by JACKSON LEVER
Intern News Reporter

The North Carolina Art Education Association named Victoria “Vicky” Grube as the Higher Education Art Educator of the Year for 2008-09.

Grube is an assistant art professor at Appalachian State University.

According to the NCAEA Web site, the organization is a non-profit association dedicated to the advancement of visual arts education in the state of North

Carolina and is the state chapter of the National Art Education Association.

“To her university students as well as her younger students in workshops, Vicky is a
creative spirit,” Marilyn C. Smith, interim chairperson for the Art Department said. “Vicky’s students consider her to be a fun-loving, enthusiastic teacher and passionate about art education.”

Grube was nominated by Pat K. Morrison, an Ashe County High School art educator.

According to the NCAEA, division award nominees must spend at least 51 percent of their workday in the job division in which they have been nominated and the award nominator must submit a letter along with at least two letters of support.

“This is a great honor and recognition for one of our faculty and for our Art Education Program,” Smith said.

Grube is currently teaching an honors course on graphic novels and has taught a performance arts course open to all majors.

Since arriving at Appalachian, she has also developed early childhood development courses.

“I am flattered to receive this award. It is an effort to understand art making and the meanings that occur in the manipulation of materials,” Grube said. “If children and adolescents have the opportunity to make what has meaning for them, without censorship, they will experience reflection and real thinking.”

Grube has accompanied students to Reggio Emilia, Italy to observe alternative teaching methods in the past.

Smith said Grube continues to explore different ways she can help students become stronger art educational professionals.

“Vicky is intellectually curious and interested in many topics that she shares with her students,” she said.

Aside from teaching, Grube has offered several workshops in the Community Art School Program through the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts.

Her eight-week puppet workshop resulted in a puppet theater performance.

“She is both fun-loving and serious,” Smith said. “Her teaching methods [are] based in research in which she is continually engaged.”

Grube spoke at the Art Education Panel Monday at 5 p.m. in the Turchin Center.

The panel was sponsored by the Art Education Club, the student chapter of the NCAEA at Appalachian.

Grube will be nominated for the national level award after receiving the North Carolina award, if she chooses to pursue the nomination. 

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Show/Hide comments