EDUCATION

Master of Education, Art Education, 2007, Converse College, Spartanburg, SC 

Bachelor of Arts, Art Education, summa cum laude, 2005, Converse College, Spartanburg, SC

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS

Bertling, J. (2015). The art of empathy:  A mixed methods case study of a critical place-based art education program. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 16(13), 1-26. https://www.ijea.org/v16n13/

Bertling, J. (2013). Exercising the ecological imagination:  Representing the future of place. Art Education, 66(1), 33-39. https://doi.org/10.1080/00043125.2013.11519206

Bertling, J. (2013). Empathetic engagement with artwork:  New insights from neuroscience. Translations:  From Theory to Practice, Spring, 1-5. arteducators-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/335/ca605e68-32d2-433f-90a6-4cf3bbe5b5b6.pdf?1451966309

Book

Bertling, J. (2023). Art education for a sustainable planet: Embracing ecopedagogy in K-12 classrooms. Teachers College Press.

Book Chapter

Hodge, L., King, S., & Bertling, J. (2022). Supporting statistical literacies in the context of a data visualization project with elementary students. In P. Short, H. Hensen, & J. McConnell (Eds.), Cultivating a scientific mindset in the age of inference. Information Age.

Papers Published in Refereed Conference Proceedings 

Bertling, J. (2012). Middle school students’ empathy with the environment throughout a critical place-based art program. Marilyn Zurmuehlen Working Papers in Art Education, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.17077/2326-7070.1476

Book Review

Bertling, J., & Gagliardi, S. (2019). Ecohumanism and the ecological culture:  The educational legacy of Lewis Mumford and Ian McHarg. Teachers College Record. https://www.tcrecord.org [Invited]

Publications in Editor-Reviewed Journals

Bertling, J. (2013). Tips for helping students cultivate a relationship with the land. National Art Education Association’s Advisory, Spring, 1-3. https://www.arteducators.org/research/articles/36-naea-advisory-tips-for-helping-students-cultivate-a-relationship-with-the-land

PAPERS PRESENTED AT NATIONAL/ INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS

Bertling, J., Geels, M., Silver, H., Tillander, M., & Zollinger, R. (Accepted for 2026, March). Sustainable materials in art education: A moderated dialogue on complexities, practices, and possibilities. National Art Education Association Annual Convention, Chicago, IL.

Williams, R., Hanawalt, C., & Bertling, J. (Accepted for 2026, March). Tracking early career art teacher retention in the Southeast: Building support through data and dialogue. National Art Education Association Annual Convention, Chicago, IL.

Zollinger, R., & Bertling, J. (Accepted for 2026, March). Teaching in/for place: Designing and implementing critical place-based art education. National Art Education Association Annual Convention, Chicago, IL.

Bertling, J. (2025, March). Visual arts standards: Possibilities for ecological integration. National Art Education Association Annual Convention, Louisville, KY.

McDonald, E., Hodge, L., Bertling, J., & Galbraith, A. (2024, September). Enhancing mathematical understanding through creative data visualization: A study on student discourse and prompts [Poster session]. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Chicago, IL. [Non-presenting author]

Bertling, J. (2024, September). Art education for a sustainable planet: Embracing ecopedagogy in K-12 classrooms [Book chat]. Arts Education Research Institute Symposium, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

McDonald, E., Hodge, L., Bertling, J., & Galbraith, A. (2024, June). Enhancing mathematical understanding through creative data visualization: A study on student data visualizations [Poster session]. Symposium on Data Science and Statistics, Richmond, VA. [Non-presenting author]

Bertling, J. (2024, April). Ambiguity, aesthetics, and desire: Youth data visualization practices.In L. Hodge, J. Bertling, E. Dyer, Y. Zhao, & T. Mack, Community, design, and data reasoning in youth data visualization practices [Symposium]. American Educational Research Association, Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.

Bertling, J., Galbraith, A., Wandell, T., Swartzentruber, R., & Hodge, L. (2024, April). “Make a wish”: Symbolism and visual metaphor in middle-school students’ arts-based data visualizations. American Educational Research Association, Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.

Bertling, J. (2024, April). Art teacher education in the Anthropocene: A collective case study of embodiment and embeddedness. American Educational Research Association, Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.

