education: blog

Giving tours and facilitating workshops is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to being an Artist Educator at The Andy Warhol Museum. Many people don’t realize how often we actually go out into the field to share our knowledge about Andy Warhol and our passion for the arts. For several weeks before the holidays, fellow educator Jen and I traveled down to Wheeling, WV to work with The Stifel Fine Arts Center and three area high schools- John Marshall High School, Wheeling Central Catholic High School, and Wheeling Park High School.

It’s been a whirlwind of a school year for us in the Education Department and the light at the end of the tunnel is almost within reach. The last several weeks have been spent working on different school partnerships, giving tours and conducting workshops galore.  Schedules are constantly changing and EVERYTHING is written in pencil.  I’ve been a busy little bumble bee and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  I’m lucky enough to do what I love and share it with a wide range of students.

Hi! My name is Emily Jaworski and I have been working as an Artist Educator at the Andy Warhol Museum since January of 2010.

I have been working at the Warhol for 15 years but I am never bored—as an Associate Curator of Education, I love what I do.  Some weeks hum along as I work and collaborate with artists, teachers, community leaders and inquisitive learners of all ages. Some days stand out.  May 9th was an unforgettable day. For once it was gloriously sunny (in this gray spring of 2011) and in the atrium room of Children’s Hospital I was moved by the beauty of kids, of parents, of professionals and the amazing possibilities that are around every corner in Pittsburgh.

For most people, once they graduate from high school, they take on new endeavors.  Whether it is higher education, joining the workforce or joining the military, they move on and high school becomes a distant memory.  Although it has become easier than ever to keep in touch with friends from long ago, you never really return to your old stomping grounds… unless you decide to become an educator.

I started working at The Andy Warhol Museum as the Studio Programs Coordinator in the Education Department on January 25th 2011. It seems like my training lasted about... Let's say three hours before I was up and running. It's that energy of working in a beautifully volatile, reactive, and creative environment that makes me feel so very much at home in this museum. I tell you this is a fantastic place to be an educator, an artist, and to have a voice.

Hello Everyone!  I am Tresa Varner, a printmaker and the Warhol's education curator. We are so excited to finally have our new website up and running. It's been a long haul and an interesting experience, to say the least. In the coming weeks we will be adding new content and special features that we hope will excite and inspire all those interested in art and education. Please let me know what you were looking for and hoped to find but didn't, as well any ideas and suggestions. This blog will rotate contributers and topics throughout the year. Our education staff, who are all local artists committed to eduction and community programming, will blog about topics near and dear to their hearts and we will also ask local and national bloggers interested in contemporary art education to contribute. Stay tuned!