"Sharing the Passion – Artists Who Teach"

Exhibit at the Chelmsford Library in September 2009
Reception: Saturday, September 12, 2009, 2-4 p.m.
Music by Sanyukta Inamdar - solo violin;
Maeghan Dillon & Marilla Gucwa - violin duet
for photos of the reception visit the library's Flickr account at http://www.flickr.com/photos/chelmsfordpubliclibrary/sets/72157622349026011/

Paula Pitman Brown
From early childhood, creating art has been an essential for Paula Pitman Brown, “For me, creating art is my life’s vocation that is a part of my everyday existence.” After receiving a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art in Painting and Art History, Paula received her teaching credentials through Suffolk University, The Newton Schools and the former Boston State College. “Besides creating art, sharing my enthusiasm for creating and the study of art with my students is a tremendous joy.” Paula has taught at Chelmsford High School for 23 years. “It is very rewarding to see so many gifted students pursue art careers.” Paula has also taught 20 years at The DeCordova Art Museum in Lincoln, Mass. At The Decordova, she taught Portfolio Prep for High School Students and has also taught the Multicultural Art Camp for many summers. Paula also taught art at all grade levels in the Waltham Public Schools.

In this Art Show at the Library, there is a selection of paintings and drawings on display that reflect Paula’s ongoing concern for how people and animals co-exist. Animals are integral to our everyday life: whether one is enjoying their pet, a chance encounter with an animal in one’s backyard or observing animals at the zoo or in nature. Animals are also a part of our everyday symbols, like, “You work like a dog.” They are part of our storytelling and myths, where animals may have human or supernatural powers. In some cultures, animals take on both human and animal transformations. Animals provide us with food and clothing. For Paula, it is important for people to reflect upon the consequences of how humans treat all living creatures. Ideally, through thoughtful human interaction with animals, both people and animals can have more rich and quality lives. Paula lives with her husband and has two grown children, all of whom are highly creative.


Diane Cogliano
Diane Cogliano grew up in Winchester, MA and knew from an early age that she wanted to be an artist. She attended Montserrat College of Art and focused on graphic design and painting. She then worked as a free-lance illustrator and in advertising for Sears and Sheraton Hotels. While raising her two sons she resumed her love of painting and began showing her work in several New England galleries, winning awards for her artwork at local art exhibits and shows. She began giving art lessons in her Nashua studio where she discovered a love of teaching. She then enrolled in Rivier College in 1994, for a degree in Art Education, and in 2001, received her Masters of Education from Cambridge College. Upon completing her student teaching at Chelmsford High School and the Westlands School she was hired by the Chelmsford Public Schools as an art teacher. "There is nothing more I'd rather do than share my love of art with young people." Diane has been a full time art teacher at Chelmsford High for the past 9 years. She resides in North Andover and continues to sell her work privately.
    "Being an artist has always been a part of who I am. I am constantly trying to challenge myself and paint many different subjects. I enjoy painting landscapes, still life, people and flowers -whatever my mood. My summers are spent in the Gloucester area; this is where I draw inspiration for my landscape paintings. Another favorite subject of mine are children playing on the beach. I prefer working in pastels because they are always readily available and I am able to break them into small pieces to achieve the tiniest details."

Bette Gagnon
"Creating Art has always been a major interest in my life. At a young age, I attended lessons at the Fitchburg Art Museum. Encouraged by my family and teachers I continued to pursue the Arts through various workshops in Rockport, Maine and the Whistler Art Museum in Lowell. My college education includes a BFA in Drawing & Painting and a M.Ed. in Art education. Presently I'm completing my 24th year of teaching Studio Art at Chelmsford High School. Having to teach a variety of art courses, I find it necessary to remain skilled in working with all media so I continue to pursue and develop my skills in watercolor, pastels, etc. 'The Water Lilies' began as a demonstration in watercolor technique. As I continued to develop this artwork I applied calligraphic lines in pen and ink and thin pastel layers in order to get the desired effects. I have had a number of solo shows in the past and hope to continue having exhibits once I retire from teaching. Developing Art will always be a major part of my life."

