In 2010, Dan Kaczka earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Art Education with a focus in school education from Pennsylvania State University. He returned to Richmond, Virginia, where he currently works as both an artist and educator. As a postgraduate professionally licensed K-12 art teacher, Dan Kaczka serves as an assistant to youth and family programs and an adjunct faculty member at VMFA, teaching students from early childhood through teens. For the past five years Dan has also been employed as an instructor at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, teaching students from pre-K through adults. From 2011 - 2015 he has also worked an educator with Henrico County Public Schools teaching students in Kindergarten through 12th grade.

Dan has experience teaching students of every age,incorporating art into interdisciplinary lessons to meet the needs of a widerange of learners and learning styles as well as the Virginia Standards ofLearning. Dan has experience working with special education students, has completedVCU-ACE autism spectrum disorders 20 hour training, and is activelyCPR/AED/First-Aid trained. Dan is aware that educators are also learners and ispresently attending professional development activities related to currentissues affecting his teaching experiences as well as the future of education asa whole.

As an artist, Dan has a broad knowledge of different artmedia. With an emphasis in ceramics, Dan has accumulated over 14 years ofhands-on experience creating art with clay. Dan has also explored the art formsof glass blowing, metal workings, found-object sculpture, as well as 2D mediumsincluding graphite illustration, acrylic painting, and pen and ink drawing.