Amity High School, Woodbridge CT
1998-2015
Darkroom Photography
Digital Photography
Digital Design
Teacher:
From 1998-2015, I taught Darkroom, Digital Photography and Digital Art to over 2500 students.
Many students went on to pursue a career in the Photography or Design/Media industry.
From 1998-2013 I was the administrator of the Amity Teen Teaching Program where more than 500 students were placed in local elementary schools to job shadow their host teacher. During this time I also initiated and facilitated the donation of more than 18,000 new and gently used books that were wrapped and given as gifts to the students at each elementary school.
Many students have gone on to pursue a career in education and still keep in touch.
The following are exemplars from lessons I taught in my Amity High School classroom.
Connecticut Scholastic Art & Writing Competition
Gold Key
Portraits - Pablo Picasso Photography + Mixed Media
Students were introduced to Eric Carle's Book "If Picasso had a Christmas Tree". Each student
selected an artist and then through the use of photography and design infused themselves into the artist's work.
Mariam
Connecticut Victims of Violent Crime Poster Contest
2nd Place recipient
Portraits:
Students created a Public Service Announcement Poster for the Victims of Violent Crime Week.
Olivia
Braindance: Poster Competition
1st Place
Poster Design
Institute of the Living, Hartford CT
Students were asked to create a poster that de-stigmatizes mental health issues
Mollie C.
Connecticut OSHA Workplace Safety Public Service Announcement Competition
2nd Place recipient
Square marquee Design
Students created a Public Service Announcement for the Connecticut OSHA.
Nathaniel M
BrainDance - Hartford Hospital
Institute of the Living Poster Contest:
De-Stigmatizing Mental Health Issues
Digital Design and Illustration
Students created a design for the purpose of
De-Stigmatizing Mental Health Issues for the Institute of Living a part of Hartford Hospital.
Collaborative : Dakota + Digital Art Class
Congressional Competition
1st Place
Congressman Rosa DeLaura
Photography
Students took pictures that incorporated lines & silhouettes.
Michael H.
Donate Life Connecticut Poster Contest
1st Place
Digital Photography
Students created posters to inspire others to become an Organ and Tissue Donor, just in case.
Andrew S
Concert Posters
Digital Photography
Students learned to combine multiple images to create a Montage of elements highlighting a music event
I. Malloy
Photography
Photography
Students looked for shadows.
Anna Z
Light Box
Digital Photography
Students learned about refractive light and color in a custom made light box with textured glass and flashlights.
Hannah J
Students learned how to paint with light
Writing with Light
Through the use of manual controls of a SLR camera students created imagery that demonstrated mastery of time-lapsed photography.
Noa
Lighting in Photography
Digital Photography
Students learned all aspects of lighting and color photography.
Allie
Typography Adobe Illustrator
Fun with text
Students designed a Positive Public Service Announcement based on a central theme from a subject taught at school.
Lauren F
Calendar Design
Digital Photography
Students learned to combine multiple images to create a Montage of images that worked well together
ChristianW
Print Media Cover Design
Digital Design & Photography
Students learned how to create a magazine cover based on collaborative work. 3 versions of the same design were submitted to mock clients.
Noa
Billboard Design
Digital Photography
Students learned to create a billboard with a message for a cause
Aubry
Self Portraits
Photography
Students took self portraits
Sandy H.
Elliptical Marquee Designs
Graphic Design
Students created a design that originated with a circle or ellipse. Students used the Principals and Elements of Art and Design along with an emphasis on Color Theory.
Audrey
Toys - Close-Ups
Color Digital Photography Theme : Childhood
Students searched their attic or garage to find a toy they wished to remember as they grew up.
Brianna
African Mask Design
Digital Design
Students participated in a Scholastic Magazine African Mask contest. Each design had to have a central theme. The theme of the design above's theme is music and outer space.
Wendy
Unique Under The Sea Creatures
Digital Design
Students researched deep sea creatures and then designed their own along with an imaginary habitat. Students created their design based on the use of a variety of marquee tools in Adobe Photoshop and Principals and Elements of Art and Design.
Mariam
Virtual Courtyard Landscape Sculpture
Digital Design Photography
Students photographed the courtyards around the school property and then designed a prototype for a large scale sculpture and created and inserted their design in place virtually. Proposal was then presented to a panel of mock student philanthropists.
Priya
Book Cover Design Montages
Digital Design & Photography
Students learned how to create a montage by melding 2 faces together: one human one animal. Students then developed a story line with their character as the focus of a best selling children's book.
