Dr. Joni Boyd Acuff is an Assistant Professor of Art Education in the Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy at OSU. She teaches undergraduate and graduate students in art education. Before joining the OSU faculty, Acuff was an Assistant Professor of Art Education at the University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton, Texas from 2011-2013. There, she taught both undergraduate and graduate students in art education, as well as sat on committees for and acted as research chair for numerous masters and doctoral students. Acuff’s research agenda and scholarship attends to critical multicultural art education, critical race theory in art education, community-based art education and culturally responsive teaching and curriculum development. Acuff has over 11 years of art teaching experience in both traditional and non-traditional classrooms. She has worked extensively with diverse populations of learners, including students with special needs (cognitive and physical), student who identify as LGBTQ and students from varying racial backgrounds and socioeconomic levels. Acuff is also credited for creating the 6th, 7th and 8th grade curriculum for New Media Middle School, a charter school located in Columbus, Ohio. In 2012, Acuff received two research grants to revisit the school and assess the curriculum implementation and success.
Dr. Joni Boyd Acuff received a BA in Photography and a BS in Art Education (and licensure in teaching art in K-12) from The Pennsylvania State University in 2005. In 2007 she obtained a MA in Community Based Art Education from the University of Texas at Austin. Her thesis research evaluated education curriculum in museum programs from youth. Acuff attended The Ohio State University from 2008-2011 and received a PhD in Art Education. The dissertation, titled A Multicultural and Social Reconstructionist Approach to Art Education: A Framework for Social Justice through Art Curriculum, investigated the influences of a social justice art curriculum in a community center for youth who identify as lgbtq (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer).
Acuff has published about her research in varying scholarly, peer-reviewed journals such as Art Education, Studies in Art Education, andVisual Culture & Gender. She also has a co-edited book with Dr. Laura Evans (UNT), titled Multiculturalism in Art Museums Today; published by Roman & Littlefield. Acuff sits on the review board for professional journals such as Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education, and Art Education. She is heavily involved in the National Art Education Association (NAEA), as she has presented at the National conference every year since 2006. Additionally, Acuff serves as co-chair of Committee on Multiethnic Concerns (COMC), a special interest group of the NAEA.
