UC Irvine Launches Teaching Artist Certificate Program to Empower Future Arts Educators

By Sofia Del Fine
April 23, 2025

The Claire Trevor School of the Arts, the School of Education, and the Division of Continuing Education (DCE) at UC Irvine have partnered to launch the Teaching Artist Certificate program, an initiative designed to prepare students to become the next generation of art educators. 

To celebrate the launch, the Schools co-hosted Inspired Minds: A Salon for Arts in Education on April 20. The panel event featured Dean Krissy Collins (DCE) as moderator, alongside Dean Tiffany Lopez (School of the Arts) and UC Irvine alumnae Chantrell M. Lewis and Meghan Minguez-Marshall, both accomplished art educators. 

The panel explored how the Teaching Artist Certificate program blends artistic practice with robust pedagogical training, equipping artists with the tools to become effective educators while continuing to evolve their own creative work. By strengthening the connection between education and the arts, this new program opens professional pathways for emerging artists and reinforces the essential role of creativity in the classroom.
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To learn more about the Teaching Artist Certificate or explore ways to support career development opportunities for artists, please contact: Fatima Rizvi-Flores, Associate Director of Development at Claire Trevor School of the Arts, [email protected], (949) 824-8750.

The School of Education's Duane
Rohrbacher (left), Susan Toma-Berge and Michael Hebert attended the event.