Kay Thomas is a veteran teaching artist with more than 35 years of experience in visual arts residencies. Thomas has worked with students and teachers grades pre-K–12 through the university level. She is also the designer and presenter for a variety of art workshops and institutes. These workshops for teachers emphasize the value of the arts in developing new classroom teaching strategies and higher-order thinking skills.

Her current work involves creating in-depth visual arts experiences for students in the classroom, professional development for teachers in arts integration, and arts curriculum design for schools. During a classroom visit from Thomas, students can expect a unique art experience with unusual materials that are used to create sculptures, collages, or puppets. Thomas is also highly proficient in the use of traditional art mediums like clay, watercolors, drawing media, and tempera paint.