In the upcoming Storytelling through Art session on December 10,,award-winning Milken Educator Brad LeDuc (KS’ 13) will present strategies for creating narrative visual artworks―from developing storylines to completed artworks.
Brad will unlock the six key components to effectively interpret the story of an Unsung Hero’s Journey: Character, Problem, Heroic Action, Sacrifice, Impact, and Heroic Traits. Use this graphic as a classroom resource and to support students with identifying unique entry points in the Unsung Hero’s journey for their ARTEFFECT projects.
UPCOMING SESSION! Storytelling through Art
Wed. December 10, 2025
4:00-5:15PM Pacific Time
All educators are invited to Storytelling through Art, an interactive and engaging session with teachers participating from across the nation. Brad LeDuc will model a step-by-step process that guides students through novel and effective approaches to visual storytelling about the inspiring stories of Unsung Heroes from history. Various visual analyzing tools, classroom resources, and lesson plan will be provided.
ARTEFFECT online sessions are free to join and registration is required. All registrants receive a session recording and lesson plan. Certificate of Participation available for session attendees.
2026 ARTEFFECT Competition
The 2026 ARTEFFECT competition invites submissions from all students in grades 6-12 interested in making a positive impact through their art. The competition invites students to creatively interpret the story of an Unsung Hero by creating an original visual artwork, accompanied by an artist’s Impact Statement. Various awards are available including the Spotlight Prizes. Learn more about the 2026 ARTEFFECT Competition.
2026 Spotlight Prize – Media Categories
The 2026 Spotlight Prize – Media category encourages students who create artworks in selected mediums and sizes outlined below:
Sculpture/3D: Three-dimensional artworks including assemblage, ceramics, pottery, glass, metals, and textiles.
Large Format: Artworks in any medium that measure 24 x 36 inches or larger.
Spotlight Prizes are $1,000 and there may be multiple winners in this category. Spotlight Prize submissions are eligible for all top awards and prizes but can only win one.
Meet our 2024-2025 Ambassador Dr. Samantha Fields, a Lead Art Teacher in the Dougherty County School System in Albany, Georgia.
Each ARTEFFECT Ambassador culminates their visual arts online fellowship with a capstone project that brings the inspiring stories of the LMC Unsung Heroes into their classrooms and communities. Here is an excerpt from Samantha’s multifaceted Capstone Project report:
“The project exposed me to a wide array of Unsung Heroes—far more than I would have encountered working in isolation. As a district, we encouraged our students to research and select different historical figures to avoid repetition and to enrich the final exhibition.”
Congratulations to Samantha and her colleague Taneisha Whatley (2025-26 ARTEFFECT Ambassador) for their student Adrian Rodgers (Grade 12) being named a Finalist in the 2025 Competition for his projectUnsung Hero “Miriam Makeba”.
