Anita Bates PhD (ad8045)

PhD.-Education--Wayne State University
Master of Fine Arts--Painting--Wayne State University
Master of Arts--Studio--Eastern Michigan University
K-12 Certification-Art Education--Wayne State University

• Teaching and development of  Art Education undergraduate and graduate courses, and in-service initiatives for PK-12 educators.
• Serve as program coordinator of Art Education, and lead the innovation, continuous improvement, and assessment of the MEd program.
• Advise, mentor, and help recruit and retain undergraduate and graduate students.
• Recruit, retain, and evaluate part-time faculty teaching and supervision in Art Education.
• Serve as clinical supervisor for student teachers in the Visual Art Education program.

 Visual Arts Education

Office Hours:

Monday and Tuesday 3:00-4:30; Thursday 3:00-5:30

Dr. Anita Bates is a 2019 Kresge Arts Fellow and a native of Highland Park, Michigan. A contemporary artist, she has been exhibited in several venues including the Trout Museum in Appleton, Wisconsin; the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit; G.R. N’Namdi Gallery; Dell Pryor Gallery; Detroit Artists Market; River’s Edge Gallery in Wyandotte, Michigan; Querini Stampalia Museum in Venice, Italy; A Gathering of the Tribes Gallery in New York, NY and the Ashara Ekundayo Gallery in Oakland, California.

The artist and her work have been noted and reviewed in various periodicals and publications such as the Detroit News and Free Press, The Oakland Press, Detroit Home Magazine, Art News, BLAC Magazine, TR8T Magazine, Imago Mundi: The Luciano Benetton Collection and The Romeo Observer.

Dr. Bates’ work has been acquired for the Woodward West Art Collection; the N’Namdi Permanent Collection; the Luciano Benetton Collection and Detroit Public Schools Community District Artist Collaborative.

Of late, Anita has expanded her artistic endeavors to curatorial practice, developing exhibitions for Detroit’s Cass Café, the Detroit Artists Market and most recently for the Progressive Arts Studio Collective (PASC), a studio and arts collective dedicated to artists with disabilities.

Ms. Bates holds both a PhD in Education and M.F.A. in Painting from Wayne State University. She also has an MA in Studio Art with a painting concentration from Eastern Michigan University. Other accomplishments include a Fulbright Memorial Fellowship in Japanese education and a King, Chavez, Parks Future Faculty Fellowship from Wayne State University. Her research interests center around the ways in which museum narratives and visual imagery can be used to promote critical thinking with young viewers regarding systems of inequity and representation. Currently she serves as an Assistant Professor of Teaching and Program Coordinator for Visual Art Education at Wayne State University.

rm 245 College of Education

 Fine Art; drawing and painting

Using Visual Thinking Strategies in concert with museum collections as a way of supporting culturally respnsive pedagogy.

2022 University Research Grant; WSU

2021 Co-Investigator, “Project MITTEN: Michigan Initiative to Transform Educational and Equity Networks” (2021-24) – National Education Association, planning grant ($675,000) | with Roland Sintos Coloma (Principal Investigator, TED), Jeff Lisiecki (Academic Services), and Annette Christiansen (Michigan Education Association)

2019 Kresge Arts Fellow in Fine Art

2019 Scholastic Arts Gold Medal Teacher

King Chavez Parks Future Faculty Fellow

Fulbright Memorial Fellow--Japan

Vermont Studio Artist Residency

 2019 Kresge Arts Fellow in Fine Art

King Chavez Parks Future Faculty Fellow

Fulbright Memorial Fellow--Japan

 2021  Board Member, Barber Preparatory Academy Highland Park, MI

2011 Highland Park Planning Commission

Panel Moderator, Trailblazers; Detroit Institute of Arts—2019

Artist Panelist; Detroit Institute of Arts—2018 

 2019  ArtNews.com 

2018   Detroit Home Magazine  

2013   Imago Mundi:  Luciano Benetton Collection

2013   Michigan Nightlight

2013   Model D

2013   Romeo Observer

2012   Design Line

2010   BLAC Magazine

2007   Detroit Free Press

2004   Metro Times

2003   Michigan Catholic

2003   Detroit Free Press

2000   Write, Right, Rite

1999   Trait Magazine

1997   Detroit News

1997   Directory of Michigan Artists

1997   Ann Arbor News

1997   Detroit News

1996   Detroit Free Press