Tiina Kukkonen

Dr. Tiina Kukkonen is an Assistant Professor of Visual Arts Education (Queen’s University) and practicing visual artist based in Kingston, Ontario. Having completed her M.A. (Child Studies) and B.F.A. (Visual Arts Education) degrees at Concordia University in Montreal, she went on to receive a PhD in Education from Queen’s. Her doctoral research focused on the role of intermediary organizations in supporting arts education partnerships in rural and remote communities. As an educator, Tiina has taught visual arts to learners of all ages across community and school environments in Quebec and Ontario. She has worked with several arts organizations, including the Canadian Society for Education through Art (CSEA), the Canadian Network for Arts and Learning (CNAL), and the English Language Arts Network (ELAN). The driving force behind her work is the desire to make visual arts education accessible, relevant, and inspiring for all. To that end, she explores playful, artful, and practical approaches to teaching, research, and knowledge mobilization. Tiina is an active member of the Kingston Fibre Artists and enjoys engaging with the wider arts community through workshops and exhibitions.

Research Interests:

• Arts education partnerships and systems
• Rural Arts Education
• Arts-based research and knowledge translation
• Arts Integration
• Play-based (art) education
• Early childhood development in/through art

Select Publications:

Kukkonen, T. (2022). Conceptualizing intermediary organizations in arts education through a cross sector review of the literature. Studies in Art Education, 63(2), 152-168. doi: 10.1080/00393541.2022.2050987

Kukkonen, T., & Bolden, B. (2022). Nurturing creativity in the visual arts classroom: Understanding teacher strategies through Amabile’s componential theory. Canadian Review of Art Education, 49(1), 46-62.

Kukkonen, T. (2021). Supporting youth mental health in and through the arts: An evidence base and guide for teaching artists. Prepared for the English Language Arts Network, Montreal, Quebec.

Kukkonen, T. (2020). An ecological model of artist-school partnerships for policymakers and practitioners. Arts Education Policy Review, 121(2), 43-54. doi: 10.1080/10632913.2019.1576150

Kukkonen, T., & Cooper, A. (2019). An arts-based knowledge translation (ABKT) planning framework for researchers. Evidence & Policy, 15(2), 293-311. doi: 10.1332/174426417X15006249072134

Kukkonen, T., Chang-Kredl, S., & Bolden, B. (2019). Creative collaboration in young children’s playful group drawing. Journal of Creative Behavior, 54(4), 897-911. doi: 10.1002/jocb.418

Kukkonen, T., & Chang-Kredl, S. (2018). Drawing as social play: Shared meaning-making in young children’s collective drawing activities. The International Journal of Art & Design Education, 37(1), 74-87. doi: 10.1111/jade.12116

Kukkonen, T., & Bolden, B. (2018). Teaching lives: An arts-informed exploration of teacher experience. Art/Research International, 3(2), 150-171.