Connections

The Secret to an Art Club That Keeps Growing After You Step Back (Ep. 6)

| September 17, 2026

If you want your Art Club to last, unlock these strategies to empower your members to step into leadership for years to come.

The final episode of Art Club Unlocked is here, and we saved the best tips for last! K-8 art teacher Jessica Stuver and secondary art teacher John Szablewski show you how to hand the reins to your students, celebrate everything they’ve accomplished, and build a legacy that keeps your program growing long after they’ve moved on. 

In this final episode, you’ll learn:

  • How to get students leading their own meetings and projects
  • Why student-elected officials will sustain your club
  • How student-generated projects increase ownership and pride
  • Creative, specific, and meaningful ways to celebrate students all year long, especially at the end-of-year art show
  • How to set up a mentorship program between older students and new members
  • How to document student and program growth
  • How to make memorable experiences for graduating students

Creatively display your club’s mission statement with ideas in the Running an Elementary Art Club Pack in  PRO Learning.

To chat about hosting an art club and leveling up creative leaders with other art teachers, join us in The Art of Ed Community!

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lindsey McGinnis

Lindsey McGinnis is AOE’s Media Content Manager and a former high school art educator. She is passionate about equipping art teachers to be successful in their classrooms and firmly believes that art is the best place for students to explore and process the challenging topics and concepts around them.

More from Lindsey

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