Aurora Villa

School of Teacher Education and Leadership

BTS Endowed Program Director for Elem. Arts Ed., Professional Practice Assoc. Professor


Aurora Hughes Villa

Contact Information

Office Location: EBLS 240
Phone: 435-797-0866
Email: aurora.villa@usu.edu
Additional Information:

Educational Background

MFA, Masters in Fine Arts, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 1998
BFA, Dual Degree - BS in Art Education & BFA, Buffalo State College, 1995
BS, Dual Degree - BS in Art Education & BFA, Buffalo State College, 1995

Biography

Aurora Hughes Villa is the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Endowed Program Director for Elementary Arts Education and Professional Practice Associate Professor in the College of Education and Human Services at Utah State University. Aurora was formerly the District Arts Coordinator for Cache County School District in Logan (UT) where she founded Art in Transit: From Schools to Community – a program that brings art made by children into public places. She received the Sorenson Legacy Award for Excellence in Arts Education in the category of exemplary arts program initiative for her work with Art in Transit. Prior to moving to Utah, Aurora was a full time art professor at North Central College (IL) where she taught sculpture and ceramics. As a licensed teacher, she taught art in the public schools at the elementary, middle school, and high school level in Buffalo (NY) and Phoenix (AZ) and has taught art to children and adults for over 25 years. Aurora holds a BFA in Ceramics and a BS in Art Education from Buffalo State College (NY). After completing her MFA in Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (IL), she exhibited her work nationally and internationally, with her artwork appearing in Ceramics Art and Perception. Aurora is currently on the Utah Art Education Association Board and enjoys creating arts partnerships around the state.

Teaching Interests

TEAL 5080: Integrating the Arts into Academic Learning

Research Interests

Arts Integration

Awards

Utah State University Community-Engaged Faculty Presidential Award, 2021

Utah State University

Utah Higher Ed Art Educator of the Year , 2021

Utah Art Education Association


Teaching

TEAL 6250 - Graduate Cooperative Work Experience, Fall 2023
TEAL 5080 - Integrating Arts into Academic Learning (DHA), Fall 2023
TEAL 5080 - Integrating Arts into Academic Learning, Spring 2023
TEAL 5080 - Integrating Arts into Academic Learning, Fall 2022
TEAL 5080 - Integrating Arts into Academic Learning, Spring 2022
TEAL 5080 - Integrating Arts into Academic Learning, Fall 2021
TEAL 5080 - Integrating Arts into Academic Learning, Spring 2021
TEAL 5080 - Integrating Arts into Academic Learning, Fall 2020
TEAL 5080 - Integrating Arts into Academic Learning, Spring 2020
TEAL 5080 - Integrating Arts into Academic Learning, Fall 2019
TEAL 5080 - Integrating Arts into Academic Learning, Spring 2019