Enhancing Art Education : University of Dayton, Ohio

In a six-week practicum last fall in the Marian Library, four art education students gained valuable field experience in exhibit planning, object handling, art installation and activity design. The practicum placements help fulfill UD’s guarantee to provide experiential learning opportunities to every undergraduate student.

Darden Bradshaw, associate professor of art and design and a 2025 Marian Library artist-in-residence, says she structured the practicum for her students “to experience the intersection of art and education in various contexts and spaces where they gain knowledge of the ways being an educator aligns with and is an outgrowth of being an artist.” Bradshaw placed students at the Marian Library and other galleries, museums and community-based art settings in the Dayton area.

The two students in the first rotation with the Marian Library learned how to complete condition reports for Nativity sets that would go out on loan around campus as part of the annual Christmas exhibit. They learned about Nativity sets, how to safely handle three-dimensional artwork and how to assess the condition of a variety of media. One student designed an ornament craft for exhibit visitors. Another created an exhibit educator guide of suggested books, articles, videos and activities for different age levels.

In the second rotation, two students helped with the installation of the Christmas exhibit by arranging Nativity sets in cases and adjusting the gallery lighting. They also refined the ornament craft and prepared the craft materials.

They shared their practicum experiences through the creation of a zine or a written reflection. Mia Haas ’26 wrote about connecting the craft to hands-on learning for visitors and said her work in the classroom, gallery and library/museum showed her “how expansive art education can be.” Adrienne Gerbic ’27 reflected that contributing to the Christmas exhibit taught her how preservation and curation can ensure lifelong art education.

— Bridget Retzloff is an assistant professor and the coordinator of art collections and exhibits.

A colorful hand-drawn collage features the Marian Library dome, a contemporary Dayton circle, books, magnifying glass, and text about learning through art and education in the fields with references to students, community members, and professors.

Illustrating the Experience

Mia Haas ’26 created her zine to detail learning through art in her experiences in the Marian Library as well as her time spent at The Contemporary Dayton.

A colorful hand-drawn sketch shows a classroom and gallery setting with notes on craft materials, learning outside the classroom, and how work has contributed to hands-on learning, craft making, research, visitor engagement, and expansive art education.

Illustrating the Experience

Haas noted how the craft area in the exhibit provides visitors with hands-on learning. She explained that learning takes place in a variety of settings including classrooms, museums, libraries and galleries.