Dear Art Friends,
I am participating in “Making Meaning,” a group show that is installed in the gallery at the Merrill Memorial Library in Yarmouth through March 2nd. Tomorrow, Sunday, from 2 to 4 pm, we will be having a reception and you are invited.* For my “away” friends, I’ve attached a photo. (photo credit: Christine Olmstead.) My piece is entitled “Winter Sun” and it is one of my signature painted paper collages. It was inspired by a frigid February walk at Two Lights State Park along the rock and snow-bound coast.
All of the work in this show is by art teachers who are members of the Maine Art Education Association. The reception is a wonderful opportunity to meet and talk with art teachers from around the state, to see an example of their personal work, and to learn about what is happening in our visual arts classrooms. Some questions you may want to ask:
- How does your personal work relate to your classroom practice?
- Do you share your work with your students? Why or why not?
- How do you make time to create during the busy school year?
These are questions I ask myself from time to time. This year I’ve made a conscious decision to share more of my personal preferences, from artists I love to materials and themes that inspire me. To the extent possible, I try to be fully present as a whole person, artist and educator, while I’m in the classroom.
Since I moved to Maine in the late 1980’s, I’ve been impressed at how many of my colleagues across the state consider themselves artists and not “just” teachers. I say this not to diminish the creativity and passion we have for our students and for teaching, but to acknowledge this additional commitment many of us have to a personal studio practice.
Warm regards,
Robin Brooks
February 12, 2018