The Department of Art and Art History is pleased to welcome Dr. Donalyn Heise to the Art Education and UTeach Art faculty as a Visiting Associate Professor this academic year.
Heise is an artist and art education consultant with over thirty years of experience in K-12 public and private arts education, as well as work within higher education. Her research focuses on the transformative power of art and its ability to foster resilience in diverse populations. Heise’s collaborative work includes art education in a variety of contexts, including out of school and urban art settings.
Her first book co-edited alongside Adrienne D. Hunter and Beverley H. Johns, Art for Children Experiencing Psychological Trauma: A Guide for Art Educators and School-Based Professionals, aimed to increase understanding of art’s potential to enhance learning for children living in crisis. Doug Blandy, former program director of the Arts and Administration Program at the University of Oregon, has written about the book, “…impressive in the breadth of topics covered by experienced professionals, [Art for Children Experiencing Psychological Trauma] is the desk reference for educators in the field and an authoritative text for students preparing to work with children in school- and community-based settings.”
In her recently released second book, Working with Students Who Have Anxiety, Heise again worked with Hunter and Johns to co-author a go-to guide for educators who strive to provide a welcoming environment conducive to students’ learning. Comprehensive and practical, the book covers the causes, signs and symptoms of anxiety; includes academic, behavioral and art-based interventions; and explores ethical and legal issues relating to students with anxiety.
Heise’s research has also been published in Studies in Art Education, Journal of Social Theory in Arts Education, Art Education Journal, Handbook of Arts Education and Special Education, and the Journal of Online Learning. She has received numerous grants and has conducted over 100 workshops and presentations at the state, regionally, nationally and internationally.
Heise has served as associate professor and Art Education program coordinator at the University of Memphis, Director for the Center for Innovation in Art Education at the University of Nebraska, and President of the State Art Education Association. Awards include the 2013 Tennessee Special Needs Art Educator of the Year award, 2010 Tennessee Art Educator of the Year, the 2010 NAEA Southeastern Region Higher Ed award, the 2009 NAEA VSA CEC Beverly Levett Gerber Special Needs Lifetime Achievement Award, 2007 Tennessee Higher Ed Art Educator of the Year and the Nebraska Art Teachers' Association Supervisor /Administrator of the Year Award.