She is inspired by those who work collectively in the arts to make the world a more interesting and equitable space. In keeping with her social justice art education agenda, she prioritizes critical engagements that are participatory, collaborative, and contextually relevant, connecting through theory and practice. Dr. Hochtritt obtained a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree in Art and Art Education from Teachers College Columbia University in New York City and a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Creativity and Arts Education from San Francisco State University. She earned a California teaching credential in K-12 Art, with supplementary certification in Drama and Speech. Dr. Hochtritt has over 25 years in arts and education and has taught students of all ages in schools, museums, community-based settings, and universities and presents her research at state, national, and international conferences.

Before joining MICA Dr. Hochtritt was the Director of the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; the Chair of Art Education at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design in Denver; and most recently, a tenured Associate Professor of Art at the University of Arizona in the division of Art and Visual Culture Education, School of Art. She is the co-editor of two Routledge publications: Makers, Crafters, Educators: Working for Cultural Change (2018) with Elizabeth Garber and Manisha Sharma; and Art and Social Justice: Culture as Commons (2012) with Therese Quinn and John Ploof; as well as journal articles and book chapters on youth culture, public pedagogy and makerspaces, teacher-led professional development, and research methods. Dr. Hochtritt received a collaborative faculty project grant from the Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry at the University of Arizona with Dr. Orhon Myadar to work with refugees in Southern Arizona to tell their stories of resettlement and resilience in Dismantling Fear - https://www.dismantlingfear.org

She has taught a variety of graduate and undergraduate courses including the history of art education, theory and philosophy of teaching, curriculum theory, thesis research and advisement, teaching methods, arts administration and leadership, and has supervised student teaching. Before entering academia, Dr. Hochtritt was a liaison between the museums and community programs at Teachers College and The Heritage School in East Harlem, New York City, taught video production at the Harlem School of the Arts, was a middle school art teacher in Austin, Texas, and taught high school art and video production in the San Francisco Bay area.

Dr. Hochtritt is an elected member of the Council for Policy Studies in Art Education (CPSAE) and currently serves in a range of professional capacities, including as a reviewer for Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education (JCRAE) and Journal of Social Theory in Art Education (JSTAE). She was an Executive Board member for the National Art Education Association Caucus on Social Theory and Art Education (2013-2016), Pacific Region representative for the Higher Education Division of the National Art Education Association (2011-2013), the Higher Education representative for the Colorado Art Education Association (2010-2012), and a reviewer for Art Education Journal (2007-2010).

She has received awards for her teaching and service to the field including the National Art Education Association Higher Education Art Educator of the Year, Pacific Region (2014); Colorado Art Education Association Colorado Art Educator of the Year (2011); Faculty Award for Excellence, Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (2009, 2012); and Faculty of the Year, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2005).