Karen Rosenburg MA '16 and Christina Lukac MA '17 have been named this year's National Art Education Association Larry Marone Memorial Grant awardees.
The grant is given in recognition of dedicated special needs art educators. Because of the uprecedented circumstances of COVID-19, the awards were presented virtually through the Special Needs in Art Education's (SNAE) social media outlets. The awardees will be included in next year's SNAE awards events at the 2021 National Art Education Association Convention in Chicago.
Rosenburg and Lukac were selected from applicants from all over the country for the only two grants offered by the SNAE. Lauren Stichter, SNAE president and director of Art Education at Moore College of Art & Design, said it is very unusual for two alumni from the same school to receive the award.
"I'm very proud that we helped create such impressive writers," said Stichter, who was not part of the grant review committee.
The awardees will use the grant funds to purchase tools that support inclusive practices in the art room.
Karen Rosenburg, the 2018 Pennsylvania Art Education Association Outstanding Special Needs Art Educator, has been teaching art for 24 years and currently teaches visual arts and ceramics at New Hope-Solebury High School in New Hope, PA.
Rosenburg also serves as a district curriculum liaison, is the SNAE chair for the Pennsylvania Art Education Association, and has presented on topics of inclusion both nationally and internationally. She teaches all types of learners with an emphasis on inclusion. Her goal is to provide an environment where all students can be successful.
Christina Lukac, the 2019 Pennsylvania Art Education Association Outstanding Special Needs Art Educator, is an artist and educator working in Philadelphia. She currently teaches adaptive art to high school students in the largest Life Skills and Autism Support program in the city.
Throughout her career, Lukac has worked with a wide range of individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities in the nonprofit and general education setting. She enjoys introducing students to a variety of contemporary artists and techniques where they can learn through exploration and experimentation of materials. Read more about Lukac here.
