Excellence in Visual Arts Education

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collagedianehampeshowdetail.jpgAn exhibit of work by Diana Hampe
 and her students at Walpole High School

October 17-27, 2007
Mon.-Sat. 10-6
Arnheim Gallery

Closing Reception:  October 25, 6-8 pm

Diana Hampe, an art teacher for over thirty years,  was chosen as Teacher of the Year by the faculty of the Art Education Department at Mass Art.  She has won numerous other awards for her teaching, including  twice being named Outstanding Art Educator by the Massachusetts Art Education Association, and  has been a  frequent presenter at National, Massachusetts, and New England Art Education Association conferences.   Since 1987 she has taught at Walpole High School and for the past ten years  has beenVisual Arts Curriculum Coordinator.    Diana Hampe’s curriculum decisions have always been informed by her own professional development (including a MFA from Boston University in 2002), her studio experiences, and museum and gallery visits, which keep her students current and connected to the art world beyond the classroom.  She was responsible for building the sequential art program at Walpole High that has grown from six sections of art to twenty and that offers students several AP courses in drawing and design.

collagedianehampeshow.jpg

 

In the work currently exhibited in the Arnheim Gallery, the Walpole High School students have used the landscape, both interior and exterior, as a source of visual expression.  The curriculum was designed to work towards mastery of media and techniques, to explore a single subject through a series, and to connect to the community. The month of September was devoted to drawing and painting in the Town Forest behind Walpole High School.  The students also went on a walking tour to see the light on white buildings, inspired by the Edward Hopper retrospective at the Whitney Museum.   In addition, research, writing about the history of the landscape as an acceptable subject, and self reflection opportunities were assigned to understand the social and historical context in which artists have worked, what they were expressing visually, and what students intended the viewer to see in their work.

The freshman Foundation students  of our alum Rich Kim (TPP 2004) also spent time drawing in the Town Forest, looking  closely at nature.  Sandra Allison’s Design III students looked for text in both interior and exterior spaces and designed a stand of trees.