KIM HAMLET
Teaching artist + designer
Seattle, WA
ART + CRAFT
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About + contact
As an art educator, my goal is to create a safe space to make art and for our young artists to feel seen and valued.
In the classroom, I value autonomy and shared ownership of the studio space and tools. By balancing skill development with self-directed projects, students identify the mediums and subject matter they most enjoy working with.
It brings me tremendous joy to watch my early learners discover their own creative potential through art making.
When we teach art history primarily through the lens of the “masters” of the 17th-20th century, this creates a narrow definition of art. It also implies art is dead!
By viewing artworks from around the world, old and new, and from artists in our own region, we communicate that art is alive! It is owned by everyone and no one. It can be anything, it is always changing.
Each artist has a story to tell. When we learn the stories behind the artwork, we see that art is more than just the canvas. Art is the context of who created it, when, and why.
As part of my work at Hazelwood Preschool, I created the art curriculum and learning objectives for the school.
We create art in a few different ways:
- structured art activities
- self-directed studio time
- collaborative projects
- curate and share our art with others
To achieve these outcomes:
- confidence in a range of media
- develop observation, aka “artists eye”
- use art as a means of expression
- recognize ourself and others as artists
our young artists exploring watercolor. emphasis was placed on expressive mark making and getting comfortable with the medium
collaborative art project, inspired by the black lives matter street mural created by local artists
the open studio model allows students to organically discover techniques.
[first image] this student used their paper towel to incorporate printmaking into their piece.
a young artist looks closely at another student’s work, curious about the artists’ technique.
students are encouraged to share what they made, to reflect on their own process and learn from each other.