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| Our Three Youngest Granddaughters |
Who and What
Life is a balancing act between the passion for the arts and
my beloved family. I was raised in the era that girls were taught to become
wives and mothers. So I married young and started having children. By the age
of twenty five, I had four. Now I am happy to say, my marriage in 1968 is still
blessed with love. I am a thankful wife of my dearest husband, mother of four, grandmother
of eleven, and great grand of one. As you might guess- this can keep me busy;
my mind preoccupied, and my heart in many places at once… with all the blessings and good times, not all is joyful. I hurt with every hurt each of them have. Most of my darker, more meditative
works come from my struggles with their life-pains.
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| Reflecting |
My passion for the arts are such that I have spent the bulk
of my life promoting art through education since my children were tots, when I began
teaching art classes in my basement. Sharing my love of art is who I am as an
artist. Strangely it has been an ongoing battle within me to decide if I am a
professional artist or a teaching artist. Only recently did I settle the battle
and come to terms with the simple fact that it is one in the same- for me
anyway. I have sold my own works sufficiently enough to wear the title of
artist, although more of my time is spent teaching and creating opportunities
for others to find their artistic voice.
When- Where- How
My day job- Mondays through Fridays consists of directing/coordinating
programs as Coordinator of Copper Basin Learning Center which is based at Copper
Basin Middle/High School. This gives me opportunities to work with the teachers
to incorporate arts across the curriculum. The students I work with did not
have a sequential arts education through the elementary school years. Rural
schools rarely have money for art teachers. Therefore the burden falls on
classroom teachers to implement arts into their other lessons. Many do not know
how, because they were not trained in the arts. Since art is not tested, it is
one of the things dropped. That is where I fit. As a teaching artist who has
been trained through state arts agencies and Artist-In-Education residency
programs- I provide teacher training and consultation, and partner with
teachers to implement lessons that bridge the gaps to provide real arts
education while teaching their required
subject matter. I also collaborate with a T.E.A.C.H. Team (who makes the Learning
Center work); to write and manage grants; local donations; cooperate
partnership; and other functional aspects of having moneys and delivering
results in such programs. Plus I teach after school arts classes, some Saturday
workshops, and Summer Arts Camps. |
| A simple clay example for an art lesson I taught to sencond grade in 1988. |
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| Summer Art Camp 2011 |
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| Book Arts- My first coptic bound book made during a weekend series at John Campbell Folk Arts School |
So whether I made a piece at school or in my studio doesn’t really matter at all. What matters is that I live in a way that the “flow” continues.
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| My first needle felted doll also made during a weekend at John Campbell. |
Why
I don’t view art as my occupation, like a job. It is more
than that. For me art is more like a life song that changes melodies according
to circumstances, with the words coming in the form of the media chosen.
Art is how I express myself; how I play; sometimes comes
from where passion resides within me. Sometimes it is just an exploration of
how a variety of mediums interact with one another; or my way of interacting
and enjoying the company and creativity of others. Many times it is the place I
go when I need to be alone- as my therapy and special friend.
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| A shelf in my studio. There are many stories in this one photo. It is like a documentary covering a great span of my life. |
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