Elementary art teacher Emily Miller of Michigan earns recognition

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Congratulations to art teacher Emily Miller from Allendale, Michigan. She has been honored by the Michigan Art Education Association. Photo credit: Emily Miller

Congratulations to art teacher Emily Miller from Allendale, Michigan. She has been named the 2025 Elementary Art Teacher Educator of the Year by the Michigan Art Education Association (MAEA).

Currently Emily teaches art classes to kindergarteners and first graders in Allendale Pubic Schools. She has worked there for the past five years. Previously to that, she worked for six years at Rockford Public Schools in Rockford, Michigan, located near Grand Rapids. She also served three years as an art teacher at Rising Star Camp, a facility for students with learning disabilities.

In addition to her honors from the MAEA, Emily has garnered a 2025 Art Education Leadership Award from Artsonia organization. According to Artsonia, this recognition is given to a visionary who continually inspires their peers in the art education community through their online school gallery. See more about this at Artsonia.

Her work in the classroom is not the only contribution Emily makes to the local art community. Since 2015, she has served as the President of Grand Valley State University’s College of Education Alumni Network, and from 2016-2023 she served on the university’s Alumni Board of Directors. Additionally, since 2018, Emily has volunteered with the Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts on their Youth Art Committee. And as if all that were not enough, she also serves as the Chair of the Youth Art and Communications Committee, she is a member of the Operations Committee, and she is on the Board of the Directors for Festival.

Emily earned her Bachelor’s degree in Art Education in 2014 and her teaching credential in 2015, both from Grand Valley State University. She earned her Master’s degree in Instruction and Curriculum from the same university in 2020.

To learn more about Emily, click on this link to an interview conducted with her by Grand Valley State University in 2022. Also, below is a short video clip from a local news organization about Emily’s award.