Who am I?

Who am I? Perhaps I should sing my introductions, in an epic Jean Valjean style, filled with falsetto and vibrato. Or... I can just list accomplishments and accolades in the standard style of a blog introductions. These both seem a bit like overkill, so.... why don't we just start with the basics. Hi, I'm Holly.

I have been teaching art in the Tennessee public school system for 9 years. I interned for a year at a high school near the Great Smoky Mountains. The following year, I taught for a year at the high school level in a small town outside of Knoxville. However, in 2006, I took a plunge, moved my career to Knoxville, and switched to hanging out with the little ones. 

For the past 7 years, I have been teaching elementary art in a relatively small low SES (socio-economic status) school in east Tennessee. We have about 325 students... though this number fluctuates, sometimes dramatically, due to the somewhat transient nature of our student body. We have students of different ethnicities and cultures, hailing from America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Mexico. 

I have the extreme privilege of being the art teacher at an Arts Integrated school. What is Arts Integration, you might ask? Art Integration is a process of teaching in which dance, drama, visual arts, creative writing and music are used as the primary method for learning. I incorporate the core curriculum; math, science, social studies, and language arts, into my own curriculum. I also collaborate with classroom teachers to ensure that our lessons align with both art and core curricular standards, and that we are all, in essence, on the same page. Let me just say, being the art teacher in an all "arts based" school is pretty fantastic!

Now for the obligatory accolades and accomplishments. This part always feels a little weird. I have served on the Leadership team of my school, and am currently serving on the Knox County Art Department Leadership team. During the 2007-2008 school year, I was awarded the Master Teacher Award from the Tennessee Arts Commission. In 2010 I was awarded East Tennessee's Best Visual Artist from the Knoxville News Sentinel. I have presented at local, state, and national conferences on the topic of Arts Integration. I have mentored over 10 interns from the University of Tennessee, and sit on the board of Admissions into the University of Tennessee Arts Education Program. For several years, I have organized and curated the Knox Co. Art Teachers Art Show, a featured exhibit through the Dogwood Arts Festival. I am a practicing artist, who has had several solo shows in Knoxville. My work has been published in the MetroPulse, the Knoxville New Sentinel, American Songwriter, Graphic Ink and Chemical, Mule Magazine, and a handful of independent publications. I have also participated in the Knoxville Museum of Art's Plein Air Festival. I am an enthusiastic advocate for the arts, a avid pursuer of knowledge, a thinker, a dreamer, and a conversationalist. 

Who am I? I'm just a 31 year old art teacher who loves sharing the joy of art with children of all backgrounds. Feel free to contact me any time for collaboration, conversation, questions, comments, or general inquiries. I'm around. If I'm not hanging out with kids, I'm making art, walking the woods with my dog, tending my garden, or napping. Adventures in Elementary Art!