Karen Cummings is an Associate Professor of Art Education & the Art Education Coordinator at UMSL. Dr. Cummings received her PhD in Art Education from the University of Illinois, Urbana in 2007. Her responsibilities include advising undergraduate and graduate students in art education, teaching art education courses, and supervising pre-service teacher candidates during their practicum experiences.
In addition to her teaching and advising responsibilities, Dr. Cummings works diligently to build partnerships between the University, area school districts, and community organizations. In 2009 Dr. Cummings co-founded the First Five, a mentoring program for beginning art educators in the St. Louis region. In 2010 Dr. Cummings expanded the program throughout the state of Missouri. In 2011 Cummings developed and currently directs UrbanARTsVOICE, a mentoring program for urban adolescents assigned to the Family Courts of St. Louis County. The program provides opportunities for adolescents to explore issues of identity through the visual arts. For her research and community involvement, Dr. Cummings was awarded the 2011 Missouri Art Education Higher Ed Art Educator of the Year, the 2012 UMSL College of Fine Arts and Communication Distinguished Teaching Award, and the 2012 National Art Education Association Western Region Higher Education Art Educator of the Year.
Dr. Cummings' research interests include adolescent identity, teacher identity, and mentoring. Her research record lists more than 60 conference proceedings as well as peer-reviewed journal articles and chapter manuscripts. Cummings' current research focuses on teacher motivation strategies utilized in urban secondary classrooms.
Contact Information
Karen Cummings
Assistant Professor
204 Fine Arts Building
314.514.7288
cummingska@umsl.edu