Anna Kindler

Biography

Professor Anna M. Kindler re-joined the department in 2014 after serving two terms as Vice Provost and Associate Vice President Academic of UBC. She recently took on a new role in the Faculty as Senior Advisor International. In this capacity, she is responsible for strategic planning and oversight of academic international engagement, including collaborative and joint degree programs; professional development initiatives; academic leadership development programs and other international exchanges. She also serves as an elected Joint Faculties senator.

Dr. Kindler received an MA in Industrial/Graphic Design from the Academy of Fine Arts, Warsaw, Poland, followed by a second MA and a doctorate in Art Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She joined the University of British Columbia in 1990. From 2001-2004 she took a leave of absence from UBC to serve as Dean of the School of Creative Arts, Sciences and Technology at the Hong Kong Institute of Education.

Throughout her 10-year tenure as Vice Provost and AVP Academic at UBC, Professor Kindler was responsible for a large and diverse portfolio, including oversight of offices and initiatives related to teaching and learning, Aboriginal strategy and international academic programs. She played a key role in initiating the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative, the new model of TA Training and the creation of the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology through the merger and restructuring of related units. She provided oversight of the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund and led efforts to develop UBC Student Evaluations of Teaching Policy and guidelines for Peer Review of Teaching. She introduced a new process of budgetary reviews of academic programs and strengthened quality assurance processes, including reviews of academic units through her work within UBC and externally, as a representative of the research universities sector. She led the University’s effort to reinforce its commitment to teaching and learning and effectively championed the introduction of the Professor of Teaching tenure track focused on teaching and educational leadership. Her contributions helped UBC advance equity in Faculty salaries and CRC nominations. She was also instrumental in establishing and implementing at UBC the Academic Leadership Development Program which prepares and supports academic leaders in their roles and contributed to collective bargaining.

Dr. Kindler has drawn on these experiences in providing advice to governments and universities in Canada and abroad. Examples of her related engagements include consultancies to the British Columbia and Hong Kong governments on matters of curriculum reform and quality assurance and to the design and implementation of international leadership development programs. As a visiting Chair Professor at the National Taiwan Normal University, she provided strategic advice on academic policy development and implementation and continues to serve as Special Advisor to the NTNU President.

Professor Kindler has gained international recognition for her research on artistic development, social cognition of art, museum education, multiculturalism and cross-cultural research, and has published widely in these areas. Her work in teacher education has focused on case-based learning and creativity in the classroom. She has been a member of editorial boards and review panels of major international journals and research granting agencies and served two terms as Vice President of the Canadian Society for Education through Art. She is also a practicing artist exploring the medium of photography and has exhibited her work in North America, Europe and Asia. Professor Kindler’s contributions have been recognized through numerous awards, including the Sam Black Award for Education and Development in the Visual and Creative Arts; the Lowenfeld Award for Outstanding Achievement in Art Education; the International Ziegfeld Award for outstanding and internationally recognized contribution to art education through achievement in scholarly writing and research; the NAEA Distinguished Fellow Award and the University of Illinois School of Art and Design Distinguished Alumni Award.

Selected Publications

Kindler, A. M. (2015) From within and from the outside: Exploring the possibility of a sustainable future for art education. Research in Arts Education. 30. 1-19.

Kindler, A, M. (2012) Academia in the 21st century: Towards both a research and teaching-intensive university. Journal of the NUS Teaching Academy. 2 (3).

Hubball, H., Lamberson, M., & Kindler, A. Strategic Restructuring of a Centre for Teaching and Learning in a Research-Intensive University: Institutional Engagement in Scholarly Approaches to Curriculum Renewal and Pedagogical Practices. International Journal of University Teaching and Faculty Development. 3(2).

Kindler, A. M. (2009) Art and art education in the age of globalization. In A. Arnold, E. Delacruz, A. Kuo & M. Parsons (Eds.) Globalization, art and education. Reston, Virginia: NAEA. 151-157.

