“I’m an artist, but I’m really a teacher at heart too. I have a passion for teaching all these different ages levels and exposing people to printmaking,” said Louise Fisher, this year’s first resident of the McGuire Visiting Artist Program.
As part of her residency, Fisher has been working with Middle School Industrial Arts teacher Jon Van Bergen’s woodworking classes and Upper School Visual Arts teacher Brian Sago’s printmaking classes. Middle School students have been collaborating with Upper School students to design and print repeating wallpaper patterns that encapsulate their favorite places on campus.
Director of Visual and Performing Arts Ilah Raleigh explained the program was started by Bill and Nadine McGuire in 1993 who gave the school an endowment to “extend our visual arts program by offering opportunities that the faculty we have here can’t themselves provide, whether that’s because it’s not in the offerings that semester or because that’s outside of their skill area, either way it’s supplementing what they already do so well.”
“In a way, she’s sort of taken over the class,” Sago said. “Like the cooking shows that have someone takeover a restaurant, it’s sort of like that, she’s the master chef that’s come in to takeover the class. I know I’ll be using [her lessons] in the future.”
The program is not only intended to expose students to new art forms, but also provide professional development opportunities for art teachers. Sago added, “In art, to just sometimes sit and watch another artist work, you learn a whole lot about different ways of doing things. I’m sure that Louise has picked up some things from me and I’m picking up things from her.”
Fisher’s work often focuses on what she describes as the idea of place. “I think [the Early Learning Center] building kind of epitomizes my interest, conceptually, with my artwork,” she said. “The building, architecturally, is supposed to make kids feel welcome and to be who they are. When you walk in, it just feels warm and inviting.”
“The building reflects the people that are inside of it, little kids, and what do little kids want to do? They want to have fun, so the building is fun,” she continued. “If youryou’re school looks like a prison, you’re going to feel like a prisoner. It’s just interesting to me how a building or a place can really affect how students feel or how they learn. “
To culminate Fisher’s visit, the Martha Bennett Gallery will be holding a reception on Friday, Nov. 3 at 5:30 p.m. The exhibition will feature the wallpaper designs created by students, Fisher’s own work, and a station to do live printmaking.
