Fort Worth, TX, December 17, 2004—The Texas Art Education Association recently named Nora Christie, Amon Carter Museum tour programs manager, as the 2004 Texas Outstanding Art Educator of the Year, Museum Division. The award was presented last month at TAEA’s annual conference in Galveston, Texas.

The Texas Art Education Association’s mission is to raise the standards of art education throughout the state, to promote art as an integral part of the curriculum, and to represent the art educators of Texas.

Christie joined the Amon Carter Museum in August 2002. She supervises a volunteer docent corps who conduct adult tours and a team of professional gallery teachers who collaborate with her in developing school programs that are linked directly to curricular standards, are relevant to students’ interests, and use strategies that keep students engaged with the works of art. Her other achievements at the Carter include coordinating and leading docent training sessions that focus on engaging families and adult audiences; making presentations at the TAEA and National Art Education Association conferences; writing teacher resource material and articles for Carter publications; chairing the Carter’s museum assessment committee; and contributing to the Site-Based Decision-Making Team at Fort Worth’s Oakhurst Elementary School.

“My goal is to foster the development of stronger relationships between museums and schools,” Christie said. “I realize that many students visit an art museum only once in their school careers. I feel fortunate to work at the Carter, where I can collaborate with teachers and administrators to make the most of this unique opportunity, by connecting museum visits with curricular requirements, students’ prior knowledge, and personal interests. I do this with the hope that students will leave the museum with a hint of the limitless potential of art objects to teach us about the world, past and present.”