James Sanders III has been honored by the Ohio Art Education Association (OAEA) with the 2012 Higher Education Division Award. The award recognizes his long-term commitment to supporting the visual arts and his positive impact on arts education in Ohio. He was nominated for the distinction from art educators throughout the state. Sanders will receive his award at an annual OAEA professional development conference in November.

Sanders is associate professor in the Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy, and directs the department's graduate specialization in museum education and management. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses, including a bi-annual autumn museum history class. He also teaches courses concerning arts education policy and history, nonprofit boards, and governance. His research explores arts institutional histories, organizational governance, management, and social change initiatives.

Focusing on how meanings and values are socially constructed, performed and implemented, his research has been published in journals across the fields of arts and culture, education research, visual culture, and sexuality studies. He is author of FOUNDERS: A Social History of a Community School of Art. He serves on the Literacy and Sexuality Studies interdisciplinary advisory boards at Ohio State, and is a faculty representative to the Arts and Sciences Faculty Senate.