KIM HAMLET
Teaching artist + designer
Seattle, WA
VISUAL ART
Sketchbook
Printmaking
Film photos
CRAFT
Design
Textiles
TEACHING
Classes + events
Teaching approach
INFO
About + contact
As a teaching artist, my primary goal is to create a safe space to make art and for 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 observe as students discover their own creative potential through art making.
When exploring artworks and art history in the classroom, we observe that art has been made around the world, since time immemorial. It is owned by everyone, and no one. It can be anything, it is always changing.
By taking an expansive lens to how we view art, we see that art is everywhere—in traditional craft, in functional objects, in works created millenia ago, in works created today, locally, in our own community.
When we communicate that art is alive, we can also see how our own role as an artist contributes to this vast, beautiful timeline.
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.