Blair Lambert

teaching portfolio
 474A 7th Avenue
BLAIR LAMBERT Brooklyn, NY 11215
(570)-856-1857
Art Educator [email protected]

Objective I wish to obtain a position teaching art at a school where I may use my artistic knowledge and teaching skills to become a member of a
successful and creative team of educators.

Education The Pennsylvania State University, Bachelors of Sciences:

University Park, PA Art Education for Museums
2002-2006 Bachelors of Arts:
Studio Art: Drawing and Painting
The Pratt Institute
Brooklyn, NY Masters of Sciences:
2009 - present Art and Design Education
Intended completion: 12/11

BoCoCa Cooperative Preschool 08/2010 - present

Experience Founding Head Teacher Brooklyn, NY

I am responsible for planning and implementing all classroom activities at this small cooperative preschool. I develop age-appropriate
lessons that promote the physical, social, emotion and intellectual growth of my students. I communicate extensively with parents and
provide frequent progress reports.

Student Teacher 02/2011 – present

Lower Manhattan Community Middle School New York, NY

I observe as well as teach seventh and eighth grade art classes. Current projects include oil pastel, portraiture, wire sculpture and figure
drawing.
 Creative Arts Summer Day Camp 05/2009 - present
Visual Arts Instructor Brooklyn, NY
I teach all daily art lessons to approximately fifty students over the summer months aged five through fifteen. Topics range from
sculpture, art history, drawing, sewing and performance art.

Citibabes 09/2009 – 06/2010

Preschool Art Instructor New York, New York

I lead weekly art classes for preschoolers aged 2-4 years as well as planned group art activities during events at this family lifestyle club in
SoHo.

The Intrepid Museum 12/2007 – 09/2008

Museum Educator New York, NY

Working under a grant from the department of education, I designed and delivered programming to students in New York City public
schools in all five boroughs. I developed educational materials for school age, adult and senior programs.

Oasis Summer Day Camp 05/2007 – 08/2007

Visual Arts Instructor Bayside, NY

I taught all visual art activities to campers aged 5-14. Lessons were designed to be educational as well as fun and age appropriate.
Classes covered a variety of artistic mediums and topics

Skills
CPR and First Aide Certified
Carpentry and woodworking skills
I worked to build sets for several university theater productions
Ceramics Knowledge – throwing and hand building
I worked as a technician in the Penn State Ceramics Studio

Advanced sewing skills

I ran a small business designing and producing fabric handbags and
accessories from my home.
References available upon request
 Teaching Philosophy

I teach in visual art in order to challenge students to think, ask

questions, be courageous and responsible. Teaching requires
balance. The work of an educator is a unique combination of
directing, watching, coaching, guiding, and waiting. At times, I
embrace teacher-centered forms of instruction such as
demonstration; at other times, more student-centered
approaches are required. Visual art is a particularly complex
subject that goes beyond an interesting image.

I aim to help my students think about and challenge what they see. The importance of self-discipline and diligent work in the learning
process is always emphasized in my classroom. I expect students to establish a dialogue with each other about their work. Discourse
enables students to recognize how effectively their ideas have been conveyed.

Balance between conceptual and critical thinking and technical skills is an important aspect of my teaching. I foster the growth of
technical and conceptual skills as a means for more clearly articulating ideas. These skills properly balanced enable students to effectively
complete assignments and expand their creativity beyond the classroom.

Finally, the relevance of visual art must also be highlighted in the contemporary art classroom. By incorporating broad ideas such as
culture, history, politics, literature, film, poetry, and music I seek to encourage students to see visual art practice as part of the larger
framework of their own lives.
Student Work
& Lessons
Saturday Art School
The Pratt Institute
Ages 5- 6

Neighborhood Architecture: clay relief sculpture

As a result of this lesson students gained a deeper understanding of the forms used in architectural design as well
as the properties of clay as an artistic medium. In order to begin the discussion of architectural design, students
identified the basic shapes seen in local facades and discussed these elements with the class. After experimenting
with clay and observing a demonstration of low relief sculpture, the students sketched building facades of their
own design. Finally each student used their sketches to create a low relief sculpture of a building façade out of
clay.

Saturday Art School

The Pratt Institute
Ages 5- 6

Abstract Compositions using watercolor techniques

Through this lesson students gained a basic understanding of abstract art by critically discussing
the art work of Kandinsky and other abstract painters. As well as identifying line, shape and color
in abstract work, students explored the properties of watercolor painting through experimentation.
Students then used the shapes and lines in found materials to create an abstract work using
watercolor painting methods.
Saturday Art School
The Pratt Institute
Ages 5- 6

Monster Printing: focus on texture

In this project students gained experience with basic printmaking techniques and developed ways to effectively
create textural effects with line. After describing the textures illustrated in the children’s book “Where the Wild
Things Are,” students worked to illustrate textures using line and shape. Students then created a monster of their
own design, paying particular attention to describing texture. Students then used their drawings to create plates
with which to print their monsters. At the conclusion of the class students discussed their work and the work of
their classmates utilizing vocabulary reviewed earlier.
Creative Arts Summer Day Camp
Ages 7-14

Design a train – personalizing the subway

In this lesson students drew inspiration from examples of classic urban graffiti to create subway
train cars that visually expressed something about themselves. After discussing the use of line,
color and symbol in several examples of graffiti art students watched a demonstration of oil pastel
techniques and then experimented on their own. First by sketching, then using oil pastels, each
student created a large scale subway car embellished with their own “graffiti” designs. The cars
were connected for display during a final discussion in which students discussed their work and its
intended meanings with each other.
Creative Arts Summer Day Camp
Ages 7-14

In silhouette: self portraits through collage

Taught in three one hour classes, this lesson introduced students to collage techniques and
meaning making through color and pattern. After first discussing how different colors and
patterns can communicate different messages to the viewer, students experimented with paper
collage. Using magazines, books and textured and patterned papers, students created a collage
that they felt reflect their personalities. As the collages were drying, students created cut
silhouettes of each other on black paper. After layering the collages and silhouettes, each student
discussed their finished work with the class, using artistic vocabulary.
 BoCoCa
Preschool Co-Op
art with the very young

Magic Marble Painting:

art making through teamwork
 Public
Transportation
Unit

Color mixing and track making Making Trains: creating with

imagination and observation

Eyesight Unit
Creating and observing with
colored lenses
 Brooklyn Unit
Fish Unit
Gyotaku: Japanese fish printing

City Making: group construction

Lower Manhattan
Middle School

Grade 7

Grid Portraits:
An exercise in looking and value

By using this traditional drawing method

students gained confidence in their own
ability to create quality artwork. This
lesson stressed the student’s ability to focus
and persist, not their drawing skills. After
first drawing with white pencil on black
paper, students then selected oil pastels in a
value range to complete their self portraits.
This lesson lasted significantly longer and
had more components than the students
were accustomed to. Students had to persist
in order overcome problems they faced
throughout the project. The resulting
artwork was aesthetically and technically
impressive. The students were extremely
proud of their work.
Personal Work
click for gallery