Theresa
Multiplicity Like MC Escher
Digital Design & Photography
Students learned how to create a multiplied design that originated as a photograph. This image began as a simple street shot at the Yale campus. The foundation of this project is based on the mathematical formula of tessellation and the Fibonacci Effect.
Olivia
Cloning Like Thomas Barbey
Digital Design & Photography
Students learned how to clone/combine an image into another.
Julia
Typography with a Message
Digital Design & Digital Art
Students learned about typography and how to utilize it as an art form to communicate a message.
Jackie
Lines & Reflections
Digital Photography
Students learned about reflections while they look for lines in life. Point of view was stressed as well, as to capture a different perspective.
Unknown
Blending Options
Digital Photography
Students learned to combine multiple images to simulate reality or create a new universe.
Cloe
Magazine Cover
Digital Photography
Students learned to combine multiple images to create a Montage of elements highlighting an idea
Huda
DVD Jacket Design
Digital Photography
Students learned to combine multiple images to create a Montage of images that worked well together for their portfolio CD
Courtney S
Business Advertisement
Digital Photography
Students learned to combine multiple images to create a Montage that worked well together for their Clients business
Jenn D
School Posters
Digital Photography
Students learned to create an image for each department in the school for display
Christina C
Portraits Combined
Digital Photography
Students learned to create an image that using portraits combined
Sam G
Event Poster for a Business
Digital Photography
Students learned to create an image that using portraits combined
Kayla M
White Paper Sculpture
White Photography Highlights & Shadows
Students learned to take a photograph based on a 3D sculpture they created with white paper only
Josh C.
Menu Design
Business Menu
Students took pictures in the cooking class over the school year to create a simulated menu.
Elise K.
Multiplicity makes a box
Multiplicity & 3D Cube
Students took pictures and then inverted it to create a Multiplicity then skewed it to fit onto a 3D form
Miriam
Typography with a message
Typography
Students took pictures and then created a lettered message
Miriam
Adobe PhotoShop Pre-Assessment
Pre-Assessment
Students list the letters A-L and beside each letter indicate what the tool's name is and if they know what the tool is used for explain please. If the student does not know the tool name or it's function/purpose they are to write "unknown" next to the letter. At the end of the semester, students re-take this assessment to see how much they have improved.
Post Assessment % improved
The Metropolitan Learning Center for Global Studies, Bloomfield CT
International Baccalaureate IB
A selection of lessons I've taught in my classroom:
2015 -2017 CREC
"Game Design"
-students created a unique educational game with a primary goal to teach something through game play. Students created an Abstract, Player Board, Cards, Player Pieces, Rules, Packaging as well as pricing. Students then had to play the game with a group of younger students and record their response. Students finally presented their game to a mock student panel of investors.
"Digital Illustration"
-students created unique designs based on selfies of themselves or portraits of others. Students used this same skill to create a grouping of famous Latino individuals that they admired for MLC's Annual Latino Festival. Each Latino graphic design was accompanied with Spanish text and a positive message for the future.
"Elliptical Insects"
-students created a unique insect based on their knowledge of the elliptical marquee tool and Entomology. Students also invented a sustainable habitat and identified where their creature can be found globally.
Political Illustrations
-students created a unique illustration based on the political climate in Connecticut and across the globe during the National Primary season.
"International Currency"
-students created a modern dollar bill for the country of their choice. Utilizing Blending options in Adobe Photoshop, students
created a design by combining 4+ images that captured the essence of their country including, but not limited to, famous buildings, people, vegetation etc...
"Square Marquee Design applied to Life"
-students created a unique square marquee design, applied color theory and then overlaid their innovative design onto the surface of an everyday object they currently utilize or one they wish they could use daily.
"14th Amendment"
-students created an innovative design based on the tenants of the 14th amendment. This project was in support of the Connecticut Law Day Art Challenge and competition. Our Student Darien W. Won 1st place in 2017
"College Concept Mind Map"
-students created a unique mind map based on their career aspirations and organized their research into a concept map. They researched a profession they wished to attain. They sought colleges and universities that offered degree programs in that field. They narrowed their search to 1 school locally, 2 in the USA and 1 outside of the United States. They compared each and shared their results in a visual dynamic format. This unit culminated with a heartfelt and informative letter to their parent or guidance counselor identifying their best fit school and why they've come to that determination.
"Multiplicity"
-students learned how to mirror their images to create symmetry as well as blend one image with another. Students often used this design to become their album cover in Flickr.
Typography with "BlueLighting"
-students utilize the Blue Lighting videos to create their own motivational posters using the Approach To Learning Command Words for display in the school.
