Born and raised in vibrant Miami, Florida, Adriane Pereira completed her undergraduate studies at Boston University. After graduation, she returned to her high school alma mater to teach art, where she developed a comprehensive art and photography program at a Title I school in Miami-Dade County, serving a student population that was 95% Hispanic.

She embraced a choice-based, learner-directed approach to teaching. This method empowered students to pursue self-selected inquiries and nurtured intrinsic motivation for learning. During her tenure in public education, she earned a Master of Science in Art Education and achieved National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification.

The rigorous certification process required her to analyze her teaching practices and assess student learning, equipping her with the confidence and language to advocate for rigorous, individualized, learner-directed arts education in terms that resonate with administrators, policymakers, and non-artists. Her inquiry into adolescents’ artistic processes continued throughout her doctoral studies in Art Education at Florida State University, culminating in her dissertation: Examining Critical and Creative Thinking of High School Students Making Art in a Learner-Directed Art Class.

Dr. Pereira’'s artistic practice is deeply informed by her teaching and research. She works primarily in photographic portraiture, drawing, garment design, and quilting. While teaching high school, she received a traditional RA4 color paper processor. This sparked a portrait series initiated by her students, who eagerly requested to be photographed with meaningful personal items—from Mohawks and balloons to bows and grills—for loved ones or to preserve a memory. With parent permission, these images became a series highlighting young artists.

During the pandemic, a sabbatical allowed her to further explore garment design through a series inspired by the recurring question she receives: “Where are you from?” Drawing from family history, she drew inspiration from photos of her grandmothers and heritage-inspired motifs, creating wearable pieces honoring identity and legacy.

Her most recent artistic focus is quilting. Whenever possible, she continues to expand her practice through studio classes at MICA, including a course with super-teacher Monique Crabb. That experience informed the curriculum she co-developed for a Practicum I course in the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program. Together with MAT candidates, she designed a quilting unit for middle school students, guiding them in telling personal stories through textile and memory. You will likely find Dr. Pereira around the Lazarus building, in Baltimore schools with teacher candidates, or walking her family of dogs, Bailey, Daisy, and Babydog on Gunpowder Falls trails.