“I believe that learning about the world through the process of visual art is as important to children as breathing,” said Patty Papatheodore, Arts Alive Mobile Street Squad Artist. “Teaching children how to take an idea from their inner world and construct it in front of them in two or three dimensions is a powerful tool which can enhance every aspect of their education. It is this very process that cultivates the power of curiosity and invention within them.”
Patty with a participant in Main Line Art Center's program with the Delaware County Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Patty is a Teaching Artist, working largely with fiber and ceramics. She has taught children’s classes in painting, drawing, printmaking and ceramics at Main Line Art Center for the past 11 years, and also co-directs the summer camp program. In addition, Patty is very involved with teaching the Art Center’s Outreach Programs, including the Exceptional Art Program, designed for children and teens with physical and cognitive disabilities, and the Art Center’s program with the Chester County Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. These programs are central to the Art Center’s mission of “Art for Everyone” and are near and dear to Patty’s heart.
“I have been a teaching artist working with people of diversified ability for several years now,” said Patty. “I have had the pleasure of watching the exceptional growth of the art center community, serving all members with special consideration for the needs of every artist.”
Patty is excited to be a part of the Art Center’s “On the Road with Arts Alive” program as a Street Squad Artist. She believes that the program serves the community as never before, truly in keeping with Main Line Art Center’s “Art for Everyone” mission. “As a Street Squad Artist, it is fun to see people waving and smiling at the decorative art van as we drive throughout the community!” she said.
Over the summer, Patty was very busy prepping for the Family Art Festival, the kick-off event for the Arts Alive Mobile. As the Family Art Festival Coordinator, Patty led a committee that planned and managed the event, a job she found very fulfilling.
“I had the pleasure of seeing many new faces at the Art Center that day,” she said. “People were so excited to participate in a variety of art projects, from festive party hats to beautiful mosaic tiles. There were many dedicated Art Center community volunteers assisting new families with art projects, while highly recommending Main Line Art Center’s classes, workshops and events from their own firsthand experience.”
Patty’s personal art is mixed media fabric collage dolls and birds using clay and soft sculpture, drawing, objects, and even poetry all within one personal composition. More recently, she has started experimenting with a technique of painting with wool. Her work will be included in the Art Center’s upcoming Holiday Fine Craft Sale. For more about Patty, visit her website, or read her blog where she writes about her experiences as a Teaching Artist.
