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Delta State’s Lewis honored as Mississippi Art Educator of the Year

By April 7, 2006General

Dr. Kathryn Lewis works with Delta State junior, Aimee Guido of Natchez. Lewis was recently recognized as the Mississippi Art Educator of the Year.

  

Dr. Kathryn Lewis, assistant professor of art at Delta State University, was recently recognized as the Mississippi Art Educator of the Year by the National Art Education Association at NAEA national convention in Chicago.

The award honors an outstanding member from each state or province association whose service and contribution to art education merits recognition and acclaim.

NAEA President, Susan Gabbard observed, “This award is being given to recognize excellence in professional accomplishment and service by a dedicated art educator. Dr. Lewis exemplifies the highly qualified individuals active in the field of art education today: leaders, teachers, students, scholars and advocates who give their best to the profession. We are proud to recognize Dr. Kathryn Cascio Lewis.”

The membership of NAEA includes elementary, secondary, middle level and high school art teachers in 50 states, representatives from America’s major art museums, State Departments of Education, art councils and major colleges and universities throughout the United States and 66 foreign countries.

Of her honor, Lewis offered, “I was very honored to receive this award, especially from such a wonderful group of people. The members of the Mississippi Art Education Association throughout the state are very supportive and dedicated to ensuring that all children in Mississippi receive a quality art education as part of their general education.”

Lewis began her tenure with Delta State in 2001 and quickly made her presence felt, both in the community and on campus, as at the start of the 2004-2005 academic term, she assisted with the launch of a new master’s degree program in art education.

The program works to assist those graduates with degrees in fine art in becoming certified, as well as catering to those with undergraduate degrees in art education in furthering their schooling. Lewis, herself, completed training through Delta State’s award-winning Faculty Technology Institute to learn how to create online courses to better meet the needs of her students.

A member of NAEA and president-elect of Mississippi Art Education Association, Lewis has also authored several successful grant proposals, including a service-learning faculty fellowship from the Center for Community and Civic Engagement at Southern Mississippi and a project grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission to conduct the artist training.

A member of the Fine Arts Frameworks Revision Advisory Committee for the Mississippi Department of Education, Lewis has been a part of the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Whole Schools Initiative since her arrival to the Magnolia state in 1999. Additionally, she serves on the board of the Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education.

A native of Monroe, La., Lewis received her bachelor’s degree in art from Millsaps College, her master’s degree in art education from the University of Alabama. Her doctorate degree in art education with a minor in curriculum and instruction would be conferred by Penn State University.

She and her husband, Pratt, currently reside in Greenville, with their two children. The couple is expecting their third child in August.