Meet the Teaching Artist - Dani Patrick
Posted Monday December 04 2017 at 3:55 pm.
Used tags: artist, boston, teacher, vsa
I am a visual artist, dancer and educator. As a Teaching Artist, I use interactive community building activities, structured self-reflection and thematic exploration to create spaces for learners to explore and express who they are, connect with each other, and build socio-emotional skills. After studying art, dance, and gender studies at Wesleyan University, I worked at REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, where I engaged young people in conversations about dating violence and supported them in building socio-emotional skills necessary for healthy relationships.
My work as an art educator centers around creating spaces for people of all ages to connect, learn, and grow through art. I believe that everyone deserves to be heard and seen for who they are. Art has the capacity to help us access and share the parts of ourselves we might not otherwise and therefore connect on a deeper level. As an artist, I utilize various media including painting, drawing and collage to explore trans identity and the interplay of nature and the internal emotional environment. I also bring interactive arts and movement based workshops to youth programs and other organizations across the Boston area (including Somerville Arts at the Armory and The Democracy Center) through my freelance art education business, Building Connection through Creative Exploration.
For my COOL School Residency I am working with high school students at Boston Green Academy in the Learning for Independence program. The residency incorporates multi-media visual arts and dance. Our hope is that students will gain experience expressing themselves through art and and that they will build communication skills through writing artist statements, presenting their work, and communicating what they like about their classmates work. Our first project invited students to explore who they are on the inside versus how people see them on the outside. Students used paper mache to make masks and then painted and collaged the inside and outside of their masks based on this theme.
Mx. Dani Patrick is an artist and educator working to create spaces for transformative learning and personal growth. Trained as a youth educator, they love bringing groups together and facilitating deeper understanding. As a Teaching Artist through VSA Massachusetts' COOL Schools' Program, Dani facilitates arts-integrated curriculum for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As a consultant for the Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ students they ensure the successful implementation of GSA Leadership Council meetings and provide leadership development and mentoring for LGBTQ student leaders. Dani is the Founder and Director of Building Connection through Creative Exploration and bring interactive arts and movement based workshops to organizations and groups in the greater Boston area. They also provide training and technical assistance on a variety of topics, including youth development, LGBTQ cultural competence, developing and expanding youth programs and increasing youth engagement, leadership and voice. You can follow their arts education work on Facebook.
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