Carol Sterling
(Last updated: November 24, 2017)- Carol Sterling is an arts educator and teaching artist who has devoted her life’s work to advocate for the importance of arts education in the lives of people all ages, from young people to older adults, and has served in arts and education leadership positions on local, state, regional, national and international levels for over fifty years.
- Carol has conducted workshops throughout the US, and in many other countries, including: Australia, China, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Japan, and Spain.
- She was selected as a Fulbright Program Specialst and conducted arts education workshops in Uganda (2012), and India (2015).
- Carol received the Distinguished Service Award for Arts Education presented by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.,
- She was invited to The White House where she was recognized for her contribution to education reform efforts.
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Carol is currently serving on the following boards:
- The Jim Henson Foundation.
- The School Art League.
- The Judith S. Kaye High School.
- Zawadi Africa Education Fund.
- Penny Jones Early Childhood Puppet Theatre.
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As a consultant, Carol Sterling guides teachers, administrators,
curriculum coordinators, after school programs, arts in education programs,
arts councils, senior centers, libraries,
- anyone designing, developing and evaluating arts programs for all ages! - Additionally Carol has developed expertise as an educational puppeteer. She works with pre-service and in-service teachers, undergraduate and graduate students in Education, sharing strategies in how to integrate puppetry to enrich the language arts, social studies, health/nutrition/wellness, and science curricula in grades Pre-K-12.

Carol Sterling with Nobel Peace Laureate Kailaah Satyarthi, Fullbright Association Conference, Atlanta, Nov 2015.

Teaching Artist with Older Adults
Carol is a teaching artist in Senior Centers and libraries and conducts workshops on "Celebrating Your Life through the Visual and Performing Arts".

Teaching Artist with Young People
Carol Sterling is a teaching artist in schools throughout New York City.

Teaching Artist with High School students
Carol Sterling works in cooperation with arts councils throughout New York City.

Educational Puppeteer
Carol Sterling, educational puppeteer, provides workshops for schools, community and arts organizations in how to integrate puppetry in Pre-K-12 curriculum. As a Fulbright Program Specialist, she has worked in Uganda (2012) and India (2015). On November 12, 2015, she was a presenter at the Fulbright Association 38th Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Her presentation focused on International Education as she addressed the topic, “ Successful Strategies in Working with Host Institutions in Global Education. “
Gallery
(click on images for slideshow)Arts and Education
She has served in leadership positions on local, state, regional, national and international levels. She is the former Director of Arts in Education for Brooklyn Arts Council, Director of Education for International Sculpture Center, Vice-President for the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and Arts Recognition and Talent Search (ARTS) in affiliation with The White House Scholars program, Director of Education for American Council for the Arts, Founding Director of Arts Partners, a collaboration between the New York City Department of Education with the Department of Cultural Affairs, Office of Youth Services and the Office of the Mayor, Arts Education Consultant with the New Jersey State Department of Education. She is a former art educator and art department chair for K-12 and guest art educator for children’s and adult programs for WCBS-TV, WNBC-TV, WABC-TV and others, as well as an award-winning children’s television producer, writer and host. Throughout her career she has held adjunct faculty appointments in schools of education in the metropolitan NYC area.

