Posted Monday October 09 2017 at 8:38 pm
in Education
Greetings! I'm Amanda and I am here for the year to study for my Ed.M from Harvard's Graduate School of Education, the Arts In Education program. For the past 11 years I worked as a teaching artist, arts administrator, and performance maker/deviser/curator in Chicago.
What are your favorite pastimes?
"Taking my husband on self-guided walking tours of new places, dance parties with my friends, and eating french fries!"
If you could be a cartoon character, who would you be?
"I do not have a favorite cartoon character but I would choose to have a cartoon version of myself created by Maira Kalman."
You are trapped on an island. What three items do you want to have with you?
"My cat Abbies, my collection of art postcards, and an endless supply of drinkable water."
Do you have any uncommon talents or quirks?
"I am a performance artist - which is perceived as a quirk by many!"
What brings you to VSA?
"In Chicago, my administrative practice was always paired with my teaching practice. I wanted to find the right opportunity to keep connected to schools, teachers, and students while studying. VSA MA's inclusive, arts integration programming looked like the perfect opportunity to meet and work with amazing arts educators/administrators and learn from the programming they are implementing in Massachusetts schools. I am grateful to have been brought into this organization to compliment my time studying at Harvard."
What are you doing during your internship?
"I'm spending the year as a Teaching Artist Fellow! I'll be supporting COOL Schools programming by observing classroom sessions, assisting with coordination and documentation, and facilitating communication between VSA MA administrators and teaching artists, as well as teaching artists and teachers."
Posted Sunday October 08 2017 at 9:34 pm
in News
Hey there! I'm Elli. I spent my early years in the pink mountains of New Mexico, searching the sky for double rainbows and breaking open rocks in search of fossils. Most of my childhood days were passed in Southern California, however, where I learned as much as I could in school, played soccer, and enjoyed time passed with friends and family. I spent four years studying art history and integrative medicine at UC Berkeley, except my junior year where I lived and learned in Bologna, Italy. I taught moviemaking in New Orleans schools for a few years, after which I relocated to the Pacific Northwest where I took up circus arts and mentoring Native American youth with equal zest. My greatest artistic feat to date is a documentary film I made on the healing process of Native youth on a tribal canoe journey. Now I'm grateful to be in the Arts in Education Master's program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education where I’m learning things I never knew I never knew.
What are your favorite pastimes?
"I love to laugh, which means I spend a great deal of time with my friends and family. I love to wander in nature, hike, run, dance, do yoga, sing and play music."
If you could be a cartoon character, who would you be?
"My old boss and kids I used to mentor saw Wreck it Ralph and told me 'the main character is you!' I watched to movie and thought, 'yep, that's pretty much me.'"
You are trapped on an island. What three items do you want to have with you?
"A boat, a chart and a musical instrument. I'm gettin' off this island! (And gotta have some tunes, of course.)"
Do you have any uncommon talents or quirks?
"I have a compulsion to combine words to make puns. Say two words and my brain will find a way to smash them together. I should probably work for an advertising agency."
What brings you to VSA?
"My love of kids! Making art with young ones is one of my favorite things. I love their unbridled creativity, helping them through the process, and ultimately, seeing the end product. I have a collection of kid art I've saved over the years; it is some of my favorite art to date!"
What are you doing during your internship?
"I will be assisting Teaching Artists in the classroom, helping with teacher professional development and creating media content for the website."
Posted Saturday September 09 2017 at 10:49 am
in Cultural Inclusion
Photo courtesy Helene Norton Russell
The Museum of Fine Arts Boston is holding it's first ASL Night, a celebration of Deaf culture welcoming members of the Deaf community and friends! The evening highlights and features the art, language, and culture of the community. Coinciding with Deaf Awareness Month, the program includes American Sign Language tours and spotlight talks, performances, art-making activities, and more.
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
4:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Museum of Fine Arts Boston
Free admission begins at 4 pm
All ASL Night events are free
More Information