Bertling, J. (2024, April). Art education for a sustainable planet [Award talk]. In A. Wexler, N. Leonard, & J. Bertling (Officers), Ecology and Environment Interest Group awards presentation. National Art Education Association Annual Convention, Minneapolis, MN. [Invited].

Bertling, J., & Farkas, L. (2024, April). Art teacher education in the Anthropocene: A collective case study. National Art Education Association Annual Convention, Minneapolis, MN.

Bertling, J. (2024, April). Youth data visualization literacy: Ambiguity, aesthetics, and desire. In L. Stetz, J. Bertling, J. & Y. Cooper, Y (Organizers), Data Visualization Working Group: Facilitating interdisciplinary research and collaboration in art education through data visualization. National Art Education Association Annual Convention, Minneapolis, MN.

Galbraith, A., Bertling, J., Hodge, L., Wandell, T., & Swartzentruber, R. (2024, April). Inspiration in unexpected places: Communicating meaning with arts-based data visualizations. National Art Education Association Annual Convention, Minneapolis, MN.

Hodge, L., Swartzentruber, R., Galbraith, A., Bertling, J., & Wandell, T. (2023, October). Fostering mathematical discourse and engagement through data visualization. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Meeting, Washington, DC [Non-presenting author].

Bertling, J., Galbraith, A., Wandell, T., Swartzentruber, R., & Hodge, L. (2023, October). Eco-visualization as arts-based environmental education: Visualizing local water-quality data. North American Association for Environmental Education Annual Conference [Virtual].

Hodge, L., Dyer, E., Bertling, J., & King, S. (2023, July). Data artists in the making: The Mathematizing, Visualizing, and Power (MVP) Project. 46th Congress of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Haifa, Israel [Non-presenting author].

Swartzentruber, R., Hodge, L., Bertling, J., Galbraith, A., & Wandell, T. (2023, April). “I felt connected to this data”: How students relate to data and practice argumentation [Poster session]. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.

Bertling, J., Galbraith, A., Wandell, T., Swartzentruber, R., & Hodge, L. (2023, April). Transdisciplinary inquiry that elevates the arts? Insights from a data visualization project. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.

Stetz, L., Bertling, J., & Cooper, Y. (2023, April). Telling stories and building communities through data visualization research and pedagogy. National Art Education Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, TX [Invited].

Bertling, J., Stetz, L., & Cooper, Y. (2023, April). Data Visualization Working Group: Data visualization innovations in K-12 art education. National Art Education Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, TX [Invited].

Galbraith, A., Bertling, J., Hodge, L., Swartzentruber, R., & Wandell, T. (2023, April). Eco-visualization as STEAM: Visualizing local water quality data. National Art Education Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, TX.

Bertling, J., Galbraith, A., Hodge, L., Wandell, T., & Swartzentruber, R. (2023, April). Socially and ecologically engaged data visualization: A media arts demonstration. National Art Education Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, TX.

Bertling, J., Hodge, L., Galbraith, A., Wandell, T., & Swartzentruber, R. (2023, March). The Data Visualization Project [Poster session]. Assistance for Arts Education (AAE) Project Directors’ Conference, United States Department of Education, Washington, DC. [Invited].

Hodge, L., Bertling, J., Swartzentruber, R., Galbraith, A., & King, S. (2022, June). The stories they tell: Exploring students’ understandings of data visualization. International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education Annual Conference, Alicante, Spain [Non-presenting author].

Bertling, J., Ryba, E., Galbraith, A., & Hodge, L. (2022, March). Choices and challenges: Educators’ reflections on teaching data visualization in Grade 4-8 art classrooms. In Data Visualization Working Group: K-12 students as data scientists and artists. National Art Education Association Annual Convention, New York, NY.

Bertling, J., Hodge, L., & Ryba, E. (2022, March). Data visualization as critical place-based art education: Access, uncovering, and action in challenging times. National Art Education Association Annual Convention [Virtual].

Bertling, J. (2021, October). Curricular approaches within US art teacher education:  The status of ecological and environmental education. Paper presented at the Art Education Research Institute’s Symposium. 

Bertling, J., & Moore, T. (2021, April). The “Now” in United States K-12 art education: A nationwide survey. [Roundtable session]. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting [Virtual].

Bertling, J., & Moore, T. (2021, April). A portrait of environmental integration in United States K-12 art education [Roundtable session]. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting [Virtual].

