About Ms. Bolden
After graduating from Barnard College with a BA in Africana studies, I decided to combine my two loves of teaching and art. I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in Visual Art Education K-12 from Manhattanville College while working in Harlem Children's Zone's Promise Academy II Middle School Visual Arts department. I have experience with sewing, basket weaving, candle making, different printing techniques, collaging, painting, and working with recycled materials.
Why Teach Art??
During a time in education when many art programs are shut down due to budget cuts, I believe it is important to advocate for the importance of creative programs in school. There are many lessons that students learn in the art room that have the capability to carry over into daily life. Creating artwork teaches problem solving skills: during the process of creation, students will inevitably arrive at problems that they didn’t anticipate. Through finishing their project, they can learn to persevere through difficulty and think critically about what they can do to arrive at a creative solution. Even the simple act of working hard and pushing through to create a piece of art can encourage confidence in some students.
Through the discovery of art from different places, students have an opportunity to learn about, celebrate and engage with different cultures and perspectives. In my youngest students, cutting, pasting, and painting in the art room gives them an opportunity to improve their fine motor skills. In the art room, students will experience new ways of thinking and engaging with the visual world around them.
After graduating from Barnard College with a BA in Africana studies, I decided to combine my two loves of teaching and art. I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in Visual Art Education K-12 from Manhattanville College while working in Harlem Children's Zone's Promise Academy II Middle School Visual Arts department. I have experience with sewing, basket weaving, candle making, different printing techniques, collaging, painting, and working with recycled materials.
Why Teach Art??
During a time in education when many art programs are shut down due to budget cuts, I believe it is important to advocate for the importance of creative programs in school. There are many lessons that students learn in the art room that have the capability to carry over into daily life. Creating artwork teaches problem solving skills: during the process of creation, students will inevitably arrive at problems that they didn’t anticipate. Through finishing their project, they can learn to persevere through difficulty and think critically about what they can do to arrive at a creative solution. Even the simple act of working hard and pushing through to create a piece of art can encourage confidence in some students.
Through the discovery of art from different places, students have an opportunity to learn about, celebrate and engage with different cultures and perspectives. In my youngest students, cutting, pasting, and painting in the art room gives them an opportunity to improve their fine motor skills. In the art room, students will experience new ways of thinking and engaging with the visual world around them.
What are My Objectives for Students?
While art class is definitely about making beautiful pieces of work, I am more interested in the process that my students go through to arrive at their final product. By working on their projects, my hope is that my students will find confidence in the expression of their ideas, will practice valuable problem solving skills, and will be provided with the tools that they need to best communicate their ideas to others.
My teaching style is all about providing my students with the support and direction they need to work independently and express their ideas freely. While I am trained in directed art instruction, I believe students are able to fully exercise their creativity in a Choice-Based Art Room. To arrive at that end, I prefer to have stations set up around the room of different media: for example a painting station, a drawing station, a collage station and much more! I will always demonstrate a project that students may choose to do, or they may choose to follow their own ideas at one of the choice stations. A Choice-Based Art room is structured around discipline and good studio habits, and is an ideal way to make art relevant, engaging, and exciting for all students, regardless of their skill level.
While art class is definitely about making beautiful pieces of work, I am more interested in the process that my students go through to arrive at their final product. By working on their projects, my hope is that my students will find confidence in the expression of their ideas, will practice valuable problem solving skills, and will be provided with the tools that they need to best communicate their ideas to others.
My teaching style is all about providing my students with the support and direction they need to work independently and express their ideas freely. While I am trained in directed art instruction, I believe students are able to fully exercise their creativity in a Choice-Based Art Room. To arrive at that end, I prefer to have stations set up around the room of different media: for example a painting station, a drawing station, a collage station and much more! I will always demonstrate a project that students may choose to do, or they may choose to follow their own ideas at one of the choice stations. A Choice-Based Art room is structured around discipline and good studio habits, and is an ideal way to make art relevant, engaging, and exciting for all students, regardless of their skill level.