Evalyn Milman (M.A. ’64), a dedicated educator and TC alum, can't remember a time when she wasn’t inspired by art or picking up a new musical instrument. Now, her latest endeavor — the Evalyn Edwards Milman Fellowship in Art & Art Education —  will support the placement of art educators at Teachers College Community School (TCCS) and under-resourced NYC public schools for generations to come. 

“My hope is that students at Teachers College will make a profound impact on children at the earliest stages of development through art and art education,” shares Milman, who began her own education career teaching art and music to Pre-K students. “Art is a human right.”

“The Fellows will prepare children to investigate their world and cultures, and help them interpret their inner feelings through visual skills. In turn, [the children] become better equipped to observe, analyze and express themselves,” adds Milman, whose two previously established fellowships — the Evalyn Edwards Milman Fellowship in Music Education (2016) and the Evalyn Edwards Milman Literacy Fellowship (2012)— have helped the College support students in music and literacy programs. 

Now, with this latest endeavor starting this fall at TCCS — a public PK-8 elementary and middle school that serves families in the greater Harlem community — Milman Fellows will provide valuable teaching and learning experiences for their students, and then will go on to make a lasting impact in classrooms, school systems and art institutions across the country and beyond.

“The Milman Fellowship will give a promising art education student valuable experience teaching NYC children,” said Olga Hubard Orvananos, Associate Professor of Art Education. “With the fellow's guidance, TCCS children will engage their full minds—cognition, emotion, imagination, perception, kinesthesis—as they make sense of themselves and their worlds through the unique ways of knowing inherent to the visual arts.”

Currently, music and art programs across New York City face significant challenges and funding cuts, with about 47 percent of city public schools reporting that “funding for the arts is insufficient.” Milman’s support will help to bridge these disparities for students in New York, ensuring that they have access to high-quality arts education from an early age. 

“From the very beginning, children have a profound interest in expressing themselves artistically, from simple sidewalk chalk drawings to singing songs in class. As educators, we're here to develop those artistic abilities and interests,” shares Milman. 

The art educator found inspiration in the work of her father, a textile designer, at an early age. Milman would go on to earn her undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Development from Cornell University, and master’s degrees from Teachers College and Hunter College in curriculum and teaching, and art history, respectively before embarking on her career. In addition to teaching pre-kindergarten students, Milman taught Art History at Norwalk Community College. In her later years, Milman owned a cultural tour company where she accompanied visitors in luxury coaches to museums and historical houses from the East Coast to Canada. 

“I am proud to be a part of the Teachers College community and the great work TC continues to do within the arts and beyond,” concludes Milman. “Teachers have the power to change the world.”