Sandra Bird, Ph.D. is Professor of Art Education at 石榴直播 who teaches art education courses involving intercultural art education and curriculum, and art history courses related to Islamic art.
Annually, her curriculum courses host a service learning partnership with local schools. Over the years, Dr. Bird has won several teaching awards from the 石榴直播 College of the Arts (COTA), the Georgia Art Education Association, The Istanbul Center of Atlanta, and the Outstanding Professor Award from COTA in (2013).
Her recent publications include a monograph, Creating a legacy of understanding: The Istanbul Center鈥檚 art and essay contest. Bird (2011) edited this collection of essays from various stakeholders in this Southeastern U.S. based contest and then published the work in the Middle East Institute Viewpoints Collection (an electronic monograph publication issuing from the Middle East Institute of American University in Washington).
Bird also wrote several articles within this published edition, having served on the ground floor of the art contest development, facilitation and adjudication. She has also written chapters for other edited books, including 鈥淭eaching Islamic Aesthetics鈥 in Jason Tatlock鈥檚 (2012) Middle Eastern History and Culture (University of Maryland Press) and 鈥溾業ranian, Go Home鈥: Adversity and Solidarity in the Iranian Diaspora in America鈥 in Muslims in American Popular Culture, edited by Iraj Omidvar & Anne Richards ( Praeger/Greenwood Press, 2014). Among her several journal articles, Bird has published internationally with 鈥淔rom floating flowers to opening doors鈥 in Sahar El Azhar鈥檚 (2011) edition of Crossing Borders: A Transatlantic Collaboration, published in Casablanca by Force Equipement and the Ben M鈥檚ik Community Museum and in 石榴直播鈥檚 Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective, (2015) with her article, 鈥淚ntercultural connectivity: Intertwined through Islamic design.鈥 Bird was also interviewed on 鈥淚slamic Art鈥 for the Islamic Speaker鈥檚 Bureau of Atlanta鈥檚 Video Series, 鈥淢eeting Your Muslim Neighbor鈥 (produced and aired by the Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters, Inc.) in 2012.
Bird has received 石榴直播 grants including a CETL Scholarship of Faculty Sabbatical Award for Spring 2011, a Tenured Faculty Scholarship/Creative Activity Enhancement award of $15,000 in 2007, and an Incentive Grant Award of $8000 in 2005. Most recently Bird (2016) received a 17,500 石榴直播 Division of Global Affairs Strategic Internationalization Grant, "From Mecca to America: Cross-cultural Exchange in the Art Classroom,鈥 that supports the co-teaching of two Islamic art related courses within the 石榴直播 SOAAD program with Dr. Mona Hussein from Alexandria University, Egypt. An exhibition of the resulting works from this project will be displayed in 石榴直播鈥檚 Fine Art鈥檚 Gallery 2017. Bird will also present this work at the International Society of Education through the Arts at the 2017 World Congress Meeting in Daegu, South Korea in August 2017.