Dr. Cam McComb
Associate Professor of Visual Art Education
Eastern Michigan University
School of Art & Design
116 Ford Hall
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Associate Professor of Visual Art Education
Eastern Michigan University
School of Art & Design
116 Ford Hall
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
It was fifth grade. Our class took a field trip to the local art museum. I recall following the docent and repeatedly telling her that I was going to be an artist when I grew up. In the years following I also thought I would become a veterinarian and an astronaut. Fortunately, when I enrolled at The Ohio State University I discovered Art Education. To borrow Bettina Love's (2019) expression; in 1982 I found my "home place." I graduated university, first in my family, and immediately started working as an elementary art teacher. From there I transitioned to middle school (still the best teaching years of my life), high school, and finally taught art at a 5/6th grade intermediate school. It was there that I completed my doctoral work. With my new diploma in hand I decided to transition to teaching in higher education, finding a new home at Eastern Michigan University in 2014. There I co-lead the art education program where we focus on preparing new art teachers for the PK-12 classroom. I also take great joy in working with veteran teachers, collaborating with them to see ways to make lesson design more robust for students and more interesting for teachers
It was fifth grade. Our class took a field trip to the local art museum. I recall following the docent and repeatedly telling her that I was going to be an artist when I grew up. In the years following I also thought I would become a veterinarian and an astronaut. Fortunately, when I enrolled at The Ohio State University I discovered Art Education. To borrow Bettina Love's (2019) expression; in 1982 I found my "home place." I graduated university, first in my family, and immediately started working as an elementary art teacher. From there I transitioned to middle school (still the best teaching years of my life), high school, and finally taught art at a 5/6th grade intermediate school. It was there that I completed my doctoral work. With my new diploma in hand I decided to transition to teaching in higher education, finding a new home at Eastern Michigan University in 2014. There I co-lead the art education program where we focus on preparing new art teachers for the PK-12 classroom. I also take great joy in working with veteran teachers, collaborating with them to see ways to make lesson design more robust for students and more interesting for teachers
Degrees
2010 Pennsylvania State University, Ph.D. in Art Education
1995 Miami University, M.A. in Art Education
1985 The Ohio State University, Bachelor of Art Education
Certification
National Board Certified Teacher, Early and Middle Childhood/Art: 12/13/2006-12/13/2026: National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: Arlington, VA
Recent Leadership in Art Education
2023-2024 National Art Education Association Recruitment and Retention Task Force, Member
2019-present Michigan Art Education Association, Higher Education Division Co-Chair
2018 Founder of the Instructional Design Collaborative: A Visual Arts Professional Learning Community
2018 National Art Education Association School for Art Leaders, Graduate
2013-2014 Parliamentarian, Ohio Art Education Association Board of Directors
2012-2013 Central Region Director, Ohio Art Education Association
Recent Awards
2023 National Art Educator, National Art Education Association
2023 Western Region Awardee in Higher Education, National Art Education Association
2022 Outstanding Educator in Higher Education, Michigan Art Education Association
Publications
La Porte, A. M., Speirs, S. & McComb, C. (2023). Intergenerational implications of ritual in art education. International journal of lifelong learning in art education (in press).
McComb, C., Leonard, N., Letts, M., Ruopp, A., Todd, C., Yang, G. & Zaszlavik, K. (2022). Zooming Support: Stories of How a Pandemic and SAMR Improved Preservice Art Education Instruction, Art Education, 75 (1), pp. 42 - 48.
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/5BMHGD9RQA5UWHED8TKK/full?target=10.1080/00043125.2021.1987830
Capling, B., DeMint, K., McComb, C., Miller, C., & Montero, J (2019). Visual essay: Intergenerational collaboration: A professional journey begins. International journal of lifelong learning in art education, 2(1). https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/ijllae/vol2/iss1/.
McComb, C., Otto, G. Garvey J., Omans, D., Smaldino, P.J. (2018). Visualizing cancer: A transdisciplinary art & biology collaborative, The journal of teaching and learning, 11(2), p. 1-10. https://jtl.uwindsor.ca/index.php/jtl/article/view/4932
McComb, C. (2014). Teacher/Researcher: You can manage it. In Practice theory: Seeing the power of teacher researchers. (Eds.). M. Buffington & S. Wilson McKay. National Art Education Association.
McComb, C. (2012). Cultivating a healing classroom environment. In The heart of art education: Holistic approaches to creativity, integration, and transformation. (Eds.). L. Campbell & S. Simmons. National Art Education Association.
McComb, C. (2010). Think, record, reveal: Studio process assessment and the artistic thinking it reveals. (Doctoral dissertation). Penn State University, https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/files/final_submissions/1036
McComb, C. (2006). Taking the 40/40 challenge: Sixteen painters working daily to develop a painting discipline. Art Education, 59(4), 6-12.
2010 Pennsylvania State University, Ph.D. in Art Education
1995 Miami University, M.A. in Art Education
1985 The Ohio State University, Bachelor of Art Education
Certification
National Board Certified Teacher, Early and Middle Childhood/Art: 12/13/2006-12/13/2026: National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: Arlington, VA
Recent Leadership in Art Education
2023-2024 National Art Education Association Recruitment and Retention Task Force, Member
2019-present Michigan Art Education Association, Higher Education Division Co-Chair
2018 Founder of the Instructional Design Collaborative: A Visual Arts Professional Learning Community
2018 National Art Education Association School for Art Leaders, Graduate
2013-2014 Parliamentarian, Ohio Art Education Association Board of Directors
2012-2013 Central Region Director, Ohio Art Education Association
Recent Awards
2023 National Art Educator, National Art Education Association
2023 Western Region Awardee in Higher Education, National Art Education Association
2022 Outstanding Educator in Higher Education, Michigan Art Education Association
Publications
La Porte, A. M., Speirs, S. & McComb, C. (2023). Intergenerational implications of ritual in art education. International journal of lifelong learning in art education (in press).
McComb, C., Leonard, N., Letts, M., Ruopp, A., Todd, C., Yang, G. & Zaszlavik, K. (2022). Zooming Support: Stories of How a Pandemic and SAMR Improved Preservice Art Education Instruction, Art Education, 75 (1), pp. 42 - 48.
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/5BMHGD9RQA5UWHED8TKK/full?target=10.1080/00043125.2021.1987830
Capling, B., DeMint, K., McComb, C., Miller, C., & Montero, J (2019). Visual essay: Intergenerational collaboration: A professional journey begins. International journal of lifelong learning in art education, 2(1). https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/ijllae/vol2/iss1/.
McComb, C., Otto, G. Garvey J., Omans, D., Smaldino, P.J. (2018). Visualizing cancer: A transdisciplinary art & biology collaborative, The journal of teaching and learning, 11(2), p. 1-10. https://jtl.uwindsor.ca/index.php/jtl/article/view/4932
McComb, C. (2014). Teacher/Researcher: You can manage it. In Practice theory: Seeing the power of teacher researchers. (Eds.). M. Buffington & S. Wilson McKay. National Art Education Association.
McComb, C. (2012). Cultivating a healing classroom environment. In The heart of art education: Holistic approaches to creativity, integration, and transformation. (Eds.). L. Campbell & S. Simmons. National Art Education Association.
McComb, C. (2010). Think, record, reveal: Studio process assessment and the artistic thinking it reveals. (Doctoral dissertation). Penn State University, https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/files/final_submissions/1036
McComb, C. (2006). Taking the 40/40 challenge: Sixteen painters working daily to develop a painting discipline. Art Education, 59(4), 6-12.