West Virginia Art Education Association

🎨📚 WVAEA is back at work advocating for art education! 🖌️🏫

Our WVAEA leadership team is always working behind the scenes—and sometimes in front of the camera—to make sure the voices of West Virginia’s art educators are heard! 💪🎨

This month, Advocacy Chair Casey Aldrich and President Tessa Garver-Daniels were interviewed for a WV News back-to-school article.

We are proud to advocate for art educators, our students, and the essential role of the arts in West Virginia schools. ❤️💛💙

👀 Check out the article and see what they had to say!

Public school teachers express education concerns ahead of back-to-school Quick take:

✂️ Favorite Supply

You can only keep ONE art supply...what is it?

🎨 Tempera Paint
✏️ Sharpies
🖍 Oil Pastels
✂️ Scissors
📄 Construction Paper
🖌 Paint Brushes
✨ Something else?

Defend your choice!

🎨 Back-to-School Bucket List

Before students arrive, I want to...

☐ Finish decorating
☐ Organize supplies
☐ Create lesson plans
☐ Make samples
☐ Label everything
☐ Remember where I put everything

What would you add?

❤️ Community Post

Whether you're excited, nervous, or somewhere in between, remember you're part of an amazing community of art educators.

Here's to another year of creativity, encouragement, and making a difference—one student at a time. WVAEA is cheering you on every step of the way!

This is a good opportunity. Check it out

16th Annual National Juried Exhibition Marshall University’s School of Art & Design is pleased to invite artists to submit entries for the 16th Annual National Juried Exhibition. Accepted works will be exhibited at the Charles W. and Norma C. Carroll Gallery located in the Visual Arts Center in Huntington, West Virginia, from January 1...

😂 Just for Fun

Finish the sentence...

You know you're an art teacher when ____________________.

🎨 Creative Recharge

What creative hobby helped you recharge this summer?

🎨 Painting
📸 Photography
🧶 Fiber Arts
🏺 Pottery
🌱 Gardening
📖 Reading
🎶 Music
🍳 Cooking

🌞 One Last Summer Adventure

☀️ Before the school year begins...

What's ONE thing you still want to do before it's time to head back to school?

🎣 Go fishing
🏖 Visit the beach
🎨 Make your own art
📚 Read a good book
🌿 Go hiking
🍦 Eat ice cream
😴 Sleep in

Tell us in the comments!

🎉 WVAEA is Excited to Welcome Our New Region 6 Chair, Elissa Greathouse! 🎨

Please join us in welcoming Elissa Greathouse as the new West Virginia Art Education Association Region 6 Chair!

Elissa is an accomplished art educator and artist who lives in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia in Hancock County. She has dedicated the past 13 years to teaching art, including ten years at Oak Glen High School, two years at Weir Middle School, and one year teaching in Virginia. In addition to her K–12 work, she serves as an instructor at Northern Community College, where she teaches Art Appreciation and Education courses.

Elissa earned both her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Arts in Art Education from West Virginia University. An active artist, she works primarily in painting, printmaking, and mixed media, creating pieces that capture a sense of whimsy and nostalgia, often inspired by the 1980s and 1990s. Her artwork has been featured in numerous exhibitions across the region and beyond, including the 18th Annual Best of West Virginia Juried Exhibition at Tamarack.

Beyond the classroom and studio, Elissa is a member of the Hancock County Arts Council and Delta Kappa Gamma, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Josh, and their two dogs, Merlin and Cali.

Elissa brings enthusiasm, creativity, and a genuine passion for art education to everything she does. We are excited to have her join the WVAEA leadership team and know she will be a wonderful advocate for the art educators of Region 6.

Please help us give Elissa a warm WVAEA welcome! 🎉

Congratulations, Elissa, and welcome aboard! 💙💛

— Tessa Garver-Daniels
President, West Virginia Art Education Association