Joel Scholten is an elementary art educator, curriculum designer, and practicing artist based in Omaha, Nebraska. He earned a degree in art education from Northwestern College in Iowa and a master’s degree from Concordia University in Nebraska. Scholten strives to help students experience art in meaningful and deeply personal ways, introducing them to diverse contemporary artists and showing them how art can communicate story, message, and meaning. He has worked with learners of all ages in communities ranging from Seattle to Iowa and Nebraska. In addition to classroom teaching, he has contributed to art education through his work with The Art of Education University, where he supports the development of the FLEX curriculum. As an artist, Scholten works primarily in encaustic and mixed media. Drawing inspiration from everyday life and the natural world, his art explores visual storytelling through the balance of control and chance.