The New Mexico Art Education Association has selected Del Norte High School Visual Art Teacher Nikki Turman as its New Mexico Art Educator of the Year for her outstanding work as art educator. It’s the top state award, encompassing all divisions and all grade levels.
The individual who nominated Turman for the award praised her for the “lasting connections” she forges with her students, noting that she is “a mentor and a guiding force in their lives.”
“Her innovation for projects that resonate with students keeps them engaged and challenged,” her colleagues say. “She finds ways to provide access for special needs students, as well as those in the general education population, to find their own means of expression in art.”
Nikki is an Albuquerque native and holds a B.A.F.A. in Art History and a M.A. in Art Education, both from the University of New Mexico. She has been teaching at Del Norte high school since 2009 and teaches Art I, Painting and Drawing, and the AP Art program and sponsors the DNHS Chapter of the National Art Honor Society. She has been instrumental in bringing the National Scholastic Art Awards program to New Mexico. She and her New Mexico Scholastics Art Awards Program Co-Chair, Joe Baca, created the NM Scholastic Art Awards Program and have been the driving force behind it for the last 10 years.
NMAEA also selected Sara Linn as its High School Art Educator of the Year. Linn heads Cibola High School’s Art Department. She competed against high school art educators from around the state for the award.
Read Two APS Art Teachers Selected for Statewide Awards in the APS News.