Dr. Carolina Rubio

Biography

Irma Carolina Rubio is an artist educator with two decades of diverse experience in leadership in the field of Art Education. Her career encompasses designing and implementing sensitive and relevant K-12 curriculum in public schools and universities while also working administratively in museums and community arts organizations. She has completed nine years as a PK-12 public school Art Teacher in San Antonio, Texas, and has initiated her role as a field coordinator for UTeach Art Education. As an Assistant Professor of Instruction in Art Education at the University of Texas at Austin, Rubio approaches her work with a commitment to growth, empathy, intergenerational collaboration, and transformative creative expression, deeply rooted in her experiences as the daughter of Mexican immigrants. Originally from Lubbock, Texas, she earned her BFA in Visual Studies from Texas Tech University and received her Master of Arts in Art Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has completed years of doctoral coursework in Art Education and Women’s Studies at Pennsylvania State University, where she investigated feminist indigenous epistemologies and the embodied knowledge of Zapotec weavers. Rubio's collaborative work includes assisting author Sandra Cisneros in creating an ofrenda/alter to honor her mother, Elvira Cordero Cisneros, which toured notable institutions. Her artworks are part of the permanent collection of the University of Texas at San Antonio and have been exhibited nationally. As she supports Texas public school educators through challenges, Rubio is dedicated to making meaningful contributions to pre-service teacher development through decolonizing, feminist, and social justice-centered pedagogies.

Research Interests