Rande Blank, MEd
Rande Blank—associate professor in the MAT in Visual Arts Education program since 2012—teaches graduate courses, mentors students in their practica and is an undergraduate and graduate advisor. A UArts faculty member in the Art and Design Education department since 2003, Blank develops partnerships with educational agencies, oversees internship placement of Art Education students and mentors them as they enter the professional world of teaching. Over the past 25 years, she has been an educator in an array of settings, teaching art and special education, and has taught in elementary and middle school classes throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She has also held adjunct positions at various art colleges and universities.
Blank is active in state and national art and design education associations. She currently is co-director of the NAEA Design Thinking Summer Institute and facilitates a monthly virtual StudioChat series for K–21 educators that explores how design thinking methodologies are being applied in education and industries from multiple perspectives. Additionally, Blank is chair of the Design Interest Group-PAEA (Pennsylvania Art Education Association) chapter and serves on the DesignED planning board. She is past chair of both the NAEA Design Interest Group and the PAEA Higher Education Division and presents regularly at conferences on topics like “Visible Learning & Design Thinking Methodologies for K–16 Art and Design Educators,” “Design Thinking for Social Equity,” “Creativity and Visual Literacy for Workforce Preparedness,” “Adopting Design Thinking Education in Art Education Programs,” and “Inspiring & Experiential Design Thinking Art-Making Activities.”
She earned her MEd from Arcadia University, Glenside, Pennsylvania. As a practicing artist and trained graphic designer, her body of 2-D and 3-D work includes mixed media, mosaics, found-object sculptures and acrylic painting. Gallery showings and works for sale have been exhibited in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.