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Sara Scott Shields

Associate Dean, Academic Affairs

Professor

Department of Art Education

Dr. Sara Scott Shields is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Fine Arts and Professor in the Department of Art Education. In her administrative role, she leads and supports initiatives related to academic affairs, curriculum development, accreditation, student success, strategic planning, and faculty development across the college’s disciplines, including art, design, dance, theatre, and art history. She has served in multiple leadership positions at FSU, including Department Chair of Art Education, and has helped guide initiatives focused on curricular innovation, enrollment growth, interdisciplinary collaboration, and institutional effectiveness.

As a scholar and educator, Dr. Shields’ work focuses on art education, arts-based research, civic engagement, and interdisciplinary teaching and learning. Her research explores the intersections of art, education, community engagement, and public life, with particular attention to creative inquiry, speculative thinking, and the role of the arts in fostering civic imagination and creative problem solving. She actively mentors graduate students and collaborates on projects that connect contemporary art practices, education, and community-based research.

Contact and Files

Education

PhD, University of Georgia. Major: Art. Art Education
Supervisor: Dr. Tracie Costantino.

MAEd, East Carolina University. Major: Art Education
Supervisor: Dr. Alice Arnold.

BFA, East Carolina University. Major: Art Education and Ceramics
Supervisor: Dr. Nancy House and Seo Eo.

Teaching Areas

Art Education Theory and Practice II (ARE5047)
Contemporary and Historical Issues in Art Education (ARE5246)
Arts-Based Research (ARE5935)
Qualitative Research (ARE5935)
Research Survey (ARE5745)
Student Teaching in Art (ARE5940)
Professional Practices Seminar (ARE5950)

Research Areas

Interdisciplinary art education, civically engaged art education, arts-based educational research, practitioner research, curriculum and pedagogy, visual journaling, teacher education

Select Scholarly/Creative Works & Awards

  • Fendler, R., & Shields, S. S. (2025). Curricularizing social movements: Intersecting art, pedagogy, and social change. Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education, 42(1), 11-28.
  • Williams, R., & Shields, S. S. (2025). Visual Journaling in Secondary Art Classrooms: A National Survey of Art Teachers. International Journal of Art & Design Education 44(3), 613-627.
  • Fendler, R., & Shields, S. S. (2024). Civics and the Arts: Developing Cultural Citizenship within Art Education. In Promoting civic engagement through art education (pp. 13-25). Routledge.
  • Shields, S. S., & Fendler, R. (2023). Developing a curriculum model for civically engaged art education: Engaging youth through artistic research. Routledge.
  • Shields, S. S., & Fendler, R. (2023). Developing Civically Engaged Art Education: Interdisciplinary Approaches for a (Post?) Pandemic World. In Global Shifts in Qualitative Inquiry (pp. 55-72). Routledge.
  • Shields, S. S., Fendler, R., & Henn, D. (2020). A vision of civically engaged art education: Teens as arts-based researchers. Studies in Art Education, 61(2), 123-141.