Two colorful ceramic figurines on a rock, resembling whimsical monster faces, with a waterfall in the background.
Ceramic mugs with whimsical monster designs on a stone surface outdoors.
Whimsical ceramic monster planter with wide eyes and sharp teeth, containing a plant with green and purple leaves, placed on a stone surface outdoors.
Ceramic cup with a purple cartoon monster design, featuring a big grin and green horns, placed on rocks with a waterfall in the background.
Colorful ceramic pot with whimsical face and decorative details on a stone surface.

Who is Dr. A

Tina M. Atkinson is a strategic team-builder, organized arts mastermind, paradigm-shifting thought-instigator, and creative chaos coordinator who has shared her love of visual arts education at Percy Priest Elementary School in Nashville, Tennessee, and with all ages across the nation for more than twenty-five years. As an innovative educator, researcher, artist, and arts leader, she has been recognized by local, state, and national organizations for her unfailing dedication empowering young learners though the visual arts, and her passion for providing all learners access to high quality visual arts education, especially in the elementary setting. As a researcher, she explores how research and data live in the pre-k-12 visual art classroom space and how to leverage and activate the comprehensive knowledge of art educators to breakthrough educational silos for the benefit of all learners. She knows firsthand the power art education has to transform the lives of the underserved, as it has transformed her own life from poverty to empowerment.

Illustrated portrait of a smiling woman with short hair, set against a colorful background of yellow, pink, and orange watercolor. The image is framed in a circle.

" I don’t just teach my students to create art, I teach them to think, explore, experiment, and contemplate. To generate more questions than answers, find problems and to design solutions. "