My Creative Owlette

About me...I don't like to characterize myself as an "artist" but rather a "creative" as this allows me the freedom to explore the ever-expanding and diverse visual arts spectrum. Being a "creative" also allows me to be open to a diverse mix of knowledge because I am not focused on one thing but multiple things. I enjoy the challenge of using art to come up with creative solutions. I like to dabble in a wide-range of mediums, techniques, and materials, through trial and error, to come up with the most effective process. I have been very fortunate for the opportunities that have been presented to me and for the people I have worked with throughout the years. I am a collaborator and I look forward to projects which involve working with others, from children, to teens, to adults. I find that each experience I have informs the next, and then the next, and so forth. I love to make connections to those who have come before me, to those that are with me now and to those who will shape the future. And I love to learn...I know I don't know it all so I am always taking classes, courses, or workshops that let me learn something new.

Here is a quick overview of collaborative art projects I have been involved with or currently am involved in:

-I teach 7th, 8th, and 9th grade art at North Davis Preparatory Academy. This is my 6th year. I have taught Art Foundations 1 and 2, but this year, I have expanded my courses to include Painting and also I am changing my entire Art Foundations 2 curriculum to focus on Book Arts. I also collaborate with other jr. high faculty to integrate the visual arts with their curriculum. For the past 5 years I have worked closely with Ms. Nicole Robinson, one of the 9th grade LA teachers. We have done a quite a range of projects to tie in with the reading and writing of the students, such as clay masks, photo transfers, and handmade books.

-I have taught an After-School Art program for children K-6th at North Davis Preparatory Academy from 2006-present. Though the program has evolved over the years in how I have structured it, it currently is held in the fall for 6 weeks and class size ranges from 55-100 students. The projects that we do are based on artists, art history, culture, medium and/or technique. I work alongside my partner, Bonnie Miller, in planning our lessons and executing each project.

-I have taught an After-School Art program specifically for 5th-6th graders at North Davis Preparatory Academy that focused on illustration from 2010-2012. My mother, Kimberly Garfield, and I team-taught this class.

-I have served in a variety of positions in connection with the Art Auction Committee at North Davis Preparatory Academy since it's inception in 2005. The Art Auction is an annual fundraising event hosted by our parent board. It is an adult-only event where parents, school administration, faculty and staff are invited to the Davis Conference Center to bid on donations gathered from local businesses in a silent auction and then artwork created by the students from the school in a live auction. All money raised at this event is given to the school to benefit the entire student body (grades K-9th). Not only have I served as the Art Project Chair for a numbers of years, which involved coordinating volunteers to work with each grade on their project, facilitating project ideas with the volunteers, maintaining a budget, and organizing schedules, but I also was the graphic designer for all print materials for many years, and I also headed up art projects with the students as well. Currently, I am the jr. high liaison on the committee; I hand-pick select jr. high students to create individual art projects to be sold in the silent auction portion of the event.

-I have written up grants to secure local artists to come to NDPA to work with our students. Some of the grants have funded the following: the mosaic pillars that frame the entryway into our building was done in connection with Roger Whiting; the 3-panel murals that adorn the walls inside the lobby were created by students under the direction of Lee Madrid; and the kinetic bird mobile made from recycled materials which hangs in the lobby area was lead by Cal Vestal.

-I am the lead set designer at NDPA for our school's annual musical. Depending on the musical that year I will either build and hand-paint the set pieces or digitally design them and have the backdrop printed on vinyl.

-I have collaborated with a local stained glass artist, Necia Wiggins, to create a piece that for Kaysville City's Parks and Recreation that adorns the top space of the bowery at Heritage Park.
I also designed the metal piece that hangs on the outside of the Parks and Recreation Building in Kaysville.

-As a graphic designer I have done a variety of print material for a handful of clients including the University of Utah's Annual Burn Camp Auction event, wedding announcements, and created card designs and classes for Lasting Impressions.

-I have had many opportunities to teach art classes to both community and church groups, summer workshops for kids, professional development workshops for classroom teachers, art educators, and pre-service teachers.

-Currently, I am the program assistant for the WSU's Arts Learning Collaborative and this position has allowed me to present at a variety of events such as the WSU's Annual Arts Integration Conference (2015, 2016, and 2017), WSU STEM Workshop (2016), Davis Fine Arts Training (2016 and 2017, and UAEA (2015, 2016, and 2017)

Below is a sampling of work I have done: