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Best of Both Worlds

Heather McCullin’s Career Merges Her Love of Art, Teaching

A fifth-generation teacher, Heather McCullin said teaching is in her blood. Having love for art at an early age, the Fort Worth native grew up with aspirations of becoming both an artist and an art teacher. She credits The University of Texas at Tyler for helping her achieve those dreams.

A UT Tyler BFA alumna, she teaches art to K-4 scholars at the UT Tyler University Academy–Tyler campus, where she also oversees several clubs and educational initiatives.

“I can honestly say that I would not be where I am today without The University of Texas at Tyler,” said McCullin, a current UT Tyler studio arts graduate student who will earn a Master of Arts in December. “This system has formed me, shaped me and prepared me. They have given me the tools that have allowed me to build the life I have always wanted, and I will be forever grateful.”

McCullin initiated a partnership between the UA–Tyler campus and the UT Tyler Department of Art and Art History to help UA scholars delve deeper into fine art and introduce art history and various mediums to them.

Determined to bring fine art and art history into the elementary classroom, McCullin wanted to teach skills, utilize mediums and have discussions over abstract ideas that were not always covered in the setting. For the exhibition she developed, “Art in COLOR: A Walk Through Art History,” she was able to do just that.

Art in COLOR art exhibit “When I transitioned from teaching only high school art classes to teaching students as young as 5 in kindergarten, I did not want to give up the fine art side of art class,” she explained. “This year, I set a goal for myself to incorporate art history with every art lesson/project we looked at, and the scholars loved it! With their excitement, our potential to create something great was undeniable.”

In preparation for the student exhibition, she presented the works of such artists as Andy Warhol, Yayoi Kusama and Jean Michel-Basquiat to her K-4 scholars, and the scholars created their own works based on the style of a particular artist. Scholars exhibited their pieces during the month of May in the UT Tyler Fine Arts Complex Gallery.

“I get to do what I love every day, and I get to show my scholars how important art is and how it can be utilized in a career setting,” she said. “My career has brought me back to UT Tyler, and it continues to help me grow into the person I have always wanted to be.”

McCullin plans to continue her education and obtain an MFA from UT Tyler. She also has been asked to be a teacher’s assistant next semester for a beginning sculpture class at the university.

“I am getting to be a part of a university that has always been so important in my life,” she added. “UT Tyler feels like home to me. I love this community so much, and I feel extremely blessed to be employed by the same place that has allowed me to live my dream.”

Some of McCullin's artwork Along with her life as a mom, wife, teacher and student, McCullin is building a career as a mixed media artist working primarily with ink on paper, torn paper, concrete, wax, steel and wood. She currently has seven pieces in shows across Texas. She praises her professors in the Department of Art and Art History for their encouragement and support.

“They have taken me from being a mediocre artist, who dabbled aimlessly, and helped propel me onto a trajectory of exponential growth,” she said. “They have provided me with the environment, facilities and feedback I have needed to take a step closer to becoming the artist I am striving to become.”

What advice does she offer others? She encourages students and scholars to remain positive and hopeful, and to never give up.

“If you have a goal and you have a dream, do not stop working your tail off for it. You must eat, sleep and drink your goal daily, sacrificing the easy way out,” McCullin said. “It is easy to get worked up over small details, maybe a coworker is being negative, maybe you don’t get the class schedule you wanted, maybe you feel overwhelmed – but in all of that, it is important to remain positive and grateful.”

McCullin is married to her “best friend,” Wade, of nearly 15 years, and together they have one son. Aside from art, she enjoys spending time with her family.

#CAS