professional educator
As a practicing artist and professional art educator, I delight in guiding young people to create and appreciate art. I love seeing the happiness and wonder in their faces when they see amazing artworks and hear about the artist—or when they experience the sheer thrill and satisfaction of creating something that embodies their own personal vision.
My professional history encompasses 16 years of teaching elementary art, middle school art, and high school foundational art, and IB Visual Art (standard and high levels) My teaching background includes both American public schools and international private schools overseas.
Creating art fills me with positive energy and joy—I believe this is what it takes to be a great educator who motivates young people.
resumé
educational philosophy
I believe art education unlocks ways of seeing and thinking that transcend traditional academic disciplines. Through art-making, students develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and creative confidence—skills essential for navigating an increasingly complex world.
My approach to teaching art is grounded in rigor and inclusivity. Every student deserves clear pathways to growth, structured feedback, and the experience of creating work that matters. I design curricula that challenge students to think deeply about aesthetic choices, conceptual meaning, and the relationship between art and culture.
I see art as fundamentally connected to life. By helping students understand how aesthetic principles shape their everyday environments—from design to advertising to social commentary—they recognize art not as separate from their world, but central to it. This connection strengthens both their visual literacy and their agency as informed citizens.
Teaching art is also about democratizing creativity. I believe all students can develop as artists when given intentional instruction, honest feedback, and room to experiment. Art-making builds resilience, teaches resourcefulness, and honors diverse forms of expression and understanding.
Finally, I recognize that art education thrives within community—through interdisciplinary collaboration, exhibitions that celebrate student work, and conversations with students, families, and colleagues that honor the transformative power of creative expression.
some of my favorite teaching experiences
land art immersion:
ib students in the malaysian jungle
Three days in Malaysia’s jungle transformed how my IB students understood art as place-making and environmental stewardship. I orchestrated every detail—from logistics and safety protocols to curriculum design—so students could focus on creating site-specific installations that responded to the landscape. The result: artists who learned that art isn’t confined to the studio; it’s a conversation with the world around them.
bringing EMac to life:
A 5-School Collaboration
When I helped conceptualize the theme for Abu Dhabi’s Eastern Mediterranean Activities Conference, I didn’t just plan a visual art session—I brought it to life. In only two days, I led 40+ students from five schools in painting a collaborative mural that embodied the conference theme. It was a collision of chaos and creativity, and it worked.
Turkey through art & history:
week without walls
I was part of the teaching staff that took the entire middle school body to Ephesus and Cappadocia, Turkey for our Week Without Walls program—but this wasn’t just tourism. For our art classes, students sketched ancient ruins, analyzed how light transformed the fairy-chimney landscape of Cappadocia, and created artwork in response to the historical and cultural layers they encountered. Travel became the curriculum and art became the lens.
timeline of art &education
| 1988 |
BFA in Drawing; Painting, University of Georgia |
| 1990 |
Student Teaching, International School of Prague, CzechRepublic |
| 1991 |
Communications, Prognosis English Language Newspaper, Prague, Czech Republic |
| 1995 |
Italian Language Study, Università per Stranieri, Siena, Italy |
| 1997 |
Substitute Teaching, San Francisco Unified School District |
| 1998 – 2000 |
Art Teacher, Wilcox High School, Santa Clara, CA |
| 2000–2008 |
Secondary Art Teacher (Middle school and HS IB and AP), International School of Abu Dhabi
| 2006 |
M.A. in Educational Technology, Michigan State University |
| 2008–2013 |
High School/IB Art Teacher, Foundation Art Teacher, International School of Kuala Lumpur
| 2013–2014 |
Founder; Director, Epic Art Ithaca, independent art education business
| 2014–2016 |
Program Manager, 4-H Urban Outreach, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Ithaca, NY |
| 2017–2021 |
Art Teacher, Ithaca City School District |
| 2022–Present |
Instructional Designer, Freelance Artist |