MAEA High Schools

High Schools
Cheryl Mulligan

Focusing on the "Art" in "Art Teacher"

Before we all became art teachers, we had a passion for making art. I mean, isn’t that one of the reasons we all got into this line of work anyway? Unfortunately, with all of its demands on our time and our energy, teaching can take us away from what we really love to do; and that is make art. I know I’ve spent way too many hours grading that huge pile of sketchbooks, lugging student work to art shows and revising a lesson when, taking a short “art break” would have revived me. I know when I make art, I’m more passionate about my subject and that affects my teaching. My students catch that excitement and take it to their own work and that results in some pretty amazing art on their part.

At the beginning of this summer, 17 art teachers focused on the “art” in “art teacher” by participating in the MAEA Summer Painting Retreat in Frostburg Maryland. Despite the adjustment needed to survive in a college dorm, the small beds and the flip-flops we got after we saw the showers… all of us managed to connect with the artist within us. Thursday night, Mark Coates gave a wonderful presentation on plein-air painters that set the stage and inspired us for painting the next day. He even gave each of us a copy of the presentation on CD so we can use it in the classroom. An order of pizza and beer put us in the “collegiate” mood; so much so, many of us found ourselves recounting some pretty crazy stories, from our own college days!

Joan

Friday – despite an overcast day and a few rain showers – found all 17 of us painting on location. It really was inspiring to look right and left and see your colleagues painting everywhere! When the drizzle arrived that morning, we simply donned our hats and wiped the rain off the canvas so the oil paint would stick. Others put up their sun umbrellas
and painted through the brief showers.

Joan Hicks, Hereford High School
Baltimore County

Barbara Hunter, Washington, D.C.

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During our breaks, we looked at not only each other’s work, but also each other’s painting set-ups, getting good ideas for next time. Later, some of us climbed up “Dan’s Rocks” and although some of us (myself included) had to overcome our fear of heights, we did a second painting in the afternoon. Later, after dinner with the whole group, we held an dinner
informal critique of the work done during the day. It was a real treat to see how much people had accomplished and to hear their stories of the places they had painted. We decided that part of the enjoyment of plein-air painting is the memory of the day and the people who stop by and talk to us – it enriches the painting and the experience.

Saturday was another overcast day. Many of us had found favorite places to return to or ventured off to new sites to paint. Some went to Cumberland and painted the entire day, taking a break for dinner and then doing a night painting before leaving later that evening. Sunday, when we left, we all felt connected to the thing we love to do – make art. Now we have something to share with our students --- our paintings, the experiences of painting plein-air with a wonderful group of “artist” teachers and our passion for making art. When we do this again next year (with a few improvements) we hope you will join us. We truly re-discovered the “art” in “art teacher” and want to you to experience that joy as well.

Eric
Eric Volkmann, Catonsvill MS, Baltimore County

Michael Baer, Franklin High School, Baltimore County

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