Kent State University School of Art senior lecturer, Juliann Dorff, has been named The Ohio Art Educator of the Year for her outstanding contributions and commitment to art education. The OAEA Art Educator of the Year award is given to art educators who have previously received other OAEA awards within their division. Recipients have exhibited dedication to OAEA and art education over their years in the field.
Juliann Dorff is the former president of the Special Needs in Art Education Interest Group of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) and currently is a senior lecturer of Art Education at Kent State University. Over the years, she has presented at the OAEA, NAEA, and CEC conferences and was one of 50 invited participants at Examining the Intersection of Arts Education and Special Education: A National Forum sponsored by the Kennedy Center in 2012.
Juliann Dorff has been recognized as a Friend of the Kent Public Schools for establishing collaborative partnerships with educators to provide art education students with knowledge and experience to address the needs of exceptional students. Additionally, Kent State University awarded her the Outstanding Teaching Award.
Outside of the classroom, Juliann Dorff co-authored four editions of the VSA Teacher Resource. The series outlines visual arts lesson plans meant to engage students with disabilities. She has also published on the importance of collaboration in art education and best practice strategies for preparing art educators to teach all children.
Her accomplishments include:
- Active OAEA and NAEA member for over 20 years.
- Actively engaged in the field of art education through serving as a keynote speaker, author, and conference presenter at NAEA, OAEA, and Council for Exceptional Children.
- Collaboratively developed Innovative curricula and methodology at Kent State University since 2012.
- NAEA Special Needs in Art Education Presidential Cycle (2013 - 2019)
- President of the Division of Visual and Performing Arts Education a division of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
- Beverly Levitt Gerber Lifetime Achievement Award (2018).
- Co-Chair of the Fine Arts Standards Revision Advisory Ohio Department of Education Committee (2019).
- Member of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Art VSA Special Education Professional Development Content Committee (2020).
- Published four book chapters, four journal articles, seven leadership reports, five co-written curriculum guides, and one white paper.
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