Melissa Hronkin, MFA 1998, is the 2014 National Elementary Art Educator of the Year. NAEA is the professional association for art educators, including art educators throughout the United States and many foreign countries. This prestigious award recognizes the exemplary contributions, service, and achievements of one outstanding NAEA member annually at the National level within their division. It will be presented at the NAEA National Convention in San Diego, California, March 29-31, 2014.

Melissa Hronkin’s personal philosophy, statement about Art Education:

Creativity is not just about making artifacts such as a drawing, painting or sculpture; it is about moving people with an idea. This is a very exciting time to be involved in art education, and it is an honor and a privilege to work with my young students every day. They give me hope and remind me to stay present in the moment. The arts provide the vocabulary for meaning-making that is an essential aspect within the curriculum, and for making sense of our ever-changing world.

As an adolescent, I would go out with my camera and capture or define my reality through pictures. I still do this, and it is as much about the process: the slowing down, communing and noticing as it is about the pictures that result. It is my hope that through art education we can give students the tools that will help them to make sense of the world around them or at least create the narratives that will empower them to feel like they have a voice and a story to tell.