Farmington Art Teacher Earns National Award

Courtesy of Artsonia

FARMINGTON, CT — A local elementary school art teacher has earned a prestigious honor in her field.

West District Elementary School art instructor Nicole Bastiaanse-Fritch was announced late last week as the recipient of Artsonia’s 2023 Art Education Leadership Award.

"The award honors pioneers in the art education community who continuously inspire their peers and engage students," reads and announcement from Artsonia.

Artsonia is the world’s largest online collection of student art and a destination for thousands of art educators in over 100 countries worldwide.

Bastiaanse-Fritch teaches at West District Elementary School, 14 W. District Road, in the Unionville part of Farmington.

Bastiaanse-Fritch’s peers and Artsonia selected her among thousands of instructors as one of 15 national winners of this award.

“I am honored and humbled to be recognized by my colleagues,” Bastiaanse-Fritch said. “This art teacher community is an amazing and beautiful thing to be a part of.”

Bastiaanse-Fritch is in her 21st year as an art instructor.

“As an art teacher, I have come to cherish the small moments that occur every-day in my classroom. The laughter, wonder, and delight I witness daily inspires me to be the best teacher I can be,” she said.

Bastiaanse-Fritch is one of thousands of art teachers from over 100 countries around the world who use Artsonia to showcase their student art, crowdsource lesson plans and help fundraise for their classrooms.

“I love how Artsonia documents the artwork for each student in a digital format across time,” Bastiaanse-Fritch said. “It is an amazing way to capture the creative growth of my students. Artsonia has truly made my life as an art educator easier.”

“Artsonia strives to provide art educators a platform to inspire one another,” said Jim Meyers, CEO and co-founder of Artsonia. “We could not thrive without the commitment and ingenuity of teachers like Nicole who use their online gallery and lesson plans to motivate others.

"This Art Education Leadership Award is a way for us to recognize the hard-working, passionate people who help our children cherish art and cultivate their creative side.”

For more information on Artsonia, visit artsonia.com.