Meet the 2009 Wildcat Art Teachers and view their e-portfolios!
Row 1: Harold Hagey
Row 2: Laura Siddall, Julia Matías, Rachael Anderson, Sarah Greene, Amy Tuinstra
Row 3: Christian Lawton, Alison Coombs, Alex Gonzalez, Ashley Piihl, Gloria Brekenfeld
Volcano Group Image Credit: Alex Gonzalez
About Us
Julia Matías is pursuing K-12 teaching certification in Art, as well as secondary teaching certification in Spanish. She holds a BFA in Theatre from Florida Atlantic University, and has studied journalism, creative writing, dance, Spanish and Portuguese, in addition to Studio Art and Education. She is interested in language acquisition, children of all ages, and ways of seeing. She is the proud mom of a 6 year old son and a 13 year old daughter.
Alex Gonzalez is a dual major in art & visual culture education and photography. He was born in Nogales, Mexico and immigrated with his family to Tucson in 1990. As a photographer he is interested in the dynamic of an individual’s identity within a massive urban space. He has four cats, believes in art as a form of discourse, learning, and seeing, and feels art & visual culture education can be both entertaining and educational.
Christian Lawton is an Art and Visual Culture Education Student at the University of Arizona. His interests include Painting and Digital Technology and finding ways to merge the two. Christian has been working in elementary education as an art and after school instructor, special needs aide and technology specialist. Christian is also a trained horticulturist and has taken classes at the New York Botanical Gardens and conducted volunteer research for the American Museum of Natural History before moving to Arizona .
Rachael Anderson is currently studying art education with an emphasis in photography, along with 3 dimensional works. She has lived within Arizona for most of her life and was excited to start school at the University of Arizona. She started off studying Microbiology, but as an elective took photography, and that is where she realized that she wanted to teach art. She is hoping to find a high school photography position, but would be ecstatic to teach younger
children also. She feels that art in children’s lives is one of the most important things that they can encounter, and she can not wait to start this Saturday morning program!
Laura Siddall is a senior studying 2D Art Education and a minor in Spanish. She has experience in working with children with and without disabilities in a local art organization, art education museum outreach, tutoring middle school students, and as volunteer for the American Red Cross. She believes in the Reggio Emilia School philosophy and am inspired to teach in similar ways to young students. She is grateful to be in a program like Wildcat art that helps both students and future art teachers to explore possibilities of essential art expression.
Sarah Greene is a second year graduate student in the Art and Visual Education division at the University of Arizona and is pursuing her teaching certificate for K-12 education. Sarah is also an artist who works with mediums including oil paint, pastels, jewelry making, and textiles. Sarah grew up in Tempe, Arizona but loves living in Tucson and is looking forward to teaching in the WIldcat Art program. She believes that all children should have the opportunity to be exposed to the rich and interdisciplinary experiences that art has to offer.
Alison Coombs is an Art and Visual Culture Education senior with an emphasis in painting and printmaking studio art practices. She is originally from Philadelphia, PA but came to Arizona with her family during middle school and has been here since! She is an advocate for celebrating the potential of all children, particularly through art. She believes it is important to explore visual culture based on the interests of children with the inclusion of contemporary art and avant-garde culture, principally. She plans to implement the philosophy of Reggio Emilia in her teaching practices and plans to become certified not only as a K-12 Art teacher but also as a primary general classroom teacher. She is tremendously excited to have the opportunity to teach in Wildcat Art and to explore art with the fabulous children in our community!
Harold Hagey is a senior pursuing a BFA in the Art and Visual Culture Education program at the University of Arizona. His studio emphasis is in 3-D artwork and he is also attracted to digital artwork and visual culture. He plans to attain a full time position as a media arts or ceramics instructor within a high school setting. Harold has also been a musician from the age of 8, beginning with the piano and later moving to percussion. He also plays the guitar, bass guitar,and the didgeridoo. Being involved in the arts for over half of his life has naturally lead him to pursue a career in critical pedagogy of the arts, while continuing to nurture his own artistic side.
Ashley Piihl is a senior pursuing her degree in the Art and Visual Culture Education program. She has lived in many different states but considers Tucson to be her home. Her studio emphasis is in photography but she is also interested in the exploration of many different mediums. She is an active member of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) University of Arizona Student Chapter. She hopes to one day teach photography at the high school level but would love to teach art in any sort of setting. She is excited to have the opportunity to teach Wildcat Art and to share her love of art with children!
Please check back for more biographies soon!
