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From the Womb to the Tomb: Getting to know Sharon Lee Minor, Certified Grumbacher Instructor

Sharon is a busy teacher. One morning, she’s teaching art classes to elementary students and the next evening, she’s demonstrating fine art techniques to a roomful of retirees. Sharon is proud to welcome students of all ages and abilities into her classroom and we are proud that she is representing our brand. Now, Sharon hopes to inspire her fellow Grumbacher instructors by sharing what has worked for her inside the classroom. We’ll learn about the classroom culture that she creates, how she stays connected to her students, and her love for people and art.

In the classroom, Sharon strives to create a culture that invites experimentation and personal development. She finds that students sign up for multiple classes when the environment feels safe and encourages growth. “It becomes my responsibility to cultivate their newfound personal self-discoveries, via their own pace and willingness. Beyond the act of painting, there is the need to recognize the art of painting that is within everyone.” Under Sharon’s guidance, students are invited to uncover their potential and fully engage with their curiosity about art.

As for staying in contact with students outside of the classroom, Sharon relays “I keep in contact with students via newsletters and announcements of my own creative endeavors. I listen/respond to their inquiries and recommendations, and I find genuine inspiration in many of their ideas for my own artwork.” Being a part of art organizations and maintaining contact with students, often leads to receiving referrals through the network that she has developed. Sharon has been approached to teach, present, and advise by the artistic community that she belongs to and regularly communicates with her students to stay connected.

Sharon connects to her work as an instructor through her love of working with people. “I enjoy meeting people of all ages, ethnicities, lifestyles, and especially those who have a curiosity about the artworld.” One experience in the classroom that speaks to her passion for teaching, involved a couple that celebrated their first marriage anniversary by attending one of her painting classes. Watching the couple’s interactions during the class left a lasting impression that reflects her own relationship with teaching art. “They were so considerate toward one another…  it showed just how interconnected art is to love.” Sharon applies the same consideration when teaching and her passion for the arts is intertwined with her care for students in the classroom.

Sharon Lee Minor has been an active instructor with Grumbacher for over 5 years in Maryland. She teaches classes to students of all ages and playfully sums up her experiences as a Grumbacher fine arts instructor with the quip, “From the womb to the tomb, I teach classes to everyone who has a desire to want to know more about the joy of living life, creatively.” Also, good-to-know fact: Sharon was awarded a Grumbacher medallion for best painting by the Dayton Society of Painters and Sculptors 20 years before becoming certified for the art education program.

 

Find out more about Sharon by visiting www.artwanted.com/akua and following her profile on thalo.com