Welcome Back!

Welcome (or welcome back) to ArtEd for Fall 2014!

Your faculty and staff are excited by your return to campus this week! Here’s a little news to get you in the mood for the opening days.

Orientation
Department Orientation is Wednesday, September 3, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM in our Arnheim Gallery.  Please come!   We host this for Sophomores, sure, but we’d like it to be a community opening for the upper-class-people, too — and for the faculty and staff. It’s our community gathering so please come out for it!

This year, the faculty will facilitate an interactive-fishbowl conversation about quality in art education. We’ll talk about some images both among ourselves and with you all. It’s a conversation without an answer, and we’re excited to start getting ideas on the table.

I’d also love to try an experiment of having volunteers draw documentation on large sheets of paper, capturing key words and images of concepts and threads of conversation as they occur. PLEASE volunteer to give this a try if it sounds like fun. We’re very interested in making our conversations visible and visual!

When we’ve finished with the conversation, we’ll meet in advisor groups, get information about studios from Kyle, and have pizza for lunch.

Please plan on coming. And please contact Lois Hetland, Department Chair, if you’re unable to come for any reason.

Introductions
We have a few new faces among the faculty and staff, as well as two missing faces. So here’s the profile of the new faculty and staff of ArtEd.

Lois Hetland is department chair and also teaching two courses. Faculty  also include the familiar faces of Aimee Archambault (formerly DeBose), Beth Balliro, Jen Hall, Adriana Katzew, and Laura Reeder. Our adjunct faculty this fall includes Dave Ardito, Paul Briggs, John Crowe, Chandra Ortiz, Lyssa Palu-ay, and Kevin Townsend. We also have liaisons with the department of Academic Advising (Jessica Petriello), Liberal Arts (Marika Preziusio), and the Library (Greg Wallace). Be sure to introduce yourselves!

In other personnel news:
* A returning face is Maureen Kelly, who was on sabbatical last year and for the three years before that, served as interim Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs. We’re thrilled to have her back in the department teaching with us again.
* Our Studio Manager, Kyle Brock, is now full-time in ArtEd — we’re feeling really lucky about that.
* Missing this year is Steve Locke, who is on sabbatical. Missing him already!
* Another missing face is Deborah Simmerman, who retired last spring after 32 years in the department. Also missing HER already!
*Our NEW department assistant is Cailee Mellen, whom I’ve asked to pen a few words to introduce herself below. But be sure to stop in and greet and get to know her — she’s a wonderful addition who’s helped us so much already! Welcome, Cailee.

We’re eager to hear about your summers, get reacquainted at Orientation on Wednesday, and start classes on Thursday! We’re planning some exciting events, too, so stay tuned for updates! Please make the department webpage your computer home page or remember to check in daily– we post lots of information here!
Warmly,
Lois
Department Chair
**************

Introductions are in Order

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Hello everyone and welcome back!

I wanted to take a quick moment and introduce myself: my name is Cailee Mellen, and I will be the new Art Ed Department Assistant (aka the new Deborah)! I know I have amazingly huge shoes to fill in this position, but I am so excited to be a part of the vibrant community here at MassArt.

How about a few fun facts about me to break the ice? I grew up half in Missouri, half in Southern California, but I have called Boston home now for about seven years after graduating from BU in 2011. While there, I studied Art History & Archaeology, and I recently completed a term of graduate study in the UK focusing on Medieval Archaeology and Historic Preservation. I have also lived abroad in France and Cambodia. My favorite TV show is Game of Thrones (which I can nerdily talk about for hours); my favorite artists are Michelangelo and Delacroix; and I have a secret/not-so-secret love of musical theatre.

I am really looking forward to meeting everyone over the coming weeks, so please feel free to stop by the office and say hi!

Meghan Robbins Shines at the State House

Art Education senior Meghan Robbins was honored today at the State House as one of the “29 Who Shine.” 29 stellar graduates of the 29 Massachusetts community colleges, state universities, and UMass campuses were chosen for the honor.

Meghan ‘s work as a student leader, artist, activist, and educator was recognized. Among  many other things, Meghan created a community project to help save the Parker Hill branch of the Boston Public Library when it was rumored that it might be closed.  She and others in the community staged “a participatory art intervention,” interviewing local residents about their desire to keep the library open and then transcribing their comments onto bookmarks, where were placed in countless books in the library.

The 29 students honored today were in turn able to invite a faculty mentor to the ceremony for recognition. Meghan chose Adriana Katzew, who has inspired her to continue her passion for community arts education.

Congratulations to Meghan and Adriana.

Kyle Brock’s New Baby

Kyle and Kerry Brock’s beautiful daughter Cora was born early Friday morning September 6. All are doing very well.

Kyle, as everyone knows, is our Studio Manager and a graduate of the Art Education Department. Kerry is a MassArt graduate in Printmaking. Kyle met her on his first day at MassArt, at Orientation, when Kerry was starting her first year and Kyle had transferred to MassArt.  They were married in 2010.

Kyle will be on paternity leave until September 20. For urgent matters, email him at kyle.brock@massart.edu, and he will respond when he can.  If it’s not urgent, please wait to contact him until he returns.

Profile: Rose Grushkin

Rose Grushkin is a senior in Art Teacher Education.  She plans on graduating in the Fall of 2013.

Hometown:  I was born and raised in Brockton, Massachusetts.
Now live in:  Still living in Brockton, commuting every day to Massachusetts College of Art & Design.
Favorite color:  I would have to say my favorite color is gray. I am fascinated by hues and values that it has to offer.
Favorite medium:  My favorite medium is to work in is clay. I love to spin on the wheel and get lost in the moment.
Favorite place:  So far my favorite place would have to be New Hampshire because it has been the place where I have had the best memories.
Favorite animal: My cat, Bugga.
First pet: My first pet was a fat orange cat name Max; my family and I would call him Maxipad.
Interests besides art:  One of my interests that I have is vehicles. Going through junk yards is a wonderland for me. I also like collecting and finding old useless stuff that feels as if it isn’t done yet.
Reason I got into art education:  The honest reason I got into art education is I never wanted to leave the art classroom. I felt as if I always belonged, and art was just my thing. I remember helping my fellow students in my art classes; I always knew I wanted to be an art teacher.
Artistic influences:  I have had the chance to have many artistic teachers that have influenced  me over my education, but the one who started it all for me was Sarah Richards. I was lucky enough to have her in elementary and in high school. (Ms. Richards, thank you!)   [Editor’s note: Sarah Richards is an Art Education alumna.]
Favorite thing to do to relax: One of my favorite things to do is spending time with my family. Also, I like to read for pleasure, as a way to escape to another place and time.
Looking forward to: I am looking forward to being the first woman in my family to graduate from college. I am looking forward to becoming a teacher.
Dream plans:   (My dream plan is to finally own a mac lap top. Ha-ha-ha.)  Seriously, my dream plans are to become a teacher who inspires youth to move forward in their education and to one day own a house that is big enough for my family.