At AEF our main goals are to promote and support new collaborative models between art, education, science, and technology. We strive to advance local and international communication across a variety of arts and science inspired fields.
Where Curiosity Meets Collaboration
Empowering changemakers through the fusion of arts, science, and education
Founded in 2009, AEF began as a resource for educators seeking to enrich their classrooms with creative learning techniques. Since then, we’ve expanded our reach—hosting professional development workshops, offering scholarships, and launching projects like Meini that further our mission of making creative inquiry accessible to all.
Today, AEF remains committed to nurturing curiosity, supporting innovation, and helping communities flourish through the power of interdisciplinary collaboration.
Arts Education Foundation (AEF) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to bringing the arts & sciences together in efforts to promote interdisciplinary approaches aimed at addressing global sustainability issues.
Our Story
The Arts Education Foundation (AEF) was born in 2009 as part of a Master’s in Art Education thesis project. During the final phases of my studies to become an K-12 Art Educator, I recognized a gap in collaboration between arts education and subjects that society deemed more educationally valuable; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Art education plays a vital role in making STEM education socio-culturally meaningful while also encouraging us to question their broader impacts.
Why do we innovate?
To what end does developing, manufacturing, and innovating new ideas bring us, if we forget to acknowledge their expanding relational implications. How might we learn to pay attention to how these move beyond our own mere human-centric wellbeing and impact the planet we share with non-human others?
Fast forward to today where you find we are a multidisciplinary and globally international team working together to find ways to build transdisciplinary communities, foster creativity in connection with research studies, and provide arts integrated resources for future forward thinking in academic environments.
As a non-profit organization AEF aims to not only promote and facilitate interdisciplinary work but also to move beyond it by creating spaces for critical, arts-based inquiry. We believe that we humans are a part of the world in its ongoing becoming, and with this comes deep responsibility and accountability for the roles we play.
Today, with the help of technological advancements AEF is able to bridge global communities, bring together those interested in critically engaging with the ‘wicked’ problems of our time in creative ways. AEF’s ‘coddiwomple’ progression into the future strives to avoid short sightedness and raise awareness toward the multiple unknown possibilities. We view empathetic understanding as a key evolutionary driver, helping us move towards de-colonialization and planetary co-existence.
Meet Our Board
Rachel Sinquefield-Kangas
Rachel Sinquefield-Kangas has a Ph.D in Philosophy of Education from the University of Helsinki’s faculty of Educational Sciences, School, Education, Society & Culture programme, and an M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction in Art Education from the University of Missouri, Columbia. Rachel has taught in both urban schools and museum environments. As a researcher she examines artistic practices, in their ability to evoke more-than-human empathy, in ways that transend traditional disciplinary boundaries in teaching and learning.
Ushanandini Mohanraj
Usha Mohanraj has a Ph.D in Biomedicine from the University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Medicine. She has a bachelors degree in technology and a masters degree in translational medicine. As a researcher and science education enthusiast, she enjoys developing art and technology based educational tools and material for STEAM.
Ben Randell
Ben Randell
Ben Randell has many years experience in education both in formal and informal settings. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Science Education and a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is an after-school educator and garden coordinator at Operation Breakthrough, an education center in Kansas City’s urban core, where he works with kids learning how to make money out of dirt.
Essi Ikonen
Essi Ikonen is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Educational Sciences. She has a M.Soc.Sc in Philosophy from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. She has authored and edited several articles, textbooks and digital learning resources for philosophy, religious education and general education with an emphasis on sensorial, digital and arts-based learning. She is currently working on creative ways of learning focusing especially on listening and imagination as methodological orientations. Essi is the chair of our Creative Research Writing Lab
Stephanie Farr
Stephanie Farr is a contemporary artist based in Columbia, Missouri. She studied studio art and spent over a decade in Los Angeles, where she worked as an Artist Assistant to internationally recognized artists Mary Weatherford and Llyn Foulkes. Farr’s own work has been exhibited in solo and group shows across Los Angeles, New York, and the Hamptons. Her practice investigates art as a universal language—its ability to foster empathy and challenge cultural norms—through installations and mixed-media works that transcend traditional boundaries.
Bridging Worlds, Building Futures
Advancing global progress through interdisciplinary learning and community.
AEF is committed to creating new models of collaboration that transcend traditional boundaries. By inviting dialogue between creative thinkers, scientific minds, and community advocates, AEF fosters a culture of experimentation and lifelong learning. Our efforts support both local initiatives and international exchange, building bridges that connect people, ideas, and possibilities.
We also serve as a bridge between cutting-edge research and classroom practice, helping educators access the latest findings and integrate creative methodologies into their teaching. Our commitment to educational excellence is reflected in our ongoing support for teacher development, student scholarships, and grant opportunities.