Education Resources

Education Resources

https://theartofeducation.edu/2016/06/june-art-tool-social-advocacy/
At The Art of Education, we’re former art teachers and lifelong creatives who believe in the
power of art—and the people who teach it.

https://www.antiracistartteachers.org/anti-racist-art-lessons
Find ideas & inspiration. Art lessons to help remove biases, stereotypes, and false narratives.

https://pulitzercenter.org/sites/default/files/exploring_personal_connections_to_social_justice_through_social_emotional_learning_unit_plan_tracy_crowley.pdf

This short unit allows students to approach a variety of racial justice topics and connect those topics to themselves and their communities through a lens of social-emotional learning. Students will study journalism as a craft while exploring racial justice themes. After exploring different forms of art, students will choose one or more modalities to create an Amplifier art piece that expresses their personal connection to the theme of racial justice

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https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/art_socialjustice/

Many artists create work that intersects with political activism and social justice causes. Throughout history, art has been used as an accessible tool for communication, raising awareness about social issues and affecting positive change. This video collection will introduce students to artists who create work that inspires dialogue about problems faced by communities around the world, and will provide inspiration for classroom projects with a social, public or political purpose.

Anti-Racist Art Teachers: Provides extensive anti-racist, equity-focused curricula compiled by educators to address systemic discrimination. [1, 2, 3]

Favianna Rodriguez Hands-on Art Guides: Downloadable, actionable toolkits—such as stencil-making, banner design, and coloring activities—rooted in immigrant rights and racial justice. [1]

NEA Art for Activism: The National Education Association offers lesson ideas, toolkits, and frameworks integrating gender empowerment, LGBTQ+ support, and decolonization into art classrooms.

LACMA Art & Social Justice Course: An online teacher course that examines how artists over the last century have spoken out against injustice, built using the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s permanent collection. [1, 2]

Studio Museum in Harlem Lesson Plans: Specific, step-by-step curriculum focusing on using collage and painting to address social issues and student agency.

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NAEA Position Statement on Social Justice Art Curriculum  https://www.arteducators.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/NAEA-Position-Statement-on-Social-Justice-Art-Curriculum_2025.pdf

Platform: Curriculum Position Statement on Social Justice Art Curriculum [Adopted April 2024] Social justice is the pursuit of liberating and empowering all people, regardless of their identity, personal perspective, background, or circumstances, by taking action to eliminate systemic inequities. NAEA supports the development and implementation of a social justice curriculum within the visual arts, media, and design curricula. When using a social justice curriculum, consider the following… A social justice art curriculum is an educational framework that aims to explore, interrupt, and address issues of systemic and individualized inequities through artistic expression and action. The curriculum should empower students to utilize art as a means to generate significant positive social change. It does so by delving into subjects such as identity, diversity, justice, power, community, and other relevant themes. A social justice art curriculum encourages students to see art and creative processes as powerful tools for social transformation. A social justice art curriculum aims to nurture socially conscious artists who use their creative skills to examine and challenge systemic injustices, dispel negative tropes, and create new narratives. A social justice art curriculum is essential because it gives students the tools to engage meaningfully with the world around them, fostering a sense of agency and a commitment to creating a more just and equitable society through their artistic and creative expression.

Resources

Derman-Sparks, L., & J.O. Edwards, & C.M. Goins. (2020). Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. 2nd ed NAEYC.
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/books/anti-bias-education

Dewhurst, M. (2014). Social Justice Art: A Framework for Activist Art Pedagogy. Harvard Education Press. https://hep.gse.harvard.edu/9781612507361/social-justice-art/

Education Amplifier: https://amplifier.org/education/

EPIC Arts Program at RedLine: https://www.redlineart.org/epicarts

Hicks, B.L. (2016) Beyond this or that: Challenging the limits of binary language in elementary education through poetry, word art, and creative bookmaking in Miller, S. (Ed.). (2016). Teaching, affirming, and recognizing trans and gender creative youth : A queer literacy framework. Palgrave Macmillan https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56766-6

Hochtritt, L., Ploof, J., & Quinn, T. (2012). Art and social justice education : culture as commons. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203852477

Keifer-Boyd, K., Knight, W. B., Pérez de Miles, A., Ehrlich, C. E., Lin, Y.-J., & Holt, A. (2023). Teaching and assessing social justice art education : power, politics, and possibilities. Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Teaching-and-Assessing-Social-Justice-Art-Education-Power-Politics-and/Keifer-Boyd-Knight-Miles-Ehrlich-Lin-Holt/p/book/9781032025186

Resources continued

Kraehe, A., & Acuff, J. B. (2021). Race and art education. Davis Publications, Inc. https://www.davisart.com/art-education-resources/race-and-art-education/

Learning For Justice (2023) Social Justice Standards*. Retrieved September 21, 2023 from https://www.learningforjustice.org/frameworks/social-justice-standards

Peterson, A., Hattam, R., Zembylas, M., & Arthur, J. (Eds.). (2016). The Palgrave international handbook of education for citizenship and social justice (1st ed. 2016.). Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51507-0

Rolling Jr., J.H. (June 10, 2020) An open letter to art educators on constructing an anti-racist agenda. NAEA
Black Lives Matter: An Open Letter to Art Educators on Constructing an Anti-Racist Agenda

Sholette, G. & Bass, C. (Eds.). (2018). A*rt as social action : an introduction to the principles and practices of teaching social practice art*. Allworth Press, an Imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/allworth-press/9781621535522/art-as-social-action/

Arts Education Resources