Alison Howard Roland Studio
Education Management - , ,
Alison Howard Roland Studio Employees
Alison Howard Roland Studio Details
I am an artist. I am a teacher. The two cannot be teased apart. Empowering children to believe in themselves as artists is at the heart of my life's purpose. As early childhood educator Sydney Gurewitz Clemens famously wrote, "Art has the role in education of helping children become like themselves instead of more like everyone else." I approach arts education as a mirror and a window. It reflects a child's true nature while offering that child a view to what has been done, is being done, and, most importantly, what is possible. An art classroom is a vital hub where children find connections, forge their own identities as artists, and develop their voices. There is nothing more vibrant than a studio filled with art, color, and music in which students can explore within a context of skill development. My teaching is collaborative, interdisciplinary, and committed to principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. I began working as an art educator in New York City and have created curricula and established studio art programs in a variety of schools and other settings since those early days. Even as a teenager, I knew my destiny was to both create my own art and to empower children of all ages to do so, in inclusive settings that help them feel safe to push the boundaries of convention and take creative risks.Committed to volunteer efforts on behalf of DEIB and other causes, I have a long track record of bringing communities together around art—from mural projects to multi-school art exhibitions—engaging children of all ages. As Abby Willowroot said, "Art speaks the soul of its culture." Watching children use art to open windows to their own souls and that of the world they inhabit—that is why I teach.
