03/29/2024
Meet Dr. Mary Soylu - the 2024 Outstanding Higher Education Arts Educator
Dr. Soylu possesses an extensive academic and professional background, having served as a K-12 art
teacher, associate instructor of art education, and assistant professor of art history. Her
commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) is evident through her work at ASU, as
well as her previous roles in Chicago, Indiana University, and The University of Alabama. She
currently serves on the National Art Education Association (NAEA) ED&I Commission and the
Board of Directors for the Alabama Art Education Association (AAEA) as ED&I Chair.
Beyond her teaching and service, Mary is dedicated to scholarly pursuits, with her work featured
in top-tier journals like Art Education and Studies in Art Education. She has received grant
awards from organizations such as the National Art Education Foundation (NAEF), ASCA, and
the Alabama Humanities Alliance (AHA). Notably, Mary completed a NAEF grant project in
2021, resulting in a significant art installation celebrating African American art history and the
creation of a corresponding website, AfricanAmericanArtHistory.com. Her ongoing efforts,
supported by AHA and ASCA, reflect her dedication to advancing art education and cultural
awareness.
As both an exceptional teacher and scholar, Mary is also an accomplished artist. Her work has
been featured in juried exhibitions at ASU’s Warren-Britt galleries, the Wiregrass Museum of
Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Rosa Parks Museum, the Civil Rights Memorial
Center at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), and most recently in the NAEA Member
Exhibition of which her work was one of 94 selected out of 546 entries. Her commitment to the
visual arts earned her the 2022 AAEA Higher Education Art Educator of the Year Award.