"Global Square Marquee"
-students created Square Marquee designs based on the use of the Adobe square marquee tool paying attention to Principals and Elements of Art and Design. Then they used their design as road map for displaying a global topic or issue. Careful attention was paid to both positive and negative space.
"Graffiti Meets Super heros"
-students created designs based on Graffiti and created a matching Super Hero focusing on a Command Word or an Approach to Learning Word. Graffiti Creator & DCKids
"Summation of Successes"
Smore.com
-students created a webpage that showcased their successes over the whole semester in Design Class.
"Animated GIFs"
Reflection
Piktochart.com
-students created an Info-Graphic that answered historical questions about GIFs and showcased their own.
Capt. Nathan Hale Middle School, Coventry CT 2018-2020
8th Grade Art 2018-Current
Visual Concept Art : William H. Hall High School
Special Education Art Experience 2017-2018 West Hartford
Capital Prep Magnet School
Hartford, CT
Classroom Without Walls Summer Program
Bushnell Sculpture Garden
Students were shown the sculpture garden on-line and then chose 2 images from the photographs I took. Teams of 2/3 students investigated who created the sculpture and the story behind it. In 90+ degree weather we trekked through the city so the students could sketch their selected sculpture, find out who created it so they could do research and have their photo taken with them integrating with each sculpture. Then back at the school they created a collage using construction paper. Photograph it all and then each group made a web page sharing all their discoveries.
Collage Classroom Without Walls Summer Program
Bushnell Park Sculpture Garden
Students created a virtual collages with scissors paper and no glue. Then photographed it and added to their web page.
Overlapping: Classroom Without Walls Summer Program
Bushnell Park Sculpture Garden
Students lined themselves up so it appeared that they were holding the sculpture..
Collage: Classroom Without Walls Summer Program
Bushnell Park Sculpture Garden
Students lined themselves up so it appeared that they were holding the sculpture..
Collage: Classroom Without Walls Summer Program
6th grade
Student Presentations
Students were taught a variety of software applications for creating on-line web pages or presentations.
New Jersey & NY Assorted Student Exemplars Pre-1998
1982-1998
My Education
My pursuit of Professional Development philosophy includes annual events where I not only attend multiple conferences but also regularly host lectures to insure I stay relevant with art and technology in our ever evolving world.
Recent Speaking Topics:
1. Compositional Elements as they relate to Photography & Art
2. Is your Mise-en-Scene like theirs: A retrospective on making artistic derivatives that do not conflict with copyright protection laws yet still capture the look and feel of another work of art.
3. Concept Mind Maps in the Digital Design Classroom that ranged from Book reviews, Investigating Countries around the world, personal retrospective, as well as goals for the future.
4. Integrating Technology into your Art Classroom as creatively as you can.
5. Up cycling and using recycling in the art room.
Tyler School of Art - Temple University, Elkins Park PA
Bachelors of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) 1978-1982
Art Education-Glass Blowing-Photography-Ceramics-Art Educational Curriculum Development
Athletic Scholarship - Intercollegiate Bowling
Quinnipiac University, Hamden CT
Masters of Science (MS) 2001-2003
E-Media
Web Design & E-Media
Rutgers University, Newark & New Brunswick NJ
Summers 1979-1981
Art Education
Wor Wic Community College
Salisbury MD
Summers 2014-2016
Integrating Technology into the Classroom
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Student Art Design Photography Awards
1998-Present
- Published SchoolArts Magazine 2022: Memorial to Ukrainian Children Collaboration
- Published 2019 Art Beat Magazine: "March Art Madness" Article
- Connecticut Scholastic Art & Writing Competition Gold Key, Silver Key, Gold/Silver Portfolio, Middle School 2020
- Connecticut Law Day: CT Supreme Court Art Contest 1st Place 2017
- Connecticut Donate Life 1st, 2nd, 3rd + Teacher Award
- Connecticut Scholastic Art & Writing Competition Gold Key, Silver Key, Gold/Silver Portfolio, High School
- Brain Dance: Hartford Hospital "Institute of Living"-1st Place, 2nd & 3rd
- Connecticut Victims Violent Crime Week-1st, 2nd
- Connecticut No Child Hungry Poster Contest
- Connecticut OSHA Workplace Safety Art Competition 2nd Place
- Scholastic Magazine Published 2002 "Mailing Metal Sculpture"
Software Taught 2015-2017
MLC
Students grades 8-12 were introduced and demonstrated mastery in creating designs utilizing many of the 30+ software above.
Favorites of my photos
Some of my favorite photos taken in the last 20 years
