Celebrating Celeste Nazeli Snowber’s Lifetime Contribution to Arts Education
, Professor in the Faculty of Education at 51猎奇入口, has received the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arts Researchers & Teachers Society in recognition of her remarkable contributions to Arts Education in Canada.
The award was presented on June 1 at the Arts Researchers and Teachers Society Annual General Meeting, part of the (CACS) Canadian Association of Curriculum Studies held during the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE) conference in Winnipeg. It honours a scholar with 20 or more years of experience whose work has made a significant and lasting contribution to arts education through research, teaching, teaching materials, and professional service.
For almost three decades Dr. Snowber has invited educators, artists, researchers, and students to understand the body as a place of knowledge. Her research has helped shape the field of arts education by advancing embodied inquiry as a way of knowing, researching, writing, creating, and teaching. Across her scholarship, she brings together curriculum theory, arts-based research, dance, somatics, poetic inquiry, contemplative education, holistic education, ecopoetics, and arts-based environmental education.
Her publications include scholarly books, poetry collections, journal articles, book chapters, and creative works. Among her books are , , and four collections of poetry, including The which explores her Armenian identity. Her recent book of poetic meditations is . Her latest collaborative book is , Together, these publications reflect a lifelong commitment to exploring how art, body, place, and education can open deeper ways of learning and being.
Dr. Snowber鈥檚 work has never remained only on the page. She has shared her research through conference presentations, invited talks, poetry readings, and site-specific performances that bring scholarly inquiry into public and artistic spaces. Through dance, poetry, performance, interviews, videos, and her website, she offers educators, artists, and researchers ways to engage embodied learning, poetic inquiry, arts-based research, and site-specific performance. Her creative work has been presented in galleries, museums, gardens, universities, conferences, and outdoor spaces, showing how arts education can move across classrooms, communities, and landscapes.
As a professor and graduate supervisor, Dr. Snowber has influenced generations of students studying at the intersections of art, body, inquiry, identity, place, and education. Since 1999, she has supervised and served on committees for master鈥檚 and doctoral students whose work continues to extend arts education in Canada and beyond.
Her former students describe a teacher and mentor whose influence reaches far beyond the classroom.
Celeste鈥檚 teaching and mentorship have profoundly impacted me as an early-career scholar and as a human. I first met Celeste in 2016, when she was a keynote speaker at a conference. I was immediately inspired by her presence, scholarship, and kindness. My appreciation for her work and for her as a person has continued to grow since. I wouldn鈥檛 be in a tenure-track position if it weren鈥檛 for her guidance, support, insights, and pep talks when I needed them most.
鈥� Dr. Carolina Bergonzoni, Assistant Professor, Cape Breton University
Celeste's work has been incredibly influential in how I view the role of an educator. I feel so lucky to have been a student of hers, getting to experience the many ways in which Celeste shares her wisdom through word, dance, and song. Celeste's method is truly magical and transformative.
鈥� Will Clements, Musician, Recipient of the Greg Quan Prize in Music Education, and Graduate Student in Arts Education
Dr. Celeste Snowber was the first professor that I had the pleasure of working with in the Arts Education Master鈥檚 program. In that first course, her energy and approach to teaching set a wonderful tone for my studies. Her course and her writing solidified my interest in seeing everyday experiences as opportunities for creative engagement and being in my body. I am also really grateful for advice that she gave me once I started working on my thesis which was to always make room in my schedule for dancing.
鈥� Hannah Robertson, Dance Educator and Graduate Student in Arts Education
This lifetime achievement award celebrates not only Dr. Snowber鈥檚 distinguished career, but also the spirit of her work: a generous, creative, and deeply embodied vision of Arts Education that continues to inspire students, scholars, artists, and communities.