Giant puppet of Mother Theresa and Child, created by Carol Sterling
with students at National School of Drama in Education.
Agartala, India, March, 2015.
Educational Puppetry
Carol Sterling’s work as an educational puppeteer
Selected Presentations/Lectures/Conferences
- “International Education: Successful Strategies to Support your Host Institutions,” 38th Annual Fulbright Association Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, November l3, 2015
- “Your Elevator Speech: How to Pitch Yourself as an Educational Puppeteer,” National Puppetry Festival, University of Connecticut, August l5, 2015
- “Puppetry as a Pedagogical Tool----puppeteers and their work,” Northeast Regional Puppetry Festival Homecoming, Rhinebeck, New York, September 5, 2014.
- “Why School Administrators and Classroom Teachers Should Hire Puppeteers to help Students Strengthen their Academic skills,” UNIMA-China, First Nanchong, China Puppet Art Week, June 3-12, 2014.
- “Puppet Power 2013: The Fearless Face of Puppetry: The Challenge For Educational Puppeteers,” Calgary, British Columbia, Canada, March 9-11, 2013.
- “Bringing the Literacy Curriculum Alive Through Puppets, while meeting the National Common Core Curriculum Standards,” Professional Day for the Teaching Artists and Therapist, Puppeteers of America, August 6, 2013.
- “Puppetry as a Pedagogical Tool----puppeteers and their work,” University of Connecticut, Puppetry Arts Program in collaboration with the Ballard Museum and Institute, Storrs, Connecticut, April 18, 2012.
- “Using Puppets to Reinforce Oral Communication Skills in K-6 Curriculum,” Puppeteers of America Conference, Professional Day for the Teaching Artist and Therapist, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, July 12, 2011.
- “How To Be a Puppeteer in the Schools,” and “Strategies that Work for Puppeteers Who want to Work in Schools and Educational Settings,” Puppeteers of America Conference, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, July 17, 2009.
- “10 Reasons Why Careers in Arts Administration or Non-Profit Management May be Right for You,” Simmons College Career Day, June 8, 2007; Scholastic Art & Writing Conference, New York, NY, June 9, 2006;
- “Careers in the Arts: Puppeteer,” High School GED Candidates at Youth Fair Chance Phipps West Farms Career Center, Bronx, NY, November 20, 2005;
- “How To Integrate the Visual and Performing Arts into the High School Curriculum,” New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ, January l4, 2004;
- “Puppetry Strategies to Stimulate Reading in Pre K-Grade 3: Adaptation of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle,” New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ, January 11, 2003;
- “Revitalizing Learning Through Art: The Art Teacher and the Establishment, “ Board of Jewish Education of Greater NY Conference for Art Educators, NY, NY, May 8, 1996;
- “Three C’s of Arts Education Accountability within the Education Reform Movement,” Getty Center for Education in the Arts National Conference, Los Angeles, CA, January 12, 1995;
- “Strategies to Strengthen Support For Your Arts Programs,” Chamber Music America National Conference, NY, NY, January 17, 1994;
- “Arts Education and the 21st Century American Economy,“ American Council for the Arts, Atlanta, GA, l994;
- “Arts Education Assessment and Student Achievement,” American Council for the Arts National Conference, Kentucky Center for the Arts, Lexington, KY, l992
- “The Role of Arts Education in Creating an Educated Workforce: Why the Business Community Should Support Arts Education,” New Orchestra of Westchester, Manhattanville College, Purchase, NY, November 12, 1992; Department of Defense Dependent Schools (DODDS) Weisbaden, Germany, “Status of Arts Education in US, ”January, l991, March, 1993. (Keynote)
- “Puppetry in the Curriculum, K-12,” Children’s Castle, Tokyo, Japan, and repeated workshops in 5 cities in Japan, July, l988.
- “How the Business and Foundation Community Can Support Arts Programs, Arts & Business Council National Conference, New York, NY, October 25, 1990; “Puppetry in the Curriculum, K-12,” Children’s Castle, Tokyo, Japan, and repeated workshops in 5 cities in Japan, July, l988;
- “Public Relations Skills for Art Educators,” National Art Education Association, Detroit, MI, April 1983.
- “Promoting a School/Community Arts Program,” National Art Education Association, New York, NY, 1982.
- ”The Arts Educator In a Media-Oriented Society: Developing Public Relations Skills, New Jersey State Department of Education Conference, Princeton, NJ, March 17, 1982.
- “Critical Issues in Arts Education,” Arts Educators of New Jersey, June 1982.
- “Gaining and Maintaining Support for School Arts Programs,” National Art Education Association, Chicago, IL, April 1981.
