• Art Educators of New Jersey
• Board of Trustees, Habitat for Humanity of Trenton, NJ (1995-2000)
• Technology Support Committee, Habitat for Humanity of Trenton, NJ
• ThinkQuest Judge, The Internet Society, Armonk, NY (1999-present)

PUBLICATIONS

• "Just Deserts" Arts&Activites magazine April 2004

• "Digital Artistry" MultiMedia Schools magazine October 2000

• "Connecting Art History and Current Events Through Art and Computers" Channels journal vol. 13, 1999

• "Revealing the Hopes of Adolescents Through the Art of Tattoos" TheirWorld magazine 1996/1997

• assorted articles posted on the INTERNET < http://whyart.com >

Years of Teaching Experience: 20+ years, elementary through college level

Workshops and/or Seminars:
*Integrating Academics through Art in a Career Tech High School Special Education Environment, CTERC, June and October 2007
*Why Art? Using Art to Connect and Engage Students in a Variety of Learning Environments, SWIDA, February 2005
*The Artist Book for Elementary Students: Connecting Imagery, Text, Thoughts and Emotions, SWIDA, February 2005
*From Assessment Through Assignments: TRLD.org Conference,  and Newgrange Educational Outreach Conference on Assistive Technology, January 2003
*SELF Curriculum: TRLD.org Conference, January 2003
*From Assessment Through Assignments: NJAIS Conference, October 2002
*Digital Sandbox: AENJ 2002 Conference, October 2002
*Thoughts on Inclusion: AENJ Conference, October 2002
*Art and AppleWorks: AENJ 2001 Conference, October 2001
*Thoughts on Assistive Technology and Art Instruction: Newgrange Outreach Center & The College of NJ, April 2001
*Whyart? The Case for Integrating Art and Technology: TRLD 2001 Conference, San Francisco, January 2001
*Integrating Art & Technology for Students with LD: Moss Foundation 2000 Conference, October 2000
*Art, Technology and Learning Disabilities: AENJ 2000 Conference, Somerset, NJ, October 2000
*Integrating Technology: The Newgrange Summer Institute 2000, Princeton, NJ, July 2000
*Digital Artistry: NECC 1999, Atlantic City, NJ
*NJAIS Conference on Technology: The Peddie School, Hightstown, NJ
        -A Stamp of Approval: Enhancing Self Esteem Through Art
*Curricular Technology - What Works: Germantown Academy, Norristown, PA
        -Integrating Art and Technology
*NJAIS Conference on Teaching: The Newgrange School, Trenton, NJ
        -Using Technology in the Art and Social Studies Classroom

Additional Training
Using Multimedia and Art to Create Stories: The Lab School, Washington, DC
Creating Web Sites with Front Page: Princeton Educators Computing Center, Princeton, NJ
NJAIS Conference on Technology: College of St Elizabeth, Morristown, NJ
The Lab School Approach:  The Lab School Teacher Training Institute, Washington, DC
Great Books Leader Training: Great Books Foundation, Trenton, NJ
Combining Visual Arts and Movement: Artist and Teacher Institute Summer Residency, Stockton, NJ

EDUCATOR'S STATEMENT

Many years ago I moved from the world of post secondary art education to a K-12 private setting, where I inherited a modest, informal program of traditional art classes utilizing discussions called critiques. The critiques promoted oral presentation skills and developed analytical skills relating to the creation of art. My students had diverse backgrounds but shared one experience: failure in prior school settings. I developed strategies which featured group and individual instruction through teacher modeling and discussion, and emphasized peer to peer learning through student mentoring, demonstrations and guided practice. These activities reinforced learning in a safe setting, promoted healthy self esteem, and motivated students to reach for success.

While continuing the valuable process of the critique I expanded the variety of media offered. Within a few years, units in paper making, printmaking, jewelry, and graphic design (including children’s books and poetry anthologies) became regular components of my program. Interest in computers and a desire to create colorful multiples of student projects led me to apply for a grant to fund a computer-based desktop publishing system capable of producing copies of student work for our classrooms, library, families and friends. The unit’s success prompted me to ask my school to replace a woodworking curriculum with an art based computer curriculum; this new format began in 1997. Elements of my program included creating digital art, authoring multimedia files, and creating web page based folios.

Later I developed an electronic portfolio system to showcase student work in all curricular areas. This INTRANET based project connected creativity in art and design to real world computer skills. I also incorporated a virtual gallery on this INTRANET to display student artwork. To promote learning across curricular areas, I worked closely with instructors in other disciplines to develop projects connecting and amplifying learning throughout the school. My final projects combined aspects of the Visual Arts with web development skills to create a digital yearbook, animated stories displayed via browsers, and student created educational web projects focusing on Art and Social History.  

During 2003-4 I  helped create a new school centered on the remediation of language based learning disabilities. We did this via a structured, interconnected curriculum using research based, classroom tested methods to mentor, guide and orient students from non-awareness and failure to self advocacy and success. Art is, of course, a major element of the program. I currently live and work in Troy, NY, a nineteenth century manufacturing center which is quickly becoming a community for artists and other "cultural creatives".

I am convinced that Art is of paramount importance in every educational experience! Art must be more than a hands-on activity paired with other learning, for when it is integrated with other content areas the synergy of connected learning paths promotes a deeper understanding of culture, period and discipline.

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