Art Lessons

This lesson was born from the idea that the final day of the Miami University Saturday Art Camp should be something next-level collaborative, where every Pre-K and Kindergarten student’s piece actually connects into one giant thing. Since our whole semester theme was "Art Under the Surface," a massive sea mural collaboration was the perfect fit. It wasn't just about drawing cute fish; we redesigned the whole curriculum to be standards-aligned and super intentional about teamwork and shared ownership. It’s a great example of taking a basic concept and making it a robust, process-based experience that proves how powerful it is when everyone creates together.

This is one of my favorite lessons, designed for the Pre-K and Kindergarten crew to explore how they see themselves, both inside and out. The big idea is using layered self-portraits to visually separate the Surface what we look like clothes, hair from the Underneath our feelings, favorite things, and imagination. Inspired by artists like Frida Kahlo and Romare Bearden, the kids use stencils and collage to build their personal narrative. It is a powerful, process-based activity that lets them express things words cannot, proving art is the best tool for self-discovery and making space for all their big feelings.

I served as a teacher in a program where Miami University Art Education students collaborate with Miami Tribe of Oklahoma citizens from the Myaamia Center to develop a curriculum which I then taught in area public elementary schools. This project allows the Art Education program to address gaps in Ohio state arts, science, and history learning standards, which rank especially low nationwide for inclusion of Indigenous culture, particularly contemporary Indigenous culture. Under the mentorship of Myaamia scholars and as part of a teaching team, I developed a two-lesson unit focusing on Myaamia history, language, and contemporary arts and culture, and taught them to students in an Oxford, OH and Middle Town fourth-grade classroom.

Because the lesson plans contain sensitive cultural information, I am not sharing them directly in this portfolio; however, I have included approved images of this work.

More information on this collaboration can be found on the Miami Tribe's community blog .

In my Introduction Art Methods class, my group and I designed a craft activity inspired by Emily Holt's sculpture located at Miami University Art Museum on campus. Our goal was to create a lesson that encourages students to engage with art in a meaningful way while drawing inspiration from a prominent piece in our community.