Biography
Kristi Oliver, PhD is currently the Professional Development Manager for Davis Publications in Worcester, MA, a company committed to helping art educators since 1901. Drawing from over 15 years of teaching experience in both high school and university settings, Dr. Oliver aims to assist communities in providing high quality art education experiences for all learners, students and teachers alike.
She earned a PhD in Educational Studies from Lesley University where her research explored the perspectives of high school photography teachers regarding visual literacy. Her research interests include visual literacy, 21st century art education, contemporary photography, slow pedagogy, contemplative practice, and the creative process. Her research has been published in the International Journal of Education Through Art, and the Dev Sanskriti: Interdisciplinary International Journal the and is featured in books titled Critical Digital Making and Revolutionizing Arts Education in K-12 Classroom through Technological Integration. She is a contributing editor for The Visual Experience 4th edition and various School Arts Collections. She currently serves as editor of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) publication, Translations, which aims to bridge research and practice to assist all art educators in understanding the importance and applicability of research in the field of art education.
Dr. Oliver has presented at numerous conferences including the International Visual Literacy Conference, the International Society for Education through Art (InSEA) World Congress, American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, the International Transformative Learning Conference, the World Alliance for Arts Education Conference, as well as state association conferences and National Art Education Association conventions.
A practicing studio artist, her artwork has been featured in numerous gallery exhibitions as well as in the publications Developing a Visually Reflective Practice: A Model for Professional Self-Study, The Little Book of Books, and Well Wed Magazine.
In 2020, Dr. Oliver was honored with the Eastern Region Award by the National Art Education Association. She has previously been awarded the Massachusetts Art Educator of the Year and the Secondary Art Educator of the Year. Additionally, she was honored as an Outstanding Arts Advocate in Art Education by Arts|Learning, a Kennedy Center Affiliate. She served as the President of the Massachusetts Art Education Association (MAEA) an affiliate of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) and currently serves on the NAEA Research Commission. Dr. Oliver is currently serving as the NAEA Eastern Region Vice-President Elect. Dr. Oliver also served as the Program Director for Art All-State Massachusetts, an annual award-winning, nationally recognized program that brought together professional artists and high school juniors for an intense collaborative artmaking experience.