Posted Monday January 30 2017 at 10:28 pm
The minute Andy walks in through the door and begins strumming his guitar, students' faces light up and smiles abound. Everyone shares in Andy's enthusiasm, wanting you to join in and make music with him. He cares passionately about each and every student he works with and takes the time to let them know. Andy has been a teaching artist with VSA MA for over 20 years. He leads the Creative Kids Program at the Boston College Campus School, where he brings music to students with significant disabilities and medical needs. For the past two years, Andy has also taught songwriting and drumming to young students in a Department of Mental Health program, enabling them to write songs that help them express feeling and thoughts in a safe way. Andy teaches with contagious gusto, care, and commitment—excitement that inspires those who are fortunate to work with him. He has contributed immensely to the COOL Schools family of teaching artists, sharing valuable resources, ideas, and creativity.
Posted Sunday January 29 2017 at 8:44 pm
I am a visual artist and educator. As a teaching artist I use hands-on visual inquiry, imagination, collaboration and critiquing as a way to engage students more deeply in content, creativity and self-reflection. I believe that by engaging in visual arts processes, ranging from drawing to sculpture and animation, learners can develop critical life skills as well as joy in the learning experience. I am especially interested in the intersection of two (or more) disciplines to ignite creativity. My experience with this practice includes working across disciplines, specifically in art, science, technology and nature in museums, at universities, in public school and out-of-school time programs for the past 10 years. Currently, I also direct the Cambridge Creativity Commons, a program that serves youth and teachers in Cambridge to enrich learning through the arts.
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Posted Saturday November 26 2016 at 3:16 pm
I am a community artist who uses both individual and collaborative art making and mixed mediums to create and facilitate installation, 2D, 3D, interactive sculpture, and fiber based artwork. I believe by engaging students in creative processes using a wide range of conventional and non-conventional materials students begin to see everything as having expressive potential. My projects encircle content from the inside out, connecting the student first with self then in relation to community and the greater world and universe beyond. Using these approaches helps students access their individual voice in relation to the greater whole while seeing everything around them as potential material and inspiration. It is my hope that this invitation to engage creatively with the world unfolds into opportunities for students to become more deeply invested in themselves, their communities, and the world around them.
Currently, I am working with high school students through VSA Cool Schools. The collaboration begins with meeting the teacher to get a clear understanding of their expectations and where their students are in terms of experience with art making techniques and materials. I then build projects that first, meet the students where they are artistically and second, connect the projects to their academic goals. Once I prepare a project I communicate directly with the teacher to ensure the success of the project and to create any adaptations needed before the class begins. It is my hope that each student will have the opportunity to explore new materials, expand upon familiar techniques, and find new and exciting ways to express their creative light in the world.
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