Sarah Kiley
Sarah Kiley is currently in her ninth year teaching art at the McCarthy Middle School in Chelmsford. The first seven years of her sixteen year career were spent teaching elementary art in Dracut and Lawrence where end of the year school wide art shows, trips to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and working in after school programs to refine young creative minds were amongst her accomplishments.
At the McCarthy School Sarah co-organized the “Stars and Stripes” Spaghetti super fundraiser for the families of victims of 911 in Sept of 2001, and the “Why” sculpture to 8th graders acknowledging every victim of 911 on display at the State House in the spring of 2002, the permanent display of 6th graders ceramic tile murals of Children’s Books illustrations in 2006 at the Chelmsford Public Library in Chelmsford, honorable mention, silver and gold key winners at the Boston Globe Scholastic Visual Arts Awards competition since 2001, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners of the Jr. Duck Stamp competition in 2004, organizer of the 8th grade Art Appreciation Tour of New York City in spring 2008 and 2009, presenter at the 2008 Massachusetts Art Education Association conference and adjudicator for the Westford Regional Art Show in spring 2009. Sarah is in what’s considered her half way point doing what she loves the most and is eagerly awaiting what’s in store for her in the 2nd half of her career.

Anita Adler
“One of my first school memories is of when I was four years old; a teacher tested me for kindergarten readiness by asking me to draw my favorite thing. I remember I spent a great deal of time drawing a dog, and put in lots of details. The teacher declared that I was ready for kindergarten. Decades later I’m still in school, and still drawing dogs.” Anita Adler grew up in Chicago, loving animals and the arts. After high school, she began to study art at Washington University in St. Louis. A few years later, Ms. Adler spent time abroad volunteering at Kibbutz Ein Harod Meuchad in Israel, home to a wonderful art museum. When Ms. Adler was not at the museum, she welded radiators and washing machines, picked grapefruit in the orchards, and helped in the nursery school rooms. It was in these classrooms on the kibbutz that she developed an interest in teaching children.
Later, Ms. Adler spent the summer studying how to carve marble sculpture at Pellacani e Barsi Lavorazione in Pietrasanta, Italy. In the fall, she returned to Washington University and completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting degree and received certification to teach art in Missouri. Later, after moving to Massachusetts, she enrolled in Boston University and received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Studio Teaching.
Over the years, Ms. Adler has taught art to 3 to 19 year olds in a number of schools in Massachusetts and California. She is thrilled to be teaching in Chelmsford, and has taught middle school art at Parker and McCarthy since 2001. Although Ms. Adler is very busy teaching school and taking care of her family, she continues to work on her art whenever she can. Most recently, Ms. Adler has been creating watercolors, monoprints and monotypes.
“The monotype process is quick and fluid. After the plate is inked up, the image emerges as I wipe, scratch, and smudge away the ink, using various tools and rags. The printed image retains the energy and movement of this process. I knew that our family dog was a great subject for monotype because he is so beautiful and filled with life as he maneuvers through space.”

Darleen Joos

Darleen Joos an art instructor for the Chelmsford School District. She holds a Masters of Education and a Continuing Advanced Graduation Studies (CAGS) degree from Fitchburg State College. She also has taken graduate level programs though The University of California Berkeley Extension Programs in Paris and London.

Darleen has taught art since 1989 at Hudson, NH Middle School. She has also taught graduate level class at Fitchburg College. She is currently teaching at the Byam and South Row elementary schools in Chelmsford. She also teaches private art classes. Darleen has been Secretary for the NH Art Educators Association and is on the Board of Massachusetts Art Educator’s Association. She served as judge for the Westford Regional Art Event Children’s Show for four years. Darleen currently has a studio at the Western Ave. Studios in Lowell MA.

Eric Hoover
Eric Hoover was born in Columbus, Ohio and graduated from Marietta College with a BA in Art. He taught art and coached football and track for two years in Maple Heights, Ohio. He moved to Massachusetts in 1976 and taught art in Burlington, MA Since 1979 he has taught in Chelmsford, MA. In 1982, he was appointed Chelmsford Public Schools K-12 Visual Art Department Head through 1990. Eric received a M.Ed. in Educational Technology from Fitchburg State College and was selected MAAE Massachusetts Secondary Art Educator of the Year for 1989. He was selected Chairman of the Steering Committee that founded Massachusetts Art All-State. While at Chelmsford High School Eric introduced AP Studio Art, European Art Educational Travel and Computer Graphics to the High School Art program. He currently teaches Computer Graphics at Chelmsford High School. He has traveled to France, Italy, Spain, Greece, England, Scotland, Ireland & the Czech Republic.
" I prefer digital photography because it allows me, as an artist, to examine and investigate visual interests in great detail by eliminating distractions and procedural delays. Digital photography and printing, along with Adobe Photoshop computer software, give me total control of the images I capture from observation to presentation."

