Meredith Essex

 

Primary Discipline: Visual Arts

Areas of Specialty: Drawing, Painting, Sculpture

 

Based in: Port Orchard

Phone: 360-876-3274
Email: exxedd@aol.com
Website: www.gallerysx.com

 

Biography: Meredith Essex is a visual artist who has exhibited her drawings and paintings throughout the region for 25 years. She has worked for many years as a teaching artist, teacher trainer and teacher mentor. For seven years Essex has been lead visual artist and an arts assessment specialist for Arts Impact, an organization that trains teachers to teach the arts. Essex also serves as an arts education consultant for the Port Townsend Community Arts Consortium. She has written arts infused curriculum materials for the Lake Washington, Tacoma, Enumclaw and South Kitsap School Districts, as well as the Museum of Glass and the Washington State Historical Society. Through her work, Essex has inspired many people to discover their creative selves, increasing their self-confidence as artists and their skills as teachers.

 

When asked about her approach as a Teaching Artist, Ms. Essex wrote this: "My goal as a teaching artist is to help my students discover their capacity to create art. I work to increase the students’ self confidence and neutralize previous negative perceptions by employing clear, well designed lesson plans that help children and adults reflect on their work and assess it within an identifiable learning continuum of art concepts, skills and techniques. In the classroom, I model the art making process and use developmentally appropriate, concise communication to present clear, attainable targets. I shepherd the process so that every child understands and is successful. Art is not created in a vacuum. It relates to many other fields, including, Math, Science, Writing, Reading and Social Studies. In addition, the creative process offers avenues for learning that can address the learning needs of every child. I believe that art education should be available for all children and for that reason, I am committed to working in public education."

 

Suitable for Grades: K-12
Preferred Grades: K-8

Curriculum Integration Possibilities: Literacy, Reading, Writing, Math, Science, History, Social Studies, Other Arts Disciplines

 

Additional Interests/Experience:

• Leading Professional Development workshops for K-12 Teachers
  
• Working with at risk students

 

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