A teacher watching two school chdren working on an art project

The program is one of 13 minors offered at Otis College.

Otis College of Art and Design recently announced the launch of the Art and Design Education minor, which prepares students for a range of careers as socially engaged artists, designers, and educators in diverse communities and contexts. By combining the Art and Design Education minor with one of nine BFA majors, an Otis College student can pursue work as an art and design educator in K-12 schools, museum education departments, community art centers, correctional facilities, therapeutic arts programs, public art programs, and design companies that focus on educational materials.

The Art and Design Education minor—one of 13 currently offered by the College’s Interdisciplinary Studies program—combines the two minors previously offered through the Artists Community Teaching (ACT) program. The new minor offers enhanced curricula that paves the way for students to earn a Single Subject in Art Teaching Credential with the State of California, and the option of waiving the Art CSET (California Subject Exam for Teachers), thus reducing the barrier to entry for rewarding careers in art and design education. More information about how the new minor addresses College-wide curricular changes, as well as state legislation around teaching requirements, can be found on the Interdisciplinary Studies web page.

Access to Exciting Teaching Careers

Students who complete the Art and Design Education minor will:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the practices and theories of art and design education and community engagement.
  • Be well-versed in the variety of career opportunities for K-12 and community-based teaching artists and designers.
  • Develop, and in some cases implement, in-person and online projects for school and/or community settings that are innovative, engaging, developmentally appropriate, and culturally responsive.
  • Synthesize and analyze the connections between history and theory of art and design education and community engagement and the realities of what happens in the classroom, studio, and/or community setting.
  • Develop and articulate the relationship between simultaneous and equally valued practices as artists/designers and educators.

“Since its founding in 2005 the curriculum in the ACT program has been grounded in preparing future educators to teach diverse learners,” says Michele Jaquis, the founding Director of the Interdisciplinary Studies program at Otis College, who will oversee the Art and Design Education minor after overseeing the ACT program since 2008. “In the past 14 years we have expanded the course content to include art therapy, museum education, socially engaged art, culturally responsive teaching, anti-biased and anti-racist teaching, universal design for learning, and teaching and learning in virtual environments. A focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and access will remain at the heart of this new Art and Design Education minor.”

With the increased state funding for K-12 visual and performing arts teachers through California Proposition 28, Otis College is excited to provide this important education to students who plan to pursue this growing career path.