Gude, O., Bertling, J., Bey, S., Lucero, J., & Graham, M. (2021, March). Principles of possibility as pandemic pedagogy: Still believing we can make a marvelous future [Supersession]. National Art Education Association Annual Convention [Virtual].

Bertling, J., & Wilson, G. (2021, March). Curricular approaches in US art teacher education and K-12 art education: Research and a conversation. National Art Education Association Annual Convention [Virtual].

Bertling, J. (2020, April). Arts-based research:  Embodying pedagogical knowledge and its evolution. In A. Kantrowitz (Chair), Arts-based research as pedagogy. Symposium accepted for presentation at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. (Annual meeting cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic)

Bertling, J., & Moore, T. (2020, April). Curricular approaches within U.S. art teacher education:  The status of ecological/environmental education. Paper to be presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. (Annual meeting cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic)

Rosenberg, J. M., Hodge, L., Bertling, J., & King, S. (2020, April). Art as a context for data science:  Exploring fourth-grade students’ data visualization practices. In J. M. Rosenberg & B. D. Chen (Chairs), Exploring data science across the curriculum and across grade levels. Symposium accepted for presentation at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. (Annual meeting cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic)

Bertling, J. (2020, March). National Art Education Foundation Featured Grantee Projects. Paper invited for presentation at the annual convention of the National Art Education Association, Minneapolis, MN. (Convention cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic)

Bertling, J. (2020, March). ABER over time:  The material object as a site of pedagogical memory. Paper accepted for presentation at the annual convention of the National Art Education Association, Minneapolis, MN. (Convention cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic)

Bertling, J., & Hodge, L. (2020, March). Data visualization in the elementary art classroom. Paper accepted for presentation at the annual convention of the National Art Education Association, Minneapolis, MN. (Convention cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic)

Hodge, L, King, S., & Bertling, J. (2019, July). Mathematizing, visualizing, and power (MVP):  Students creating statistical literacies through popular representations. Poster presented at the annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Pretoria, South Africa. (non-presenting author)

Bertling, J. (2019, April). Expanding and sustaining arts-based educational research as practitioner inquiry. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, Canada. 

Bertling, J., & Moore, T. (2019, April). U.S. Art Teacher Education in the Age of the Anthropocene. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, Canada. 

Bertling, J. (2019, March). Cultivating critical geographies in art teacher education. Session conducted at the annual conference of the National Art Education Association, Boston, MA. 

Bertling, J. (2018, September). Opening Thirdspace:  Cultivating critical geographies in art teacher education. Paper presented at the Art Education Research Institute, Napierville, IL. 

Bertling, J. (2018, April). Charting the ecumene:  Cultivating critical geographies in teacher education. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Division B—Curriculum Studies, New York, NY.

Bertling, J., & Rearden, K. (2018, April). Professional development on a sustainable shoestring:  Propagating place-based art education in fertile soil. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Division K—Teaching and Teacher Education, New York, NY. 

Bertling, J. (2018, March). Photovoice as place-based art pedagogy:  Giving voice to students giving voice to their world. Paper presented at the annual convention of the National Art Education Association, Seattle, WA.

Wilson, G., & Bertling, J. (2018, March). The art classroom as socio-cultural practice:  Visual ethnography for art teacher education. Paper presented at the annual convention of the National Art Education Association, Seattle, WA.

Bertling, J. (2017, May). Metaphoric cartography as dual-layered practitioner inquiry:  Arts-based educational research in the construction of place. Paper presented at the Thirteenth International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Urbana-Champaign, IL.

Bertling, J. (2017, March). ABER within ABER:  Taking arts-based practitioner inquiry to the next level. Paper presented at the annual convention of the National Art Education Association, New York, NY.

Bertling, J. (2017, March). Bulletin boards:  Reframing pedagogy with preservice teachers. Paper presented at the annual convention of the National Art Education Association, New York, NY.

Bertling, J. (2016, April). Cultivating ecological paradigms in the art classroom:  Teacher efficacy and the ecological crisis. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Washington, DC. 

Bertling, J. (2016, March). Subvertisements:  Ironically questioning consumerist narratives through digital collage. Presented at the annual convention of the National Art Education Association, Chicago, IL.

Bertling, J. (2012, May). Purposes for mixing methods:  An investigation within the field of place-based education. Paper presented at the Eighth International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Urbana-Champaign, IL.

