Belmont’s Art Department recently received several awards from The Tennessee Art Education Association (TAEA) to recognize the success of faculty and students in the field of art education. TAEA is a state-level branch within the larger National Art Education Association (NAEA) that supports education in and through the visual arts.
Among the awards received, the department was awarded the “Friend of TAEA” honor, which aimed to recognize Belmont’s Gallery Director Katie Boatman for her support of the Middle Tennessee Regional Student Art Exhibition. The exhibition displays art from 6th through 12th grade students and has been organized and hosted by Belmont for the last three years with Boatman as the main exhibition organizer.
TAEA’s “Pre-Service Art Educator of the Year” award recognized current student Lindsey McCartin for her accomplishments in and commitment to teaching art. This recognition marks the second consecutive year in which a Belmont student has received the honor, given to art education student Shannon Carey in 2015. McCartin has an active leadership role in Belmont’s student chapter of NAEA and was also named as the 2015-2016 “Larkin Art Educator of the Year.”
Assistant Professor of Art Dr. Justin Makemson was also recognized by receiving the “Middle Region Art Educator of the Year” award. The award recognizes Makemson as an outstanding educator in the Middle Tennessee. This honor, and two additional regional awards and one overall Tennessee educator award, are given from the organization.
Makemson discussed the amount of honor surrounding the annual TAEA awards and his pride in the Art Department’s accomplishments. “All award winners were nominated by TAEA members and their accomplishments considered and juried by the state leadership board’s awards committee. In terms of prestige, these are the highest honors available to art teachers and future art teachers at the state level. Winners are put into similar categories for consideration of national-level NAEA awards,” Makemson said. “I am very proud of the achievements of my colleague Katie and of course of my student winners.”
