Georgia Collins: Career and Commitment in the Context of Gender Issues in Art Education

Abstract

Georgia Collins, a notable female leader in art education, is the focus of this article. Through narrative inquiry I address the following questions: how did Georgia Collins’ interest in gender issues in art education begin and what was her work and life like in writing about them? What experiences impacted her life as an art educator interested in gender issues in art education? What has being a notable figure in the field meant to her? In-depth interviews primarily involved stories told by Georgia Collins and two art educators significant to her work. Through interpretive analysis of the interviews as well as supporting documents, I present various strands of Georgia Collins’ professional and personal life as a leader in the field of art education associated with feminism and gender issues. Four primary themes are discussed as significant to Collins in an analysis of the interviews: epiphanies, synergist relationships, personal and professional transformations, and life after academia.