- “Comprehensive Arts Program Planning and Evaluation at the State and Local Level,” National Art Education Association, Atlanta, GA, April 1980.
- “Integrating the Arts into the K-12 Curriculum,” New Jersey Education Association Conference, Atlantic City, NJ, November 11, 1980
- “Creative Puppetry in the Classroom,” Art Educators of New Jersey Conference, Kean College, Hillside, NJ, l983.
- “Youth Art Month: An Opportunity to Gain Support for Art in Schools,” National Art Education Association National Conference, Detroit, Michigan, l983.
- “The Arts as an Effective Medium to promote Involvement in and Support of Religious Institutions,” National Clown, Mime, Puppet, Dance Ministry, June 1981 and June 1982.
- “Puppets in the Curriculum,” A Showcase of Educational Puppetry, Educational Puppetry Day, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, June 7, 1980.
Publications and selected articles
- “Making the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden: A Conversation with Martin Friedman,” in Landscapes for Art: Contemporary Sculpture Parks, edited by Glenn Harper and Twylene Moyer, International Sculpture Center, 2008
- “Cultural After-School Adventure Programs,” Brooklyn Arts Council, Volume I-2006; Volume II-2007; Volume III-2008; Volume IV-2009.
- “CASA, A Dynamic Opportunity to Bring Together Brooklyn’s Greatest Resources----its Youth, its Artists and its Schools,” Brooklyn Arts Council, Summer, 2006.
- “Puppetry, Television and Basic Skills,” in Puppetry in Education and Therapy: Unlocking doors to the mind and heart, “ edited by Matthew Bernier and Judith O’Hare, Indiana: Authorhouse, 2005.
- “Vocational Education and Arts Education: An Important Synergy,” with Fred G. Burke, Ph.D., National Center for Research in Vocational Education, University of California at Berkeley, Centerfocus, Number 17/April l997.
- “Arts Education Means Business,” Education Week, Commentary: Volume XIII, Number 39, June 22, 1994.
- “Arts Education Advocacy: Document the Successes,” in Arts in Education Primer, National Assembly of State Arts, “ Spring, 1992.
- “From the Director of Arts Partners,” New York City Department of Education, 12 newsletters, l983-1990.
- “Arts Education: The EIC Story,” New Jersey Department of Education, Volume 7/No. 5, April 1981.
- “How to be a Puppeteer in Schools,” in The Puppetry Journal, Part I: Winter, 1986; Part II: Spring 1987.
- “A Challenge To Become Involved,” Art Education (Publication of National Art Education Association), November 1985.
- “Cultural Organizations as Educational Resources,” “Model School/Community Programs,” “How To Write Grant Proposals and Funding Sources for School Arts Programs,” “School Cultural Program Partnerships,” “Planning Artists’ Long and Short Term Residencies to Support School Arts Programs,” “Staff Development: Accent on Arts as an Educational Tool to Strengthen Basic Skills,” “Developing Leadership Teams,” “Comprehensive Arts Education Programs,” “Effective Public Relations for Arts Educators,” New Jersey State Department of Education, 1980-1983.
- “Giant Puppets,” in School Arts Magazine, June, l978. Barnard Alumnae Magazine, “Giant Puppets,” in Barnard Alumnae Magazine, June l977.
- “Puppetry in the Curriculum,” New Jersey State Department of Education, l980.
- “Puppetry in Education: Fascinating Approaches for Rapid Learning, Sesame Street’s Muppets: Make-Believe with a Core of Reality ” with Children’s Television Workshop, The Puppetry Journal, Part I, September-October 1981; Part II, November-December, 1981.
- “Shadow Puppetry and the Overhead Projector,” March/April, 1980, “Flash Cards and Basic Reading Skills,” November/December, l981, “Brainstorming,” January/February 1982, “ Story Creation Strategies,” March/April, 1985, Puppetry in Education News
Adjunct Faculty Appointments in Education, Arts Education and Puppetry
- Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, September-October 2012 (Fulbright Program Specialist)
- UNIMA-Spain, Tolosa University, July 2011;
- St. John’s University, Graduate School of Education, Queens, NY, January-June 1998;
- Bank Street College of Education, Graduate School of Education, New York, NY, February 1975-June 1983;
- Fairfield University, Graduate School for Education, Fairfield, CT, September, 1975-June, 1978;
- College of New Rochelle, Department of Education, New Rochelle, NY, September-June 1977;
- Rutgers University, Graduate School of Education, New Brunswick, NJ and Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, NJ with The Center for Open Education, June-August 1973-1975;
- New School University, Arts & Humanities Department, New York, NY, September 1975-August 1978;
- Adelphi University, Graduate School for Education, Garden City, NY, July-August 1976.