April 2023
|
|
Teacher: Susan Buss
School: St. Pauls Lutheran, Menomonie Wi Nominator: Beth Dobberstein Bio: Fiber artist and arts educator Susan Buss particularly enjoys assisting others to discover and develop their own unique creative voice while continuing to express her own. Susan incorporates traditional Needlework techniques, Screen Printing, Dyeing, and Weaving and materials in contemporary, conceptual, and unexpected ways. By using these methods of fiber arts and crafts that historically were considered “women’s work” in new and non-traditional ways, she gives them personal and intimate value that commands respect. She also aspires to inspire her students to express this creative energy balance as well. Her students learn traditional sewing, weaving, basketry, bookmaking techniques as well as drawing, painting, and sculpture disciplines that can be both practical skills in life as well as a means to artistic expression. Susan has the desire to balance her solo studio time working on her artwork with her family and her time mentoring and sharing her skills with her students. Susan has taught children and adults and one of the most important skills in teaching is her unlimited patience. She has created a peaceful respite for her students, giving them the opportunity to follow their own interests as she guides them through the creative process, where every mistake is looked upon as either a good learning opportunity or a chance to develop creative problem solving skills. Buss studied art at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee and earned a degree in Fine Arts- Fibers and received her BAS in Art Education from UW Stout. She served on the ABK Weaving Center (Milwaukee) board as President from 2010-2014, Vice President from 2014-16. She also served on the Riverwest Artist Association, Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts (Milwaukee) board as president in 2016. Currently, she serves as Secretary for St Paul’s Lutheran School’s Parent Teacher Organization (Menomonie), after serving as President from 2017-2020. Susan serves on these boards and volunteers her time to advocate for arts education. In her love for the visual arts her service aligns with her passion to share its importance as a human experience. Susan was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, and was raised on a rural dairy farm. She visits the farmstead, no longer an operating dairy farm, and photo documents the transition. She also creates woven and painted landscapes inspired by Wisconsin’s unique and diverse terrain. Buss currently lives in Menomonie with her family of six and their dog Rico. She teaches all grade levels K-8 at St. Paul´s School in Menomonie, WI. |
March 2023
|
|
Teacher: Shannon Molter
School: Hawthorne Elementary School, Waukesha Nominated by: Carina Masis Why Shannon was nominated: Ms. Shannon Molter serves as an inspirational art teacher to every student she encounters. Her passion for art is evident as she offers her students the opportunity to explore and learn as artists through diverse and culturally relevant experiences. Her authentic style of teaching art has positively impacted our Hawthorne students and community in many ways. Ms. Molter inspires and positively influences our students as artists on many levels. Her passion for art and impacting children is evident throughout her daily interactions. She creates magical art experiences for our students by incorporating artistic styles and many cultural perspectives. What makes Ms. Molter stand out from others is her unwavering belief in all of our students. She also organizes and leads an after school art club offering our student the opportunity to extend their creativity and love of art after the school day is over. She collaborates with her specialist team on a regular basis, helps plan engaging assemblies and has helped lead many school projects such as our Hawthorne garden and outside Praire. Ms. Molter goes above and beyond creating and promoting positive relationships with our students. She is very proactive, and uses PBIS strategies to create a strong and positive learning environment. She intentionally plans her lessons cognizant that her students learn differently. She includes visual, hands on, auditory and kinesthetic methods of instruction, while allowing her students the opportunity to show their art in the same diverse ways. Ms. Molter has created a strong relationship between our school and the Milwaukee Art museum, providing the opportunity for our students to visit the museum and extend their learning while observing other artist's work. The school she serves also has a large Spanish-speaking population and Ms. Molter has eagerly began taking Spanish classes and even taking a summer trip to rural Mexico to improve her skills and visit local artists. Congratulations! |
February 2023
|
|
Teacher: Emily McCabe
School: Edgerton High School, Edgerton, WI Nominated by: Mark Coombs Why Emily was nominated: Mrs. McCabe not only gets great results on her AP portfolios, she is a kid magnet. Her AP scores have increased from a 2.8 in 2018 to 4.00 in 2022. Mrs. McCabe embraces students who traditionally would not continue their career in art to have confidence in their abilities and pursue Art as a career. Annually, she showcases student work at our District Art show. Emily McCabe is Married with 3 school-age children. She has been employed at Edgerton High School for 12 years as our sole ART teacher. Outside the classroom, Emily has been a High School Team Leader for 7 years. She shows kindness and support for students, while holding them accountable and helping them mature as young adults. Congratulations! |
January 2023
|
School: Prairie View Elementary School, North Prairie, WI
Nominated by: Ann Dudek Why she was nominated: Elizabeth Engelking is an art teacher for Prairie View Elementary & Eagleville Charter School, part of the Mukwonago Area School District. Ms. Engelking goes above & beyond every day to share her love of art with students & staff both in the classroom and beyond. Our hallways our decorated and updated frequently throughout the year, showcasing the student's art projects. Additionally, every year we host an all-school art show, and the time beyond her school hours and the effort she puts into transforming our building to fit that year's theme is amazing. She is always willing to go above & beyond in everything she does. Our students love art class. Beth also spends time promoting the arts through a community event held locally each year and through teaching adult art classes for staff &/or community members. She has also (pre-Covid) worked on bringing in artists to our school and taking students to the Milwaukee Art Museum. |
