Today we’d like to introduce you to Kerri Waller.
Kerri, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I earned my undergrad in k-12 art education from Kennesaw State University and my Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Valdosta State University. I always loved art – it is something I have always had in my life. Becoming an art teacher just fit. I am currently finishing up my 11th year of teaching at Simpson Middle School.
I am a Cobb County School District Gold level Distinguished STEM educator and I have taken part in CCSD STEM academy and CCSD Teacher Leadership Academy. About five years ago I started pretendstudio.weebly.com as a way of sharing art ideas, lessons, and work samples with other members of the art education community. From there, I started writing articles for Arts & Activities Magazine and posting more on social media. I was contacted to present for companies like Art of Education and Education Closet. I also have presented STEAM activities and art lessons for other teachers at my school and at state conferences.
I like to bring students into the community and help my students give back with their art. We have gone to active adult living facilities and painted with the residents and had a booth at a local trunk-or-treat event where my students did oreo carving and a large collaborative artwork with the kids. My students created coloring books available for free download that were used in children’s hospitals and schools around the world. Outside of education, I illustrated the book Henry and Zoe Cut Cake, written by David Hernquist. I have exhibited my work at the Cobb Civic Center, KSU, Art Station, and a variety of other gallery spaces.
I currently serve on the board of the Georgia Art Education Association as Middle Division Representative. I was the 2017-18 Simpson Middle School Teacher of the Year and the 2017-2018 Georgia Art Education Association Middle Division Teacher of the year. This year I was part of a team of 3 that helped lead our school to STEAM certification.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Working full time and being a mother of 2 leaves little to no time for me to work on my own art. I have had to fit in time to create- even if it was just to sketch in my sketchbook. I had reached a burnout point as a teacher- but instead of giving up I started trying new things to motivate myself and my students. I started using social media as a way to connect to other art educators in the community.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Pretend Studio – what should we know?
I am known for presenting art education tools, techniques, and STEAM at conferences, writing articles on art education, and creating my own art. I love my job. I think teaching art has allowed me to grow as an educator, as a school leader, and as a person. I have presented art education ideas locally at the county level and statewide at Georiga Art Education Association conferences. I have also presented nationally and internationally with Art of Education and Education closet and I have wrote articles for Arts & Activities magazine.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think perseverance is really important to success. Things ebb and flow- you have to be willing to continue to put in the work.
Contact Info:
- Website: pretendstudio.weebly.com
- Instagram: @pretendstudio
- Twitter: @wallerart
Image Credit:
The images are student work from my art classes
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
