elects at the conclusion of the NAEA Board of Directors meeting in Boston. During their terms, they will work closely with their respective Division Director in leading work related to their Division. The Division Directors-Elect will then join the Board of Directors as Division Directors at the conclusion of the NAEA Board of Directors meeting in 2021 in Chicago.

The mission of the NAEA is to advance visual arts education to fulfill human potential and promote global understanding. Governed by members, for members, the NAEA was founded in 1947. The National Art Education Association is the leading professional membership organization exclusively for visual arts educators. Members include elementary, middle, and high school visual arts educators; college and university professors; university students preparing to become art educators; researchers and scholars; teaching artists; administrators and supervisors; and art museum educators—as well as more than 54,000 students who are members of the National Art Honor Society.

Christina Hanawalt earned a B.S. in Art Education from The Pennsylvania State University, after which she taught high school art in Fairfax County Public Schools in northern Virginia. While teaching, Christina earned her M.A. in Art Education from the Maryland Institute College of Art. After moving back to Pennsylvania, Christina taught introductory art history and art appreciation courses at several colleges and universities. Most recently, Christina earned her PhD in Art Education with a minor in Curriculum and Instruction from The Pennsylvania State University. Christina’s doctoral research examined the experiences of new art teachers using a theory of collage as critical practice as a framework for generating new understandings of what it means to be an art teacher in contemporary public schools, especially given their entanglement in the widespread audit and standardization culture of education. Beyond her dissertation work, Christina has also been pursuing historical research of an early 20th century art educator from Massachusetts. Christina has published in journals such as The Journal of Social Theory in Art Education and Studies in Art Education.

To learn more about NAEA governance and leadership opportunities, visit the Governance web page.