TEACHING

Teaching Experience

I have been teaching in the Boston area since 2011. I studied Studio Education and Painting at MassArt. During my time in undergrad I was a mentor at Artists for Humanity, gave gallery talks at the Institute of Contemporary Art, and started my student teaching at Dorchester Academy. After graduation I split my time between Artists for Humanity mentoring Boston Public School teen artists and artists who were formerly incarcerated, and Gateway Arts in Brookline, MA working with adult artists with disabilities with a focus on spectrum disorders and psychiatric diagnoses. I continued my teaching journey at Artists for Humanity as a visiting artist/teacher with two Boston Public k-8 schools. This led to a 10 year career as a Boston Public School art teacher where I worked at an inclusion school with over 800 students from the age of 3-14. Starting in 2022, I left BPS to start a career in higher education. I am currently teaching a Contemporary Art and Theory course at Wentworth Institute of Technology as well as a studio course for artists/teachers at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. I have taught private art lessons and portfolio preparation to children and adults online and in person.

Teaching Philosophy:

I believe that art making is a way to understand ourselves and connect to the world around us. It is important that I have a personal relationship with my students, and can meet their developmental needs and understand their interests in order to tailor my teaching to them. My teaching practice is informed by my own practice in my studio and contemporary and art historical practices. While skill building and technique are important parts of art making, I believe that without a foundation of creativity, play and intrinsic motivation to create, artists will not develop a thriving studio practice. I like to weave art history and contemporary art practices into my teaching with books, demonstrations and videos, using resources from museums and other art organizations. I seek to balance my teaching by offering guidance, training and prompts while at the same time supporting the autonomy of my students as they develop their own practices.

Rates:

I am willing to negotiate with families who may need a sliding scale in order to access art lessons. The reason that the rates for younger students are listed with a time scale is because my experience has taught me that some students and classes will need more time, and some students and classes will need less. I also offer opportunities for me to bring students to museums and galleries, which will be coordinated with families according to student interest.

I am available to teach at your home in the Boston, Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline area. I come to you— all you need to provide are materials (you will be provided with a list) and a relatively quiet space where it is okay to get a little messy. I am also available to teach zoom lessons. Zoom rates are $10 less per lesson and require you to purchase a document camera of some sort (I have and like the Okio Document camera, but there are ways to turn a phone into a document camera as well!)

Initial Consultation ($60/hr): I like to begin my lessons with an initial consultation (in person or on zoom) where I meet the student and family. During this meeting I hope to gather information that will help me tailor the lesson to the needs of the student. I will ask the student what their art making experiences have been like so far, what materials they like to use, and what materials they’d like to try. I will see what the space looks like where the lesson will be conducted. I will also ask to see some of the work the student has created independently or in school. After the initial consultation, material lists are provided to families using Amazon or Blick.

Ages 4-6 ($60/ 40-60 min, $20 per additional child): For these young students I will focus mostly on development of motor skills and art related vocabulary. We will discover shape, line and color through the history of abstraction. We will begin to tell stories through our art making by creating landscapes and portraits. We will learn to draw from life using simple shapes to draw animals in their habitats. We will develop our fine motor skills with collage and air-dry clay. We will also be sure to work on studio cleanup and maintenance, where students will be taught the proper way to care for, clean and store their materials.

Ages 7-9 ($70/40-60 min, $20 per additional child): For these slightly more experienced students, I will focus on developing studio habits and building skills according to their interests and experience. Past projects include personal storytelling inspired by Harlem Renaissance artists, self portraits inspired by Frida Kahlo, animal paintings and collage inspired by Indigenous American myths and legends, mini comics inspired by Lynda Barry, and sustainable sculpture made from recycled materials. We will also be sure to work on studio cleanup and maintenance, where students will be taught the proper way to care for, clean and store their materials.

Ages 10-12 ($80/hr, $20 per additional child): These students will start to really dive into their studio practices while developing skills and concepts related to their interests and experience. They will learn more advanced techniques with “professional” grade materials. Student interest will guide the content of the lesson as we build foundational life drawing skills, landscape painting in watercolor, hand building in clay, collage and mixed media and making comics. We will also be sure to work on studio cleanup and maintenance, where students will be taught the proper way to care for, clean and store their materials.

Ages 13-15 ($90/hr, $20 per additional child): These students will start to really dive into their studio practices while developing skills and concepts related to their interests and experience. They will learn more advanced techniques with “professional” grade materials, and be given access to art historical and contemporary art practices. Student interest will guide the content of the lesson. Skills that may be developed include life drawing in multiple media, collage and mixed media, landscape painting in watercolor and acrylic, hand building in clay and illustration/ story development through comics.

Ages 16-18 ($100/hr, $20 per additional student): These students will dive deeply into their studio practices and continue their journey as artists with the mentorship of a professional artist. They will be given support in their own practices and access to art experiences like museum and gallery visits, drawing from life. plein air painting, support with conceptual development, and technique and skill building in whatever media they are interested in.

Adults ($100/hr): These students will collaborate with me to tailor the experience they may need as developing artists with a focus on 2d art and conceptual development. Skills that can be developed include watercolor, acrylic and oil painting, printmaking, drawing in any media, collage/assemblage. I offer a deep knowledge of art historical and contemporary practices. Lessons can include museum and gallery visits, plein air painting, and support with applications to grants or residencies. I am happy to share my practices with you!

Portfolio Development and Support ($125/hr): During portfolio development sessions I will help students tailor their portfolio to the needs of whatever institution they may be applying to, including high schools and colleges. I will create a shared folder with families that includes a calendar with important dates, links and resources provided by the institution. I will help the student with the application process. I will give the student art making prompts and support in skill development in order to create a well rounded professional portfolio. I will photograph the work to be portfolio ready and share these with the family in our shared google folder. By the end of our sessions, students will be ready to submit a finished professional portfolio.

For inquiries email rachelrizzoart617@gmail.com