Stephanie Saint Martin, MFA

Adjunct Instructor

Stephanie Saint Martin is a professor at The Art of Education University whose work bridges art education, instructional design, contemporary art practice, and embodied learning. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Art Education from Illinois State University, her Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), and, most recently, has completed a Graduate Certificate in Instructional Design through the University of Wisconsin.

Stephanie taught middle school art for eight years, during which she helped lead her district’s shift from traditional project-based instruction to a full-choice TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior) model. She also served on the committee that implemented standards-based grading. Her teaching philosophy centers on helping students use art as a tool for self-discovery, emotional regulation, critical thinking, and a deeper connection to both themselves and the world around them. She believes art classrooms can function as spaces of agency, reflection, and healing where students learn not only creative skills but also how to better understand their identities, emotions, and lived experiences.

As a multidisciplinary artist, Stephanie creates work under an alias surname due to the provocative nature of the subject matter. Her work fuses installation art, performance, literature, spoken word, visual media, and political activism to examine how puritanical influences continue to shape modern body politics and shame culture. She has produced three sold-out shows in Chicago and is currently expanding her artistic offerings to a wider audience.

Stephanie currently works in the manufacturing sector as a Sales Enablement Specialist, where she designs internal onboarding and quarterly training programs and assists customers in uploading their projects to their quoting portal. She has also been teaching dance fitness classes for the past several years. Passionate about adult education and experiential learning, she is excited to continue supporting educators through her work at AOEU!