TeenLife 2023 Your Future In Arts Guide

STUDENT
TESTIMONIAL:
K. Lynn Robinson
UNIVERSITY OF
ARIZONA COLLEGE
OF FINE ARTS
Why Did You Choose To Attend The University
of Arizona?
My journey to my Ph.D. has been long and windy
but in the best way possible. I started at the
University of North Carolina with a degree in
Military History, and then 6 years later I received
my Master’s in Heritage Preservation. After that,
I came to the University of Arizona for my Ph.D.
in Art & Visual Culture Education. All are very
different but I believe in many ways each degree
talks to the next, and art education was the way to
make those degrees more public-facing and have
an impact beyond the academic world which has
been extremely important to me.
I really wanted an education in the art ed field
that was different than what the majority of
schools could provide. The University of Arizona
approaches art education with a social justice lens
and really engages students in critical thinking and
solution-making that is culturally relevant for the
diverse student groups we hope to teach.
What Did You Hope To Get Out of This Program,
and Did You Achieve It?
It’s refreshing to move away from the traditional
and toward something new that students in the
art education program get to co-create. We are all
a part of the future of art education and we can
feel it through our lessons and our community
engagement. I feel like my own personal research
is thriving because of this style of teaching and it
inspires the ways I might teach my own students.
Did You Have To Prepare for This Program in Any Way?
I don’t think there is any way to prepare for the unknown. I had
a general idea of what art education was but I was immediately
confronted with something different in my first classes. My advisor
let me know that it wasn’t a bad idea to come into the program
without an art education foundation because it allowed me a fresh
mind to make new knowledge through the program.
What Was a Typical Day Like at the University of Arizona?
A typical day at the University is a bunch of running around. I wake
up pretty early for the gym to get my mind going and then it’s a mad
dash to meetings, teaching my undergrad courses, my own classes,
and adding to my research. A lot busier than undergrad but with the
same goals in mind— a career!
What was the Most Memorable Moment of Your Time at the
University of Arizona?
This may sound corny, but walking across campus the first time
was memorable. It was in the middle of the height of the pandemic
and most people were still away from campus, but being able to
experience how grand and absolutely gorgeous the University of
Arizona campus blew me away. I won’t say it beats attending the
Carolina-Duke game for three years in a row at the Dean Dome, but
it really is high up on the list.
26
2023 TeenLife Guide to Your Future In Arts