USSEA
United States Society for Education through Art
The Passing of Dr. Ann Kuo
“Surrounded by her family, on the evening of April 1, 2025, San Francisco time, our beloved Professor Ann C. S. Kuo passed away peacefully.
Professor Ann C. S. Kuo was an outstanding international scholar in art education who dedicated her life to the advancement of the field. She had a profound influence on countless students worldwide. Through art, her teaching conveyed love, warmth, and care.
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, in 135, Professor Kuo was the eldest daughter of renowned Taiwanese gouache painters Kuo Hsueh-hu and Lin A-Chin. Continuing her parents’ artistic legacy, she became a distinguished gouache painter and served as a judge for numerous art competitions in Taiwan. She held solo and joint exhibitions with her parents in Taiwan and the United States. Her leadership earned her widespread recognition, and she was affectionately regarded as “the big sister” among many descendants of artists in Taiwan.
In the late 1980s, after earning dual master’s degrees from Southern Illinois University and the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a doctorate in art education from the University of Illinois, Professor Kuo brought with her 26 years of experience teaching art at various grade levels in the United States. She joined the Department of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University and contributed to curriculum reform and textbook review as a member of the Ministry of Education’s committee. Understanding the critical role of art educators, she pioneered and established the Department of Fine Arts and Graduate Program of Art Education at National Changhua University of Education. She also founded various professional development organizations, including the Art Education Research and Development Association of the Republic of China and the Taiwan Art Education Association.
Dedicated to fostering international academic exchange, she established the Cross-Strait Art Education Exchange Association and the World Chinese Art Education Association, promoting art education research in Chinese-speaking societies. Her work profoundly influenced art education in Asia and Southeast Asia. She also played a significant role in global art education, serving as a World Council (1993–1999) and President (2006–2011) of the UNESCO-affiliated International Society for Education through Art (InSEA). Committed to advancing research, she founded the International Journal of Arts Education, published in both Chinese and English.
Professor Kuo received numerous prestigious awards, including the Golden Goblet Award for Art Education from the National Painting Society of the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Cultural Education Award from the Ministry of Education, the Edwin Ziegfeld Award for Art Education in the United States, recognition in the International Who’s Who of Professionals, and the Taiwan Art Education Lifetime Achievement Award. Her contributions to art education as a researcher and leader were exceptional.
An advocate for love and peace, Professor Ann C. S. Kuo devoted her life to connecting leading scholars in art education worldwide. She provided her students with opportunities to broaden their perspectives, transcending borders, political barriers, and ideologies. She championed cultural vibrancy, dialogue, and meaningful connections through art, culture, and education.
Let us remember Professor Ann C. S. Kuo as a scholar who excelled in teaching, research, and artistic creation. May we continue her legacy with boundless smiles, peace, and warmth, honoring her love for art education.“
Source from Kuo Hsueh-Hu Foundation
The United States Society for Education through Art actively advocates for human rights, equality, and diversity in our schools, museums, and other educational settings. The recent murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers condemned globally and all past incidents of racism, anti-Blackness, and other forms discrimination are violations of human rights that demise humanity and the fundamentals of our democratic society. As a professional art education organization, we denounce police brutality, structural oppression of race, and other discriminatory actions. In solidarity and support for the global movement for resistance and systematic changes, we do not tolerate the prevalence of invisible or overt racism and violence.
As forward-thinking and equitable educators, the USSEA members will use art education pedagogies and resources to advocate for social justice and address diversity concerns and problems. We engage our students and community members in an inclusive, equitable, and diverse art education. Recognizing the power of art and visual culture, we believe our work is critically essential to help current and future generations enjoy the right of being treated fairly and equally in all circumstances. Art is one of the few channels in life that allows all people to breathe and to share their unique voices with dignity and validity. We challenge the oppression and discrimination of institutional ignorance and hierarchical structure, along with counteracting unacceptable violence with solidarity and mutual support. We also believe that more equitable, inclusive, and diversified education should be developed in Pre-k-12 and higher education. Therefore, we encourage all art educators to work to achieve this goal and to promote the active transformation of inequity and bias through resilience, solidarity, and justice in our universities, schools, and communities.
As a professional association of art educators, the USSEA supports and advocates the following:
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Support racial justice and equity of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOAC).
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Remove and counteract systemic discrimination and violence on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, and other social identities
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Care and support the victims, their families, and communities due to police violence and other physical and emotional violence
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Create, develop, and implement art education resources to support diversity, equity, and inclusion.
In addressing the challenge of discrimination, oppression, and injustice, we acknowledge that there are many holes and gaps in higher education and our schools, which should be removed and reformed to raise the next generation to see their own value and to stand up against inhuman actions and violence in our society.
USSEA is a society of art educators who share a strong support for diversity and culturally pluralistic concerns in art education with others nationally and internationally. USSEA members promote greater understanding and respect for learners from all backgrounds through research, art curricula development, instruction, and creative professional practices. USSEA shares and supports projects, research, and publications that are in accordance with the mission of our organization and membership.
About the Organization
The United States Society for Education Through the Arts (USSEA) commits to actively lead and support multicultural and cross cultural initiatives that foster teamwork, collaboration, and communication among diverse constituencies in order to achieve greater understanding of the social and cultural aspects of the arts and visual culture in education.
USSEA was founded in 1977 as an affiliate of the International Society for Education Through Art (InSEA) and the National Art Education Association (NAEA). It is a national association representing persons working in curriculum development, teaching, and research related to art education and cultural knowledge. USSEA is a society of art educators who share interests in multicultural and cross-cultural concerns in art education with others nationally and internationally to promote greater understanding and respect for learners from all backgrounds through research, art curricula, instruction, and practices that are inclusive and sensitive.
USSEA encourages information sharing and distribution by arranging meetings and sponsoring multicultural and cross-cultural programs at the annual NAEA conference, organizing symposia and conferences within the United States, and supporting projects, research, and publications that are in accordance with the mission of the society. Through the USSEA website, members may access up-to date news and information about USSEA’s initiatives, programs, and opportunities.
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