NATCHITOCHES – The Louisiana Art Education Association has named Dr. Leslie Gruesbeck recipient of the 2026 Higher Education Art Educator award for outstanding service and achievement. The award recognizes outstanding service and achievement by university or college-level visual arts educators.
Nominees must have been active in LAEA, and by extension the National Art Education Association, for at least three years, be employed as a higher education visual arts educator and have demonstrated sustained service, leadership and notable achievements in the field of art and/or visual arts education. Candidates are nominated by other LAEA members.
Gruesbeck is head of the Department of Fine and Graphic Arts at Northwestern State University, an associate professor of art and coordinator of galleries. In addition to administrative and teaching responsibilities, she is also faculty rector of Varnado Residential College for students in NSU’s School of Creative and Performing Arts in which she recruits and coordinates faculty activities to promote academic programs, fosters faculty and student interaction and engages existing CAPA activities into the life of NSU and the Natchitoches community. She has written several grants for arts-related projects, technology upgrades and student success and regularly lectures and presents at conferences on a wide variety of topics related to art, art history, teaching, research and service-learning.
“I have been involved with art education for many years, both through teaching and advocacy,” Gruesbeck said. “My own research has focused on ways of teaching art that foster greater self-efficacy among collegiate art students as well as art and craft as forms of adult education and lifelong learning.”
Gruesbeck is a Louisiana Talented Visual Arts Evaluator for K-12 Talent Programs. Louisiana’s Talented Arts Program identifies and provides specialized instruction to K-12 students with extraordinary abilities in visual art, music or theater.
Last year, Gruesbeck was selected as a Connected Arts Networks (CAN) Teacher Participant for the 2025-2026 school year. CAN is a collaborative project sponsored by the National Art Education Association, the Educational Theater Association (EdTA), the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and the NYC Public Schools Arts Office.
Since 2022, the Department of Fine + Graphic Arts has hosted a professional development workshop for K-12 visual art teachers, many of whom are members of LAEA. This year, in addition to NSU’s support, BOM is a sponsor of the workshop.
“This recognition is very special, and I am deeply honored that LAEA has selected me as the 2026 recipient. LAEA is an amazing group of talented, caring, hardworking and involved educators,” she said.
Information on NSU’s Department of Fine and Graphic Arts is available at https://www.nsula.edu/academics/colleges-and-schools/school-of-creative-and-performing-arts/fine-graphic-arts/.