Jane A. Cristantiello
Jane Cristantiello is starting her second year as an elementary/middle school Art teacher in the Chelmsford Public Schools. Ms. Cristantiello graduated from Rhode Island School of Design, with a BFA in illustration/animation. She worked in Animation and Illustration for many years before receiving her teaching certificate at Mass College of Art. From there, she has taught Elementary Art in Maynard, Acton, Waltham and Littleton, MA.
In 2008, she earned her M.Ed. in Arts Education from Fitchburg State College. For the past 9 years, she has had a studio at ArtSpace in Maynard MA and has been working in various mediums such as drawing, painting, collage, paper-clay and shrink plastic. “My ideas stem from stories, dreams and imagination. My images depict personal reflections from subliminal experiences and emotions in my daily life. I enjoy the puzzle of putting together images and words from observation and imagination to create a narrative work of art. My latest work is based on my broken knee, which happened this past April. I used paint, drawing and shrink plastic to create these images.”

Madalena Alves
Madalena Alves was born in the Azores on the island of Terceira and at the age of three, came to America with her parents. Ever since she can remember, she has always loved to draw and doodle. She took that love of art into high school and on to college at Emmanuel College where she earned her Bachelors of Fine Arts with a concentration in art education. Madalena also has a Masters in Education from Fitchburg and is currently working on her CAGS, Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Art and Education at Fitchburg. She has two boys, 14 and 10, who keep her busy.
Madalena taught art at St. Agnes School in Arlington for eight years before coming to Chelmsford in 1996; she now teaches at the Center and South Row schools. (She has also taught a few classes at Byam, Harrington, and Westlands in the past so she has been in all the elementary schools.)
She has enjoyed bringing her 4th grade classes to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. “It’s great to hear the kids talk about the paintings and sculptures in the museum. Some are surprised at the size of the paintings and sculptures. What they thought might be small is quite large and vice versa.” She has also planned and created a few murals at the Center School with the 4th grade.
Madalena enjoys working in all media but in the last year, she has been working with clay as part of her CAGS program. This has led to more clay lessons with her students. “The kids really enjoy working with clay as much as I do. Working with your hands, shaping, smoothing and glazing is a gratifying process with a beautiful piece at its completion.”

Terry Prendergast Karangioze
Terry Karangioze knew from an early age that she wanted to be an art teacher and artist. She attended University of Lowell and received her Bachelor of Arts and Art Education Degree. She received her Masters of Arts Education from Fitchburg State College and is presently nearing completion of a post graduate degree, Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies with a concentration in the Arts and Technology. She has been actively involved with several educational organizations and most recently was a member of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Arts Advisory Committee. Terry has studied with artists Carlton Plummer, Bob Griffin, Brenda Pinardi, and Louis Lorenzo. She has been a member of the Chelmsford School District since 1997. Terry has taught in various schools in Lowell. At the Hellenic American School, she had her students experience an Amateur Radio Communication with NASA and the Russian Mir Space Station. She has taught art at the Byam Elementary School, the Parker Middle School and the McCarthy Middle School and is presently at Chelmsford High School. She enjoys integrating the arts with various subjects and exploring new ways to incorporate the arts with real world experiences for her students. Her 2nd grade art class at the Byam had the unique experience of having their artwork flown in the STS 91 Discovery Space Shuttle to the Russian Mir Space Station and traveled 3.8 million miles around the world. Her Parker Middle School students created artwork which was raffled to parents and staff to generate donations for the Chelmsford Food Pantry. She had students from the high school student council create giving ceramic bowls for the Chelmsford Food Pantry. “I enjoy working with a variety of materials; pencil, pastels, watercolors, digital photography and ceramics. I enjoy sketching realistic, abstract and surreal images. I try to captivate my viewers with thought-provoking images. I totally enjoy teaching students various aspects of the arts; guiding them into newer art experiences and watching them grow into their own art styles.”

Virginia Cramer
Virginia Cramer began her artistic career as an 8 year old student at the Brooklyn Museum of art. She has been making things ever since. Virginia has studied Art over the past 20 years at the Museum of Fine Arts School in Boston, Mass College of Art, the University of Massachusetts and the DeCordova Museum School. A member of the Western Avenue Artists Association in Lowell, she works in collage, mixed media, and printmaking.