Explorer Middle School Art Spotlight

Heidi Hackman
My name is Heidi Hackman and I am the art director at Explorer Middle School. I have taught Art for 5 years but I’m also a photographer and studio artist. For me, there’s not a better feeling then teaching a new concept to a student and seeing them discover their inner artistic talent.
At Explorer Middle School we offer beginners and advanced art classes, where students gain an appreciation of the visual arts, expand their imagination, and learn new ways to express thoughts or feelings. In beginners art we focus on the elements of art by learning basic techniques and create artwork with different medias. Over the course of a semester students will get the opportunity to experiment and produce artwork that include watercolors, pastels, clay, collaging, scratch-art, and pencil drawings.  Students in advanced art class are challenged to apply the knowledge they learned in their first year to create more challenging paintings and drawings.
My goal is to have all my artist push their imagination and skills so far that they are shocked at the level of work they can accomplish.  All students are encouraged to do their personal best and respect the efforts of their peers.
These are just a few examples of the wonderful art produced by the talented students at Explorer Middle School.