As most experienced teachers well know, lesson plans don’t always go according to plan. Thinking on your feet and taking advantage of unforeseen “teachable moments” can often lead to the biggest lessons of the day. However, this is not something that can be easily taught in a classroom and is much better learned through real-world experiences, like what Michigan State University’s Saturday Morning Art program provides.
Part of the BFA in Art Education program offered by the Department of Art, Art History and Design at Michigan State University, the SmART program is a creative initiative that gives pre-service art educators the chance to work directly with students from diverse populations. Through hands-on art making and culturally responsive teaching, SmART enriches the artistic experience for everyone involved.
“Art is a transformative, magical thing,” said Gina Budman, an Art Education major who taught in the SmART program during the spring 2025 semester. “The pride students feel in their creations, combined with the authentic relationships we build, has helped me grow as a future educator.”
Through the SmART program, Art Education majors in their junior year who are enrolled in the Clinical Experiences in Visual Arts Education I, STA310, course obtain student contact hours required for the successful completion of their degree.
Budman says the biggest takeaway she learned from teaching children in the SmART program is how important it is to be flexible.
“The real magic came from the flexibility and freedom in allowing students to shape their own creative experiences,” she said. “Over time, I realized that students don’t have to follow the assigned project exactly and that’s perfectly OK. Creativity is boundless and it shows up in so many unexpected ways.”
“I remember a couple of students who didn’t want to do a project. At first, I felt a little frustrated, but if I had pushed them to do something they didn’t connect with, it would have taken the joy out of the experience,” Budman said. “Art thrives when students are allowed to explore in ways that speak to them. It’s all about letting their creativity flow, wherever it leads.”
The STA 310 course currently is only offered during the spring semester, therefore the SmART program is only available in the spring and takes place over six Saturdays.
Andrea Allen, who joined MSU in fall 2024 as an assistant professor of Art Education in the Department of Art, Art History and Design, is the director of the SmART program. Under her leadership, she has increased access to the program for youth in the community. The biggest change she initiated was offering the SmART program for free to all participants, with all art supplies provided.
“To break down some of the barriers and broaden the reach of the program, we made it free for the first time this year,” Allen said. “It was first come, first served and there was a waitlist by the second day the application was open.”
Enrollment capacity for community youth depends on the number of MSU students enrolled in the STA310 course. This past spring, nine pre-service art educators were enrolled in the course and taught 59 SmART registrants.
Before the SmART program began, the pre-service art educators spent four weeks at the beginning of the spring semester examining various inclusive approaches to art education and planning lessons.
“I didn’t give them any lesson plans or a curriculum. I talked to them about how to build an inclusive and adaptable art lesson and then they made decisions about what they wanted to teach, how they wanted to teach it, what students are going to learn,” Allen said. “They had to think independently, work independently and build the skills to learn about themselves, express themselves and lead their own learning. And when things didn’t work out, they realized they had opportunities to change things and try to do something differently next time.”
Learning about different learning styles also was key for the pre-service art educators. How do you help children who go through every step very quickly? Or how do you help children who are not getting past the first step? The Art Education students soon discovered that they had to accept not always being in control and to let SmART participants guide their own learning.
“Being OK with the unexpected is not only good to teach young artists, but is also good to remember for teaching, because not all days go as planned,” said Breanna Chaput, an Art Education major who taught in the SmART program during the spring 2025 semester. “As a future art educator, I want to teach my students how to use their artwork to talk about topics that are important to them. I want them to be inspired by the artwork they see and make.”
In an effort to diversify the program, Allen tried to recruit children from more underrepresented groups by sending the announcement to various targeted listservs and making the application and other materials available in Spanish. Another strategy was to bring the program to where people live. While SmART’s six Saturday sessions have historically all been held at Kresge Art Center for K-12 students, Allen split it up into three studio sessions for children ages 7-16 at Kresge Art Center and three sessions in the community in partnership with community organizations that serve young children, families and adult learners.
The community days were held at the Disability Network Capital Area in Lansing, the MSU Broad Art Museum and at Spartan Upcycle, which took place at the MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center and was open to all MSU students.
“My time at the Disability Network was especially meaningful,” Budman said. “I wanted to learn how to make art accessible to students with special needs, but what really left an impact on me was the human connection. One student shared his love for WWE wrestling and another made a birthday card for her roommate of more than 10 years. These moments reminded me that teaching art is not just about delivering a lesson — it’s about listening, connecting and celebrating each student’s unique story.”
During the studio sessions at Kresge Art Center, the pre-service art educators focused on projects that encouraged creativity and that gave the students a chance to let their unique voices shine through art, using a variety of materials and techniques.
Following these studio sessions, the students’ work was featured in an exhibition hosted in partnership with the MSU Broad Art Museum. The exhibition also coincided with the museum’s Family Day in April where community members were invited to engage in their own art making.
While the SmART program has undergone many changes through the years, it has always been a way for Art Education students to get clinical hours before they start their student teaching. The program also is about community outreach and offering art education opportunities to local youth.
“There’s not a whole lot of art opportunities like this in the area,” Allen said. “A lot of the other art education programs in the state have shuttered. Our program will continue to be a hub for art education. We had a good, small group of art educators this year, but I’m excited to see SmART grow.”
Applications for the 2026 SmART program will begin to be accepted this fall. Visit the SmART program web page for more information.
This story originally appeared on the College of Arts and Letters website.
