The Art of Teaching: USU Alum Billie Sessions Uplifts Future Educators
USU alum Billie Sessions has curated several exhibitions at USU’s Norah Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, including “Unearthed: The NEHMA Ceramics Collection & the Women Behind It” in 2022. Pictured here as part of the exhibition: Marie Z. Chino (1906-1982), Untitled, 1965, Earthenware, 6.75 x 9.75 inches. Gift of the Nora Eccles Treadwell Foundation.
For Billie Palmer Sessions, art has always been more than a subject — it’s a way of seeing, thinking, and connecting with the world. A proud alumna of Utah State University, Billie has devoted her life to visual art as an educator, curator, artist, researcher, author, and advocate. And now, through the creation of an endowment in the Caine College of the Arts and a major gift to the university’s Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art (NEHMA), she is ensuring that future generations of artists and educators have the same transformative opportunities she did.
Through the creation of an endowment in the Caine College of the Arts and a major gift to the university’s NEHMA, Billie Sessions is ensuring that future generations of artists and educators have the same transformative opportunities she did.“I just want to make sure art education continues to thrive at the university,” Billie said. “It makes a lasting difference — it certainly did for me. As a student, I needed support. I hope it can do the same for others.”
Billie’s path to becoming an artist and teacher was a labor of love. As a student living with her aunt in Hyrum, Utah, she commuted to USU with three young men preparing for missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With each class, she found herself drawn deeper into the arts — life drawing in the attic of the old art barn (where the current USU Alumni Center/USU Credit Union Building now sits), early morning art history lectures in Old Main, and unforgettable weaving classes with Professor Jessie Larson that involved raw wool straight off the sheep (quite odiferous). However, it was a sudden decision — coming out of class one day — that set the course of her life.
“You know — I should probably get a minor in teaching art,” Billie recalled saying to herself during that pivotal moment.
She did just that. After earning a bachelor’s of fine art in 1970, and minors in fabric design and art education, Billie began student teaching in Star Valley, Wyoming to 6th grade, 8th grade, and high school levels, all while caring for a newborn. Raising three sons, her career and family kept her in Star Valley for over 20 years.
“That hands-on, whirlwind experience during my time as a student teacher really served me well,” Billie said. “I didn’t know it at the time, but it gave me the foundation for a robust career in art education.”
While teaching in Afton, Wyoming, Billie spent weekends and summers over two years returning to Utah State, where she earned a master’s in instructional technology, with an art emphasis in 1985. Later, in her mid-40s, while pursuing her doctorate at Pennsylvania State University, she also taught art education preparation courses there, balancing her studies with teaching responsibilities.
After graduation she joined the faculty at California State University, San Bernardino, where she helped shape the next generation of junior high and high school art teachers, who needed to be prepared for the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Throughout her career, she has remained an advocate for the vital role of art in schools.
“The arts keep kids in school,” Billie said. “There are kids failing and not interested in staying in school because they are right-brained learners and most of their classes are geared to left-brain teaching and learning. Often, they will stay in school or be drawn back to school because of arts classes. Their lives can be re-routed with the arts. The arts have literally saved lives.”
After losing her mother at a young age and moving frequently due to her father’s government work — attending three different high schools along the way — Billie found a sense of stability when she came to Cache Valley for college. Living with a supportive aunt in Hyrum made it possible for her to attend USU, where she discovered both a home and a calling in art education. That passion — and the financial challenges she faced as a student — ultimately inspired her to create the Billie Palmer Sessions Scholarship Endowment for Art Education at USU.
“Paying out-of-state tuition, art supplies, and expensive art books, I really needed the money when I was a USU student,” Billie recalled. “I was eating ketchup sandwiches for lunch!”
Another ceramics piece curated by Billie Sessions for “Unearthed: The NEHMA Ceramics Collection & the Women Behind It” in 2022. Pictured here as part of the exhibition: Viola Frey (1933-2004), Urn, 1974, Porcelain, 10.25 x 11 x 10.5 inches, Gift of the Nora Eccles Treadwell Foundation.The endowed scholarship reflects her belief that art educators are vital, as they combine studio art, art history, and critical thinking — and financial support can make all the difference.
In particular, ceramics holds a special place in Billie’s heart — and career. She taught ceramics alongside general art courses at Star Valley High School, pursued it as a specialty, published extensively, including three noteworthy ceramics catalogs, and curated several exhibitions at the American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona, California and at NEHMA.
“Ceramics gives students such a well-rounded knowledge base,” she explained. “It teaches you about science, geography, cultures, geology, foodways, ceremonies, and more. It’s the whole world of learning.”
Billie’s expertise and love for ceramics also led to a gift to NEHMA to support the acquisition of ceramic works — especially by underrepresented and contemporary artists.
“When I was curating the ceramics retrospective I found out the museum needed support to add to its collection,” Billie said. “So, I wanted to provide some money for the purchase of more contemporary pieces.”
For a several years, NEHMA has been a beneficiary of Billie’s passion and vision. She has curated three exhibitions there, including a major retrospective that began during her time at Cal State San Bernardino with her 10 years of research on Marguerite Wildenhain, the first woman master potter in Europe and trained at the Bauhaus.
“When I found out that my show was coming to USU — I was so excited,” Billie said. “It felt like everything had come full circle — sharing my skills where it all began.”
That homecoming held special meaning for Billie, whose ties to Utah State run deep. Her father, mother, and sister also attended USU, making it a true family tradition. For Billie, returning to campus to showcase her research wasn’t just a professional milestone — it was a personal one, rooted in generations of Aggie pride.
Through her scholarship and support of NEHMA, Billie hopes to send a clear message: that art, and especially art education, plays a vital role in society.
“This scholarship shows to the recipients how important they are,” Billie said. “It rewards creative intelligence and teaching, and helps ensure it continues on in the next generation.”
To future USU students, Dr. Sessions — known as Billie on a university campus — offers this encouragement.
“The arts round out a whole education,” Billie concluded. “Music, theater, dance, visual art — our world would be less informed, lacking, and boring without them. Art is about creative thinking, community, and personal reflection. I’m 77 now — and I’m still excited by the arts and what they can do for our world.”
At Utah State, many students juggle classes, jobs, and family responsibilities — some as first-generation college students striving to create a better future. Your gift can be the turning point that helps them earn their degrees and change the course of their lives for generations. Whether you support scholarships, basic needs, hands-on learning, or community programs, your generosity unlocks their potential and fuels a legacy of excellence. Create your Aggie Impact by giving to the student-focused area that inspires you most.
Contact
Dane Graham
CCA, Development Director
435-797-0447
dane.graham@usu.edu