Maura Galante BFA University of Massachusetts
Visual Arts Instructor MS Southern Ct State University, New Haven/ University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Grades 5-8
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MEET THE TEACHER:
I came to Betsy Ross in the spring of 2000, after several years in other arts-related fields. I am a working artist who specializes in printmaking, collage, and painting. I am active in the New Haven arts community, and am a member of various area arts organizations. I keep a home studio, and I have been a faculty member in the printmaking department at Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven since 1998. I taught ceramics and visual art at the Shubert Summer Theatre & Arts camp for grades 5-8 for the past two summers. I participate in City Wide Open Studios (CWOS), New Haven's annual art festival which takes place each October, and exhibit my art locally and regionally. I continue my professional development through Yale University Summer Institutes, and I take workshops in various art media as often as possible. I am the teacher facilitator of the Betsy Ross Museum Club, an after school club which partners with the Yale University Art Gallery to explore Response to Art activities and independent study for students. I am a huge fan of punk rock, animals, Spanish and Asian food, and I am an avid cook and gardener. |
Visual Art classes at Betsy Ross are guided by the National and CT State Standards for Art Education. Students will:
- Understand, select and apply various art media, techniques, and processes.
- Understand and apply elements and principles of art.
- Consider, select and apply a range of subject matter, symbols and ideas.
- Understand the visual arts in relation to history and culture
- Reflect upon, describe, analyze, interpret and evaluate their own work and the work of others.
- Make connections between the visual arts, other disciplines, and daily life.
- Understand, select and apply various art media, techniques, and processes.
- Understand and apply elements and principles of art.
- Consider, select and apply a range of subject matter, symbols and ideas.
- Understand the visual arts in relation to history and culture
- Reflect upon, describe, analyze, interpret and evaluate their own work and the work of others.
- Make connections between the visual arts, other disciplines, and daily life.
What We're Working On: (Emphasis Classes)
8th Grade 8th graders viewed the work of artist Yayoi Kusama, and are using the idea of pattern and repetition to create an environment for their self portrait photos.
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7th Grade7th graders are connecting to their social studies curriculum with a unit featuring self portrait photographs that portray them as characters from ancient Greek mythology. They used fabric, decorative paper, and a variety of found objects over the photos to create outfits that show which character they chose, and picked at least one element of modern fashion to include in their design.
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6th Grade Grade six students are working on projects inspired by the Eli Whitney Museum's "Leonardo Challenge". This year's theme is flowers. Students are responding to this theme by using various materials to create tiny gardens within the confines of 9"x 7"x 2" boxes.
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5th GradeGrade 5 students have been introduced to the concept of printmaking, and are working on creating monotypes on our printmaking press. After experimenting with hand made stencils, they are now being inspired by Wassily Kandinsky's "Squares With Concentric Circles" painting and are translating it into prints.
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