Integrating cultural art processes into K-12 education
Art and storytelling are powerful means of expression that enable us to unravel and convey the various dimensions of our identity. Recognizing the value of creative expression in personal and academic growth, educators have increasingly sought ways to bring the arts into the classroom. In recent decades, there has been a growing focus on “arts integration”—an educational approach that merges the instruction of an art form with core academic subjects to enrich learning and engagement.
Background
In May 2020, I joined the Asian Pacific American Center (APAC) at the Smithsonian Institution to contribute to a grant-funded initiative focused on developing a module series for K–12 educators. This series featured arts integration lesson plans co-created by educators and Asian American Pacific Islander artists.
Project Outputs
Four modules, hosted on a web page, each consisting of:
A lesson plan guide co-created by an educator and an Asian American Pacific Islander artist
A webinar providing an overview and discussion of the lesson plan
A digital visual supplement designed to support educators in delivering the lesson
Team
Andrea Kim Neighbors, APAC, Manager of Education Initiatives
Tiffany McGettigan, Hirshorn Museum, Youth Program Manager
Nathan Kawanishi, APAC, Graphic Designer
Timeframe
May 2020 - November 2020 (7 months)
Methodology
We held four facilitated, semi-structured sessions with each artist and educator pair, totaling 16 sessions.
The first two sessions for each pair focused on understanding their creative processes and perspectives.
The final two used those insights to collaboratively ideate and develop lesson plans.
My Role
In this project, I . . .
Led foundational research on arts integration to inform our approach to sessions
Conducted stakeholder conversations to align on project goals
Facilitated eight sessions (four for each artist-educator pair), and co-facilitated the remaining sessions with my colleague.
Created visual supplements for the lesson plans
Contributed to the written website content
Moderated audience participation during webinars
Supported logistics such as scheduling and event coordination
Laying the groundwork: Defining Effective Arts Integration
To inform the design of our collaborative lesson planning process, I conducted foundational research on how arts integration is defined and practiced across major arts organizations and school districts. This synthesis helped establish a shared language and surfaced core principles for building effective partnerships between artists and educators.
From a design research perspective, this phase helped us identify the needs, goals, and values of both groups—treating them as co-designers in a user-centered process. Key insights included:
Arts integration is an instructional approach, not just content enhancement—it uses the arts as a method for teaching core subjects (Kennedy Center, EducationCloset, CPS).
Dual learning objectives are critical—lessons should support growth in both the art form and academic content (EducationCloset, Monmouth Arts, NAEA).
Collaboration is foundational—effective integration requires lessons to be co-developed, not retrofitted (CAPE, Edutopia, Shawna Longo).
Process over product—emphasizing inquiry, creativity, and student reflection aligns with both artistic and educational practices (Kennedy Center, Creative Learning Initiative).
Curriculum alignment and accessibility—arts-integrated strategies must work within existing instructional structures without adding burden to educators (CLI, Monmouth Arts).
These insights directly shaped the design of our facilitated discussions—ensuring that both artist and educator voices were centered, and that the resulting lessons were pedagogically sound, collaborative, and grounded in real classroom contexts.
Engaging Artists and Educators: Collaborative Sessions and Interviews
Our central research question was: Where do the artistic and educational approaches intersect, and how can these shared values guide the co-creation of effective lesson plans?
Building on foundational research into arts integration—which emphasizes collaboration, dual learning goals, and using the arts as an instructional approach—we engaged artist-educator pairs in semi-structured sessions to better understand their values, processes, and priorities. These conversations aimed to uncover shared practices and insights to inform lesson design.
To kick off a session when I facilitated, I asked both artist and educator:
How did you become an artist/educator? What motivates you to continue your work?
What aspect of your practice are you most focused on currently?
What message(s) do you aim to communicate through your work/approach?
How has your creative or teaching process helped you respond to and engage with important social issues?
This approach allowed us to identify key overlaps and unique perspectives, creating a strong foundation for collaborative, meaningful lesson plans. Following these initial conversations, we synthesized emerging themes and iteratively built upon them in subsequent sessions to co-create lesson plans that reflected the evolving insights of both artist and educator.
Sample Collaboration: Artist Helen Zughaib & Educator Shawna Longo
“An artist’s responsibility is to tell a story. ”
Session #1:
I facilitated a space for each to share their personal and professional journeys.
Helen: Her family’s migration from Damascus and how global crises shape her work
Shawna: Became an educator after a medical diagnosis.
Session #3:
The third session began with a synthesis I prepared to distill emerging themes. We then began co-ideating a lesson plan, ultimately deciding to focus on early childhood education—a space where social-emotional learning is especially challenging. A key insight was the importance of creating space for emotional expression through visual art, without requiring students to verbalize personal stories.
Session #2:
Building on this, I crafted targeted questions to help them reflect more deeply on their practices.
For Helen, I asked about her strategies for connecting historical narratives to present-day events and how she approaches timelessness in storytelling.
For Shawna, I invited her to reflect on lessons or approaches that have helped students connect past and present, and what she hoped to explore in this collaboration.
Session #4:
By the fourth session, we had shaped the core activity: a portrait-based project where students either depict themselves or someone they admire. This lesson drew from Helen’s artistic emphasis on identity and recognition, aiming to foster pride, empathy, and a sense of being seen in the classroom.
Impact
The co-designed lessons developed through our sessions directly informed the final “Making Art” module series, now published by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. These publicly available resources support educators in teaching identity, empathy, and cultural storytelling through art. The project demonstrates how collaborative design can create meaningful, adaptable tools for classroom use.
View the final product below.
Reflections
Facilitating these artist-educator sessions sharpened my ability to ask open-ended questions, synthesize complex narratives, and guide interdisciplinary collaboration—all core skills in UX research. I learned how to identify shared goals across different stakeholders, translate abstract ideas into actionable outputs, and iterate based on evolving conversations.