2025 MAEA Maine Art Educator of the Year:
Elise Pelletier
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Elise Pelletier has taught high school visual arts for 16 years. She got her M.S. in Art & Design Education from Pratt Institute. She started her career teaching in Brooklyn, NY at a small, public Arts & Media high school. She then spent ten years teaching at Scarborough High School. In her new position at Portland High, she continues teaching photography and art fundamentals. She wants her students to use their creative potential as a lifelong skill that can be applied throughout their lives.
For the past seven years, Elise has served as the Youth Art Month Chair at the Portland Museum of Art. YAM has been a deeply rewarding experience, allowing Elise to work outside her classroom, celebrating youth artists and visual educators across the state of Maine. In 2023, Elise took on the role as webmaster for Maine Art Education Association, and is also a member of the board. She loves to garden, run, swim in the ocean year round, and chase after her two boys. |
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2024 Elementary Art Educator of the Year: Laurie Chiasson Narragansett Elementary School in Gorham 2024 Middle School Art Educator of the Year: Coreysha Stone Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta 2024 Retired Educator of the Year: Diane Noble 2024 Outstanding Service to the Community: Tori Marsh Riley School in Rockport 2024 New to the Profession Art Educator of the Year: Philippa Adam Mount Desert Island High School 2024 Administrative & Supervision Art Educator of the Year: Laurie Catanese Principal at Brunswick Junior High School 2024 Outstanding Service Through the Profession: Alix Martin North Haven Community School 2024 Distinguished Educator: Allie Rimkunas Great Falls Elementary in Gorham 2023 Preservice Art Educator of the Year: Rachel Carswell Saco Middle School 2024 Art Advocate of the Year: Americans Who Tell the Truth Robert Shetterly & Constance Carter |
2024 MAEA Maine Art Educator of the Year:
Iva Damon
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Located in Western Maine, Iva Damon is in her thirteenth year teaching high school visual arts. While at Leavitt Area High School, Iva thrives on teaching foundations courses, instructing in a mixture of traditional and nontraditional fine arts courses. Students are often exploring in and outside the classroom with a focus on student choice and place-based themes. Students are challenged to explore and connect with where they live and why place matters to them personally. Iva went to the University of Maine and earned her Masters in Art Education at Boston University, but has yet to end her continuing education; she has earned certificates in content literacy, gifted and talented, and is working towards one currently in educational leadership. Living in Western Maine, she enjoys coaching snowshoeing in the winter with Leavitt's Special Olympics and spending summers puttering in her garden and exploring at the coast with her two children.
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2023 Elementary Art Educator of the Year:
Jessica Nadeau
2023 Middle School Art Educator of the Year:
Kari McCarthy
2023 High School Art Educator of the Year
Elise Pelletier
2023 Community Art Educator of the Year:
Pam Moulton
2023 Administrative & Supervision Art Educator of the Year:
Christina Wotton
2023 Outstanding Service Through the Profession:
Amy Crosby
2023 Museum Art Educator of the Year:
Abby Newkirk
2023 Art Advocate of the Year:
Mia Bogyo, Center for Maine Contemporary Art
2022 Preservice Art Educator of the Year:
Kaleigh Jones
2023 MAEA Maine Art Educator of the Year:
Matt Johnson
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Matt Johnson has been teaching at Westbrook High School for 11 years where he teaches courses in traditional and digital media along with photography and yearbook. He has been part of the MAEA for 13 years since he was a
student at USM. He has served on the board of the MAEA for 8 years and has been treasurer for almost 7. Matt has his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern Maine in Painting and Education with a minor in Asian Studies. He also has a certificate of advance study in Business of Craft Brewing from the University of Vermont. He prefers to work behind the scenes for school and MAEA events a like, but has presented several times during spring conferences, technology workshops and other events including a photography lecture in Archangel Russia. When he is not teaching or balancing books, you can find him building, brewing or getting into other mischief with his 7 year old daughter. |
2022 MAEA Secondary Art Educator of the Year:
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2022 MAEA Supervision Art Educator of the Year: Rachel Somerville |
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2022 MAEA Maine Art Educator of the Year: Reagan Russell |
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2021 MAEA Middle Level Art Educator of the Year: Hope Lord |
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2021 MAEA Secondary Art Educator of the Year: Lori Spruce |
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2021 MAEA Supervision Art Educator of the Year: Serena Sanborn |
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2021 MAEA Outstanding Service to the Profession Award: Susan Bryand |
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2021 MAEA Maine Art Educator of the Year:
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2020 MAEA Middle Level Art Educator of the Year: Libby Winslow |
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2020 MAEA Secondary Level Art Educator of the Year: Raegan Russell |
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