Who is Wirt?
Hello and welcome to my site: Art According to Wirt. I am Stephanie Wirt; artist, researcher and art educator in Midlothian, Virginia. I began teaching Art at Powhatan High School in the fall of 1998. Prior to teaching in Powhatan I co-wrote and implemented the high school art curriculum at the Blandford School inside a maximum security juvenile prison in Goochland, Virginia. Teaching inside a juvenile prison was an enlightening experience. Virginia is a compulsory education state. Even if you are incarcerated you must be in school until you are 18 or earn your GED.
In education I have the opportunity to start over every year with a new group of young minds. What other profession is there where you can change the way you approach things if they don't work or the clientele changes? In an every changing world I get to try new things all the time. As a teacher I get to watch lights turn on in young minds and help to shape the next generation of world leaders. I can't think of another job I would want to have.
As an educator I am always seeking new ways to reach my students and help them to construct their own knowledge. On this site there are links to lesson resources I have found online, contemporary artists and professional network sites. I can't guarentee that all outside links will always be active as sites change all the time. Any lessons, videos or artworks that I have created, and that are on this site, may be reproduced for use in the classroom. It is my hope that other art lovers, teachers and students will find information and inspiration here to help them in their own artistic and educational pursuits.
Creating my own work in as necessary to living as is eating for me. It is how I process my experiences, vent my frustrations and refuel my emotional, spiritual and professional gas tank. My personal work ranges from abstract paintings to photography and digital imaging, from 4 inches to 8 feet. I tend to work in series as I bring concepts to full understanding. Color, form, movement and symbolism are strong elements in my work. Sometimes suggestive, often abstract, my work is a portal to the unconscious mind of the viewer and the creator.
Visit the gallery page to view my personal art work as well as the art created by my students. Check out the Big Ideas/Curriculum page to explore units of instruction I have developed and implemented for the high school art class. You can find more great lesson ideas, artist information and teacher resources through my links pages.
In education I have the opportunity to start over every year with a new group of young minds. What other profession is there where you can change the way you approach things if they don't work or the clientele changes? In an every changing world I get to try new things all the time. As a teacher I get to watch lights turn on in young minds and help to shape the next generation of world leaders. I can't think of another job I would want to have.
As an educator I am always seeking new ways to reach my students and help them to construct their own knowledge. On this site there are links to lesson resources I have found online, contemporary artists and professional network sites. I can't guarentee that all outside links will always be active as sites change all the time. Any lessons, videos or artworks that I have created, and that are on this site, may be reproduced for use in the classroom. It is my hope that other art lovers, teachers and students will find information and inspiration here to help them in their own artistic and educational pursuits.
Creating my own work in as necessary to living as is eating for me. It is how I process my experiences, vent my frustrations and refuel my emotional, spiritual and professional gas tank. My personal work ranges from abstract paintings to photography and digital imaging, from 4 inches to 8 feet. I tend to work in series as I bring concepts to full understanding. Color, form, movement and symbolism are strong elements in my work. Sometimes suggestive, often abstract, my work is a portal to the unconscious mind of the viewer and the creator.
Visit the gallery page to view my personal art work as well as the art created by my students. Check out the Big Ideas/Curriculum page to explore units of instruction I have developed and implemented for the high school art class. You can find more great lesson ideas, artist information and teacher resources through my links pages.
My personal history of art education - ink and Watercolor - 2012
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