Art Teacher: Job, Education, and Salary Information

Art teachers instruct, inspire and help students express themselves creatively. Through their art, people of all ages can not only explore their emotions, they can share them as well. They can also use art to explore their creativity and give free rein to their imaginations. As an art teacher, you will guide your students through all these processes and also instill in them a lifelong love of art in all its facets.

Art education includes a balance of theoretical and practical knowledge of art theory, color theory, design, art history, and other art-related subjects. The art curriculum in K-8 is broad and gets more concentrated in high school and college.

K-12 art teachers in public schools may work with students from kindergarten through secondary school, based on their certification. Teaching art at the college level or teaching K-12 at a private school doesn’t require certification. Most teachers don’t have to work during the summer months, although some teach summer school.

Our guide offers insights into the required education, salary and job outlook of the art teaching profession. Browse through the content or use the following links to jump to your desired destination:

At-a-glance: Art teachers

Art teacher job description

Art teachers work in school and community settings providing instruction on the basic principles of art as well as art history. Art teachers instruct their students in the knowledge and usage of skills and techniques of artistic expression. They foster creativity and provide the tools and techniques for students to share and explore their imagination and self-expression. But teaching art is more than just art projects. Students also learn about art history, color theory, composition, and elements of design.

Typical duties:

• Prepare lessons
• Provide and prepare supplies needed to complete the assignments
• Instruct students individually and in groups
• Use various teaching methods such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations
• Explain and demonstrate artistic techniques
• Evaluate and grade student classwork and projects
• Develop and enforce classroom rules
• Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions
• Participate in professional conferences
• Stay current on state and local standards
• Communicate with parents and administration

Who makes a good art teacher?

Additionally, a great art teacher is:

• An artist who is passionate about teaching
• Able to encourage creativity in others
• Resourceful
• Flexible
• Energized by working with young people
• Skilled in traditional 2D and 3D art techniques, as well as digital art tools

Art teachers in-depth

Art teachers at varying levels

Art education includes a balance of theoretical and practical knowledge of art theory, color theory, design, art history, and other art-related subjects. The art curriculum in K-8 is broad and gets more concentrated in high school and college.

The work environment of an art teacher depends on the art medium being taught and the age of the students involved. For instance, a class filled with young children will require lots of hands-on aid from their teacher. The environment for a college-level line-drawing class will probably be a quiet studio with good lighting and lots of open space for drawing tables. A pot-throwing class, on the other hand, will require work benches, potter’s wheels, and firing kilns.

A number of other factors come into play in deciding what education level to teach. These include:

• Range and breadth of art concepts: the higher the grade level, the more specialized the curriculum.
• Age and motor skill levels of students, from kindergarten to college.
• Local salary considerations and employment opportunities.

Elementary school art teachers

The creative environment of an art class — especially one that involves children — necessitates a certain amount of chaos. If you thrive in a noisy, busy, messy, unstructured environment, you will thrive as an elementary art teacher.

Elementary art teachers generally teach grades K-5 (children aged 5-12). Students in the lower grade levels are typically more excited to be in art class, and the art teacher can even be viewed as a celebrity in some schools. Elementary art teachers instruct classes each day and may teach in a single school or travel from school to school within a district.

The purpose of K-5 art classes is to inspire an interest in art and allow students to creatively express themselves through visual arts. Students learn basic skills in drawing, painting and crafts.

Middle school art teachers

Middle school art teachers generally teach students from grades 6-8 and are trained to understand the psychological, social, and intellectual development of children ages 11-14.

Teaching students of this age combines elements of teaching both high school and elementary school students. The time during middle school is when youth are most transformed. They enter as children and leave as teens. Having a strong understanding of adolescent psychology and being able to relate to this age group is important for middle school teachers.

Middle school art classes continue to refine students’ basic skills in art and begin lessons on various art theories and art history. Various elements of art are covered: shapes, textures, perspective, etc.

At this level, the skills and abilities of each student vary greatly. With this age group, the lessons are more complex, but the students may be less motivated to do the work because they doubt their skills and don’t want to appear foolish in front of their peers.

High school art teachers

Art classes at the lower levels are usually included as a standard course within the overall school curriculum. At the high school level, most classes are attended by students choosing to enroll as part of their elective course load.

High school classes allow a more concentrated and specific focus on one or more artistic mediums. Some of the more specific classes offered include ceramics, photography, video production, and computer animation. Art theory is further explored and students spend more time on creating art.

Many students at this level show an innate talent for artistic expression and seek guidance and support from their art teachers about college and career choices. Art teachers tend to be an inspiration for those wishing to make art a future career. These students often seek assistance in building portfolios and guidance on the next steps in creating a profession with their talents.

Postsecondary school art teachers

College art teachers help students develop their artistic techniques and give insight on how to market and build their creative portfolios.

Art professors prefer to teach their favored media, such as painting, drawing, digital media, or ceramics. Art professors typically show and sell their work, in addition to their teaching duties.

Postsecondary art teachers’ schedules tend to be more flexible than their K-12 counterparts. College teachers need to be on campus to teach classes and keep office hours. However, many postsecondary teachers typically spend some time, outside of their teaching and student advising duties, in carrying out administrative responsibilities such as serving on committees.

Art courses at the college level are more specialized than at the K-12 level. Subjects can include painting, drawing, graphic design, sculpture, photography, animation, media arts, and art history. Most college art professors must also have at least several years of professional artist experience in the medium they wish to teach.