Trina Harlow

A Texan since 1984, painting and embroidering flowers takes Dr. Trina Harlow back to childhood in her Granny’s Arkansas garden of Eden and also to the effort her mother and grandmother made trying to grow flowers on their dry, windy farm in the flower desert known as western Kansas. The beauty of flowers is part of every day for Trina. She retired in 2024 from 30 years in arts education and has taught more than 12,000 K-12 and university students, and many more adults and art educators. She directed the art education programs at Kansas State University and at the University of North Texas. She has served on numerous arts boards, including the National Art Education Association Board of Directors as the Higher Education Director, and has won national, regional, state, and local awards for her teaching, leadership, and artmaking. She has also taught art in Ecuador, Switzerland, and Uganda. In 2026 she became the president of the Art Club of McKinney, the oldest art club in the State of Texas, dating back to 1914. She is also the founder of the Texoma Area Fiber Arts Guild and co-founder of the Van Alstyne Arts Commission. Dr. Harlow holds a bachelor’s degree in clothing and textiles, fashion design; a master’s degree in art education; and a PhD in education curriculum and instruction. She studied oil painting and art history in Florence, Italy and mosaic making in Istanbul, Turkey. She is a frequent speaker, juror, grant writer, and researcher.