Bertling, J. (2012, March). Examining middle school students’ experiences of empathy with the environment throughout a critical place-based art education program. Paper presented at the annual convention of the National Art Education Association, Marilyn Zurmuehlen Working Papers in Art Education, New York, NY.

Costantino, T., Bertling, J., Wilson, G., and Williams, R. (2011, March). Developing intellectual community in graduate art education with the Critical Friends discussion protocol. Panel session conducted at the annual convention of the National Art Education Association, Seattle, WA.

RESEARCH GRANTS

Hodge, L., Dyer, E., Bertling, J., & Clark, C. (2022-2025). National Science Foundation Advancing Informal Science Learning. Mathematizing, Visualizing, and power: Appalachian Youth Becoming Data Artists for Community Learning, $1,347,443.

Bertling, J., & Hodge, L. (2021-2025). US Department of Education Assistance in Arts Education Grant. The Data Visualization Project, $1,250,056.

Bertling, J. (2020-2022). National Art Education Foundation Research Grant. High Ecological Integration within U.S. Art Teacher Education: A Collective Case Study, $10,500.

Bertling, J. (2019). University of Tennessee Professional and Scholarly Development Awards. U.S. K-12 Art Education in the Age of the Anthropocene, $5,000. 

Bertling, J. (2018-2019). National Art Education Foundation Research Grant. U.S. Art Teacher Education in the Age of the Anthropocene, $10,000.

Hodge, L., Bertling, J., & Lawson, M. (2017-2018). University of Tennessee Community Engagement Research Seed Grant. Mathematizing, Visualizing, and Power:  Students Creating Scientific Statistical Literacies through Popular Representations, $6,362.

AWARDS

Outstanding Publication Award, Ecology and Environment Interest Group, National Art Education Association, 2024.

East Tennessee Art Educator of the Year, Tennessee Art Education Association, 2024.

Frank W. Harvey Professorship, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, University of Tennessee, 2023.

Louie M. and Betty M. Phillips Faculty Support in Education Award, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, University of Tennessee, 2023.

Higher Education Art Educator of the Year, National Art Education Association, Southeastern Division, 2022.

Higher Education Art Educator of the Year, Tennessee Art Education Association, 2021.

Distinguished Alumna Award, Converse College, 2019

Higher Education Art Educator of the Year, Tennessee Art Education Association, 2017

Cromartie Graduate Scholarship, University of Georgia, 2012

W. Robert Nix Award of Excellence in Art Education Scholarship, University of Georgia, 2011

TEACHING EXPERIENCE & SUPERVISION

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

ARED 350:  Field Experience, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015

ARED 510:  History and Philosophy of Art Education, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016

ARED 520:  Studies in Art Education, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016

ARED 530:  Art Production and Critical Pedagogy, 2017, 2016, 2015

ARED 540:  Use and Construction of Instructional Materials for Teaching Art, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2017, 2015

TPTE 500:  Thesis, 2020, 2019

TPTE 503: Problems in Lieu of Thesis, 2023

TPTE 574:  Analysis of Teaching for Professional Development, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015

TPTE 575:  Professional Internship in Teaching, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015

TPTE 591:  Clinical Studies, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015

TPTE 593:  Independent Study, 2022, 2019, 2017

TPTE 595:  Special Topics, 2018

SERVICE TO THE  PROFESSION

Secretary, Ecology and Environment Interest Group, National Art Education Association, 2025-present

Principal Editor Elect, International Journal of Education through Art, 2025-present

Editorial Board Member, Studies in Art Education, 2025-present

Editorial Board Member, Arts Education Policy Review, 2022-present

Editorial Board Member, Visual Arts Research, 2022-2024

Immediate Past Chair, 2024-2026, Chair, 2022-2024, Program Chair, 2020-2022; Arts and Learning Special Interest Group, American Educational Research Association, 2020-2026

Immediate Past Chair, 2023-present; Chair, 2021-2023, Ecology and Environment Interest Group, National Art Education Association, 2021-2025

Editorial Review Board Member, Art Education, 2019-2025

Program Chair and Executive Committee Member, Arts and Inquiry in the Visual and Performing Arts in Education Special Interest Group, American Educational Research Association, 2018-2022

Higher Education Division Representative, Tennessee Art Education Association, 2015-2020