Teaching Artist
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Isn't the creative energy of young children and those young at heart amazing? They see the magic in everyday life and can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. I love listening to people, drawing out their ideas and then teaching them the tools to shape those ideas with color. Let's color outside the lines!
Which is what we did when I went into the Cleveland, Ohio public schools as a teaching artist for ten years. Such a flurry of creative activity the students and I got up to. We drew and painted large murals using simple shapes and bright colors, built eight foot puppets to march in parades and created Shadow Puppet Theater performances. Moving to Durham, North Carolina in 2007 was a real adventure. An adventure I shared with students at E.K. Powe Elementary School as we created an alternative energy mural for their courtyard. It was great fun watching the children point out their part of the mural during our "TA DA" Mural Celebration. At East Chapel Hill High School the Spanish Club and I painted a mural showing the joy they had in going to San Ramón, Nicaragua over their spring break. Now, during the day, I paint and in the late afternoon, along with camps, I teach, administrate and bottle wash at Winking Moon Art where I invite children into my home studio to create with me. In my classes the most important thing I do is open possibilities to spark energy and excitement for creative thought. All this thinking leads to acting so I teach the children the tools they need to make art: painting; drawing with simple shapes; color mixing; sketchbook journaling; printmaking; collage and shadow puppetry. I try to balance the right amount of structure with freedom so each child can explore their own creative style. The trick is to make art so much fun that technique slides in effortlessly. Let's dance with a paintbrush! |
