Artist Biography
Dr. Virginia Freyermuth is an award-winning artist and art educator. She holds Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees in Painting from Boston University and received her teaching certification through Suffolk University. She earned a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies with a Concentration in Art Education from The Union Institute & University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Freyermuth was named the 1994 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year by the Massachusetts Department of Education. She was the 1995 recipient of the National Outstanding Art Teacher Award of Walt Disney's American Teacher Awards.
Artist's Statement
I have considered myself an artist since early childhood when my mother first put a pencil in my hand and taught me to draw. I soon was sitting on my front steps teaching my playmates to draw as well, and by first grade I told my teacher that I was going to be an artist when I grew up. I spent many long joyful hours with a pad of paper on my lap creating imagined drawings, paintings, and stories to accompany them.
I have had many wonderful teachers, including family members, friends, mentors, and professors, who over the years have given me guidance and support, and who opened my eyes to the world and the world of art. I am tremendously grateful for the creative life I live. I became a teacher to give back to others what had been given to me, a deepened sense of self and the ability to cherish, develop, enjoy, and wisely use one’s own unique talents.
I see my work as a connection between the magical and the ordinary, between the everyday and the divine, between inner and outer worlds. I have a profound sense of wonder for life itself and am guided by that which is intuitive and heartfelt. My portrait process is a special way to connect with the personhood of another, and landscape is a way to ponder and connect with the living earth. I believe in the quotation by Elbert Hubbard which states, “Art is not a thing; it is a way.” It has been a way of life for me for as long as I can remember; and in many ways defines who I am, for I see life itself as art and a grand creation.
Background
Teacher
Dr. Freyermuth has taught all grade levels including pre-school, elementary, middle school, high school, college, and adult over her 32 years as an educator. She is a Founding Fellow of the Teacher Leadership Academy of Massachusetts and is also a recipient of the Massachusetts Art Educator of the Year Award, administered by the Massachusetts Alliance for Arts Education.
As Director of Cranberry Barn Studios in Carver, MA, and President of Virginia K. Freyermuth, Inc., Dr. Freyermuth creates award-winning fine art and portraiture, promotes personal and professional growth and learning through the arts, and is an avid arts advocate. After teaching in the public schools of Plymouth and Quincy, Massachusetts, she was the K-12 Art Coordinator of the Duxbury Public Schools in Duxbury, Massachusetts for 14 years. She then worked as a full-time Art Education faculty member at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth for five years until her retirement from public education in 2004. She has also worked as a Master Teacher of the Connecting Oceans Academy of the ECHO Project, Education Through Cultural and Historical Organizations, a federally mandated educational and cultural enrichment initiative.
Writer
Dr. Freyermuth co-authored a series of articles based on ongoing research titled The Wonder Full Teacher Project, published in SchoolArts Magazine, with colleague Dr. Peter London. This research explores the dimensions of transformative, holistic teaching. She is also the author of an article entitled "Narratives as Revealing Portraits of Holistic Art Education" which was recently published in the 2007 journal Visual Arts Research: Approaches to Holistic Art Education.
Public Speaker & Consultant
Dr. Freyermuth has given over 180 presentations and keynote addresses nationally and locally on art and education. Most recently, she presented at the National Art Education Association Annual Convention in Chicago, March, 2006, was the Keynote Speaker for the American Association of Museum Volunteers in April 2006, and was the featured keynote at the Cape Cod Museum of Art in January 2007. She has been named to the Marquis Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in America, Who's Who of American Education, and Who's Who of American Women. She has worked as an arts and interdisciplinary curriculum consultant with school systems.
To inquire about keynote speeches, presentations, professional development offerings, upcoming graduate course offerings, art retreats and consultation, please contact the Artist.