One of our beloved teachers Mrs.Campisano has a story that comes along with her art journey to teaching. For her, the love of art blossomed at a young age. Little did she know that would have a domino effect on her job now as the Director of Art.
“When I was 7, we had a neighbor, a little boy, that wanted art classes and he paid me a nickel. I was 7 and he was about 4. That was my first art teaching experience, my first job! And then I worked at a summer program. I did the arts and crafts and then I became the director of the program so I was supervising the counselors and tennis teachers and lifeguards”
Mrs.Campisano incorporates her experiences with art to help students find ways to express themselves.
“I encourage them to look at other artwork but not as a means of copying but as a means to say “What thought process did that artist use and how can I apply it to subjects and topics that I like?” I also encourage them to make something they’ve never seen before. Probably heard me say weird is good. If something is different, it’s likely creative and interesting”
One of her biggest challenges revolves around the student’s willingness to create. Whether they like art or not, Mrs.Campisano tries her best to help them enjoy it.
“The biggest one is when students are unwilling to work or take risks because they lack confidence so I see it as my job to give them confidence. Students tend to compare themselves to others when as an artist we want to be our own artist and kind of getting them through that block of not having confidence and not being willing to take risks and also not being willing to make mistakes because artists make mistakes all day long. ”
A warm memorable project that has Mrs. Campisanos’ heart is a project that involves spreading kindness across the community.
“During Covid, my students made what we call kindness girls. Small bird sculptures were made out of a variety of materials and they each had to write a kind note, message, or poem and attach it to the bird. Kind of like a messenger pigeon or a carrier pigeon would send a kind message. Then we would display them in the East courtyard ”
At the end of the day, it’s the rewarding feeling her students feel about their art.
“I know this year twice I’ve had students who seem a bit frustrated or nervous say at the end of class “This was fun”. It made me realize that they made improvements during class, they enjoyed what they were doing and they learned something and so finding that out even though it might seem small, that means a lot. And of course when I hear that students of mine are going to art school or are majoring in art or architecture, that’s exciting as well ”
Other than teaching, Mrs.Campisano loves to make her own artwork which she has displayed in galleries.
“My future goals would definitely be to make more of my own artwork. I have 2 kids at home and I teach a lot. So over the summer is when I try to focus on myself as an artist.”
As an art teacher, Mrs.Campisano is not oblivious to the doubtfulness of pursuing an art career.
“I would say go for it. A lot of times, people are dissuaded from going into the arts but if you are determined, those are the folks that make it. Know that once you go to art school, there’s a lot of majors, there are a lot of professions that you might not know about that can make your work marketable or can be highly profitable as an artist so don’t be afraid to research and go for it.”