Kindler, A. M. (2008) Art, creativity, art education and civil society. International Journal of Education and the Arts. 9(2). 1-14.

Pariser, D., Kindler A. M. & van den Berg, A. (2008) Drawing and aesthetic judgments across cultures: Diverse pathways to graphic development. In C. Milbrath & H. M. Trautner (Eds.) Children’s understanding and production of pictures, drawings and art. Cambridge, MA: Hogrefe & Hubert. 293-318.

Kindler, A. M. (2007) Composing in visual arts. In L. Bresler (Ed.) International Handbook of Research in Arts Education. Dordreht, the Netherlands: Springer. 543- 558.

Pariser, D., Kindler, A. M., van den Berg, A., Liu, W. C., Dias, B. (2007) Does practice make perfect? Children and adults’ constructions of graphic merit and development: A cross-cultural study. Visual Arts Research. 33(1). 100-111.

Kindler, A. M. (2004) Researching impossible? Models of artistic development reconsidered. In E. W. Eisner & M. Day (Eds.) Handbook of Research and Policy in Art Education. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 233-252.

Kindler, A.M. (2003) Visual culture, visual brain and (art) education. Studies in Art Education, 44(3), 290-296.

Kindler, A. M., Pariser, D., van den Berg, A., Liu, W. C. and Dias, B. (2002) Aesthetic Modernism, the first among equals? A look at aesthetic value systems in cross-cultural, age and visual arts educated and non-visual arts educated judging cohorts. The International Journal of Cultural Policy, 8(2), 135-152.

Kindler, A. M. (2001) From the U-curve to dragons: Culture and understanding of artistic development. Visual Arts Research. 26(2). 15-29.

Kindler, A. M. (1999) “From endpoints to repertoires”: A challenge to art education. Studies in Art Education. 40:4. 330-349.

Kindler, A. M.; Badali, S. J., & Willock, R. (1999) Between theory and practice: Case studies for learning to teach. Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice Hall Allyn & Bacon Canada, 88 pages.

Kindler, A. M. & Darras, B. (1998) Culture and development of pictorial repertoires. Studies in Art Education. 39(2), 47-67.

Kindler, A. M. (Ed.). (1997) Child development in art. Reston, Virginia: NAEA. 202 pages. (First edition sold out. Second printing in 1998)

Selected Exhibitions

2017 | Holding Disappearances: Photography by Anna M. Kindler. Individual exhibition. Taiwan culture University gallery. Taipei, Taiwan.

2017 | Art Fusion. Group exhibition. The Inlet Theatre Gallery. Port Moody, B.C.

2015 | TAPS 2015 (Taipei Art Photography Show). International juried exhibition. Taipei, Taiwan.

2015 | Canadianna. Juried individual exhibition, The-Chun Art Gallery, NTNU, Taipei, Taiwan.

2012 | Winter DeLights. Individual exhibition. Art Gallery of the Consulate General of Poland, Vancouver,

2007 | Natura. Individual exhibition. Art Gallery of the Consulate General of Poland, Vancouver.

2005 | Eco Art. Group exhibition. SCARP, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.

2004 | At the Fringe. Juried group exhibition in conjunction with the Hong Kong Biennial Exhibition, Hong Kong Museum of Art. HKIEd Art Gallery, Tai Po, Hong Kong.

2004 | In Touch with Visual Arts. Invited 6 artists exhibition. Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Tsim Tsa Tsui, Hong Kong.

2004 | Creative Arts Group Exhibition. Juried group exhibition. University Museum and Art Gallery. Hong Kong University.

2003 | Light Touches. Individual juried exhibition. Taipa Houses Museum, Macau, SAR.

2002 |  Lightwave Fantasia. Individual exhibition. The Hong Kong Institute of Education Art Gallery. Hong Kong.

1999 | WaterColours. Juried individual exhibition. The Teck Gallery. Simon Fraser University at Harbour Centre. Vancouver, BC.

1995 | Pacific Gardens. Juried individual exhibition. Vancouver Museum, Vancouver, BC.