Megan Mulholland MA ‘26 always felt drawn to the art classroom.
She describes the art classes she took in school as the only experiences she truly felt excited about while growing up in Glenrock, New Jersey. When it came time to enroll in college and make decisions about her future, Mulholland looked for answers in the passion she felt for art.
“I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to be, so I looked at my elementary school yearbook. I wrote that I wanted to be an actress, a zoologist or an art teacher. I didn’t do too well in chemistry, but I was always drawing, so I decided to become an art teacher,” she said.
Mulholland spent her senior year of high school developing her portfolio and educating herself on artistic practices. She went on to graduate from the University of the Arts in 2024 with a dual major in illustration and art education.
After Mulholland decided to continue her studies in art education, a former faculty member recommended Mulholland reach out to Lauren Stichter, Moore College of Art & Design’s director of Art Education, to pursue her master’s degree. She was accepted into Moore’s Art Education graduate program, where she began to develop a relationship with Stichter and sharpen her skills.
“I really like how in-depth this program is. I can tell that [Stichter] really cares about her students,” she said. “At Moore, the Art Education program has an emphasis on inclusion, so I’m taking classes about social justice and inequity. These classes show you how to care about people, not just teach them. When you’re a teacher, you’re with people all the time, so knowing how to speak on sensitive topics is so helpful.”
Mulholland and Stichter at Moore College of Art & Design.
Mulholland first heard about ArtistYear, a national AmeriCorps program dedicated to addressing inequities in K-12 education via creative learning, from Stichter and Kylie West MA ‘22. Mulholland was inspired by West’s experience with both ArtistYear and Moore’s Art Education graduate program. Stichter encouraged Mulholland to apply for a service year with ArtistYear, which recently formed a new partnership with Moore.
Starting this year, ArtistYear will invite Moore BFA alumni and graduate students to apply to serve as Resident Teaching Artists for one year and become Moore College Fellows. Moore will also invite ArtistYear Resident Teaching Artists to apply for its graduate and post-baccalaureate teacher certification degree programs during or after completing a service year.
ArtistYear Resident Teaching Artists who apply and are accepted into Moore’s Art Education graduate program will be awarded the ArtistYear Fellowship, which provides a $10,000 scholarship for those pursuing the MA in Art Education and a $20,000 scholarship for pursuing the MA with certification.
“[West] talked to me about how the experience opened the door for her in the art education world and how it was feasible to serve as a Resident Teaching Artist and take classes through Moore,” Mulholland said. “It sounded like what I was looking for because I was nervous to apply for a full-time teaching job. This is a nice bridge between being a student and being an educator.”
Mulholland soon began her Resident Teaching Artist training, where she attended virtual lectures, participated in group discussions, and reinforced her knowledge of pedagogical theories, culturally responsive teaching and trauma-informed teaching. She is currently completing her first service year at Frankford High School in the School District of Philadelphia.
Mulholland’s time with Moore and ArtistYear already allows her to make an impact in her classroom. She made connections with non-English-speaking students, created helpful visual guides and videos for students with disabilities, and utilized a lesson plan template from Moore in her practice. She says she looks forward to finding new ways her education can intertwine with her service year.
“I think this collaboration is really beneficial. You can think and write about a lot of different classroom scenarios, but there are always going to be things you have to experience firsthand,” she said. “Sometimes, I experience something at school, and then I go to class and hear about why it’s happening. These programs lean into one another.”
For teaching artists who want to continue their studies at Moore, Mulholland’s advice is to remain open-minded.
“Moore is not like all colleges,” she said. “It’s more open and accepting. If you want to go Moore and have the best time ever, you should be open and accepting, too.”
Moore College of Art & Design is the only independent art and design college in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Want to learn about our BFA or MA in the Art Education major at Moore? Contact our Admissions team at enroll@moore.edu or 215.965.4015 to set up a call or a campus visit. We’d love to tell you more!
