Teacher Feature: Ms. Gould

Teacher Feature: Ms. Emily Gould, Art

Thanks for joining us as we welcome one of our new Grace teachers: Ms. Emily Gould. Emily teaches art at Grace; and though she is new to the school, she’s not new to the building . . .

One particularly innovative piece of Ms. Gould’s teaching is the online art gallery for Grace on Artsonia, “The World’s Largest Student Art Museum.” This is a fantastic forum for our work: you and your children, and grandparents and friends, can view artwork and even leave feedback for our student artists. You can access the Grace gallery here: https://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=3389

Read on for more about Ms. Gould and what we are up to in Art this year!

Tell us a little bit about yourself:
I’ve been teaching art for 14 years. It’s my passion!
I hold a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
I’m from all over the place — I moved a lot while I was growing up.
I have four children of my own between the ages of 6 and 18 years old.

Are you an artist yourself? What materials do you work with?
Yes, I am a practicing artist! I do sculptural paintings, built out of paper mache. In a recent work, I used more than 50 boxes. It’s a landscape, and it really “pops” out.

My painting titled “Road to Huasca” will be displayed digitally in the NAEA (National Arts Education Association) Virtual Gallery and available for viewing this fall, beginning October 18, on the NAEA website at: https://www.arteducators.org/opportunities/naea-studio-gallery-exhibitions/current-exhibitions (ID #416).

What do you most enjoy about working at Grace? Why did you choose to join us?
My goal as a teacher is to inspire creativity and to help students develop an appreciation for art and creativity. I love helping students discover their own styles — it takes time but it’s so wonderful when you see it happen.

Several years ago I taught summer art camps at Grace. I’m excited to be back and it’s very exciting to have an art room with a kiln! I have many art projects planned for this school year, and the opportunity to build a strong arts program at Grace is very exciting!

We’re already seeing some stunning art in the halls. The rainbow self portrait board has gotten a lot of attention. Tell us more about that!
Rainbows are a combination of water and sun energy. Because they are often seen after a storm, rainbows can bring hope, promise and healing. I wanted to create a bulletin board that gave hope and promise to a new school year. I wanted our first art project to include all students and to unite our community through art.

If you’re looking for more about art at Grace, we invite you to read Ms. Gould’s Art Teaching Philosophy.

Welcome, Ms. Gould! We’re so happy you’re here.