#63: Jeannie Siegler: Generosity of Spirit

06/20/21 • 74 min

Jeannie Siegler was my high school art teacher!! We reconnected a few years ago and she’s shown the same generosity she always embodied. She was one of those teachers that made me want to teach and now remains a mentor full of encouragement. I loved getting to know more about her background in this episode! Jeannie began her teaching career through the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone, then taught in Washington D.C. public schools including Western High School, which later became Duke Ellington School of the Arts. She spent time teaching on the Rosebud Sioux reservation in South Dakota before settling outside Missoula, Montana where we first met as teacher and student.

She spoke about her experience on the School Support Team for the state of Montana and how seeing the inner workings of many schools and districts along with the political mechanics surrounding them helped her understand the complexity of the issues in education. Jeannie offered advice for teachers and shared her challenges.

We talked about setting up darkrooms in our basements, connections between science and art, and finding time for art-making. I loved getting to chat with Jeannie and share her wisdom and spirit with you!

Blog post with images and links: https://www.teachingartistpodcast.com/episode-63-jeannie-siegler/

@jeanniesiegler

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Teaching The Truth

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Blog post with images and links: https://www.teachingartistpodcast.com/episode-63-jeannie-siegler/

@jeanniesiegler

. . .

Follow: @teachingartistpodcast

@pottsart

@playinspiregallery

Check out the featured artists: https://www.teachingartistpodcast.com/featured-artists/

Teaching The Truth

Register for the Art Educators’ Lounge: Art & Business with Ekaterina Popova on June 26th: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/158750419779

Artist Talks sign up form: https://forms.gle/Tk3VDUCo9cdCGHCW7

Apply to do an IG Takeover @teachingartistpodcast: https://forms.gle/TqurTB9wvykPDbKZ6

Support this podcast. Subscribe, leave a review, or see more ways to support here (https://www.teachingartistpodcast.com/support/).

We also offer opportunities for artists! (https://www.teachingartistpodcast.com/opportunities/)

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$undefined - #62: Kathryn Rodrigues: Reflections, Refractions, and Shadows$

#62: Kathryn Rodrigues: Reflections, Refractions, and Shadows

Kathryn Rodrigues talked about being a 3rd culture kid, growing up in many countries and returning to the U.S. as a teenager, but not feeling at home. I loved how she talked about the space of transition, that time in motion and trying to capture that feeling in her work. She also shone a light on the world of freelance teaching artists, balancing teaching with art-making and parenting. Kathryn talked about the structure of her teaching time before the pandemic and how she brought the city of Chicago into the classroom through field trips to art venues as well as sharing local artists, working to create equity and improve access to cultural resources. She shared the idea of curriculum development centered around local BIPOC artists, rather than including them as an exception to the white-centered curriculum. That brought up a great question we can all ask ourselves - what is at the center of your teaching?

Kathryn Rodrigues is a Chicago based artist and educator. She was born in Georgia and within weeks was on the move to her family's next destination. Her family moved to 10 different locations within the next 13 years, including Brazil, Mozambique, Portugal and Germany, before finally settling in Illinois. Being raised as a “third-culture kid” left her with a deep interest in cultural identity, notions of belonging and longing, domestic life, and the natural world. She often uses both visual and symbolic systems of mapping in her work as a way to express her interior life and navigate the world around her. Her work represents an investigation of and a reflection on the collection of experiences and memories that shape her identity. Kathryn received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the University of Illinois and a Master of Science in Art Education from the Massachusetts College of Art. She has taught courses for children and adults at the Massachusetts College of Art, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and Marwen. Exhibition highlights include the Chicago Cultural Center, Copley Society of Art, Woman Made Gallery, Midwest Center for Photography, Spilt Milk Gallery, Open House Contemporary and ARC Gallery.

Blog post with images and more links: https://www.teachingartistpodcast.com/episode-62-kathryn-rodrigues/

www.kathrynrodrigues.com

@kathryn.rodrigues

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Follow: @teachingartistpodcast

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Check out the featured artists: https://www.teachingartistpodcast.com/featured-artists/

Teaching The Truth

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Support this podcast. Subscribe, leave a review, or see more ways to support here (https://www.teachingartistpodcast.com/support/).

We also offer opportunities for artists! (https://www.teachingartistpodcast.com/opportunities/)

Next Episode

#64: Abby Birhanu: Stepping Stones

1 Recommendations

It was such a pleasure to talk with Abby Birhanu and hear more about her teaching and art-making! Her passion and compassion comes through in all that she does. I loved her advice about antiracist teaching within communities that aren’t ready to embrace it. She talked about being a wordsmith, sharing artists’ words and encouraging students to question institutions, and showing students love. The way she spoke about helping students grow as compassionate humans was so inspiring. Abby scaffolds these discussions the same way teachers scaffold all learning - she creates stepping stones to help students move away from singular stories about people and cultures unlike their own.

Abigail (Abby) Birhanu is an artist and high school art teacher in St. Louis, Missouri. Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, she moved to the United States at the age of nine. She has always believed in the power of art to shape and transform the learning outcomes, experiences, and identity of the next generation. She practices Choice Based Art to encourage creativity and confidence in her students as well as to help them take ownership of their artistic journey.

Abby participated in the Fulbright Teachers Exchange Program as an exchange teacher to the United Kingdom. The experience was transformative and further solidified her commitment to cross-cultural learning and teaching. Abby loves traveling (21 countries and counting) and especially partaking in educational and cultural exchange opportunities with her students. As an educator, she is committed to anti-racist, anti-bias, and culturally responsive teaching that cultivates global citizens that understand and value the interconnected world community.

Blog post with images and links: https://www.teachingartistpodcast.com/episode-64-abby-birhanu/