Amber Ward

Dr. Amber Ward is Associate Professor in the Department of Art Education at Florida State University (FSU). Her scholarship is rooted in arts-informed research and explores how craft, feminism, and sustainability can nurture more just ways of being. Through creative approaches to inquiry, she considers who and what matters in teaching, striving to connect the outside world with humanity and art. This commitment shapes her book, Relational Encounters with Folk School Pedagogies: Craft as Creative Inquiry (Routledge, 2025), which explores contributions of folk school pedagogies to educational research. The book received a 2026 Publication Award from the National Art Education Association’s Ecology and Environment Interest Group. Drawing on her background in fibers, she has recently returned to a developing weaving practice.

Dr. Ward’s scholarship appears in journals such as Art Education, Art/Research International, International Review of Qualitative Research, Knowledge Cultures, Studies in Art Education, Qualitative Inquiry, and Visual Arts Research. She has served as Section Editor for Art/Research International, Editorial Review Board Member for Art Education and Visual Arts Research, Pacific Regional Director of the Higher Education Division for the National Art Education Association (NAEA), and Executive Officer (Membership/Treasurer) for the NAEA Ecology & Environment Interest Group.

Recognized for her commitment to teaching, she received the 2025 University Teaching Award for Excellence in Online Teaching through FSU. Dr. Ward holds a PhD and Certificate in Qualitative Research from the University of Missouri, an MAAE from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and a BFA with teacher certification from Colorado State University. Her nearly ten years as a middle school art teacher supports her university teaching.