University of Maine Art Education Community Outreach

I cannot recall a time in my life where I did not make art. It was something I needed to do, regardless of where I was or who I was aspiring to be. I loved listening to stories and drawing the characters. I loved learning about the earth and painting it's creatures. In order to make art, I listened, I observed my surroundings. I saw beauty, emotion, and harsh truths, and I made them my own.

As I grew, I grew with the impression that art making was something frivolous and fun. It was ingrained in my identity, but it was not something I knew I could pursue with abandon. But part of that belief, I think, was due to my misunderstanding of art as a whole. I did not understand what art was to the rest of the world, and I did not understand the importance of passing on this knowledge. I did not understand the significance of my own artistic voice.

I now make art as a way of life, as something beyond just myself and my quiet dreams.

Brandie is currently working on completing her bachelor’s degree in Art Education with minors in Studio Art and Art History. She is also a U.S. Coast Guard Veteran and non-Maine native. She uses her personal artwork as a vehicle for understanding and appreciating her surroundings, which change frequently as she relocates often.  Raised as a Navy brat, art making was one of the few constants in her life. She believes art making should be recognized by our society, not only as a fundamental tool for self expression, but, also understood as a vehicle for communication and critical engagement within ones environment.

Naomi is a fourth year Art Education student at the University of Maine. She also has minors in Studio Art, Art History, and Spanish. She is currently completing her honors thesis on creativity from the University of Maine Honors College. She has spent her undergrad involved in the UMaine community, participating in the UMaine Dance Marathon for the Children’s Miracle Network, Alternative Breaks, and volunteering with the English Literacy Volunteers of Bangor. She is also an involved member of the Greek community as a member of Delta Phi Epsilon.

Naomi is from a small town in western Maine where art slowly grew to be her passion. She considers herself to be a life long learner and continues to explore all avenues of art. Experimentation is still an important theme in her art, as she continues to search for her identity as an artist. When Naomi graduates, she plans to teach in a public school and pursue building a tiny house.

For as long as I can remember I've always wanted to capture world around me. Photography became a means of exploring time & place, storytelling, and sharing the beauty I see in everyday life. While the subject matter seems common and ordinary, I believe that those everyday experiences are some of the most beautiful. I hope my artwork makes others take a moment to pause and experience the beauty in the everyday, ordinary things

Yagmur Gunel is an Art Education Certification student at the University of Maine. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Kocaeli University/Turkey. During her time at Kocaeli University one of her interests was creating illustrations for children’s books. She opened her first personal exhibit with her illustrations after she graduated. Since 2006 she communicates her ideas through fashion design and interior decorating. Through art she has learned to obtain resources from many other disciplines to invent a way of self-expression.

Jessie Hardy is currently working on her bachelors in Art Education and Psychology with minors in Studio Art and Art History at the University of Maine in Orono. Her plan is to continue on to graduate school to study Art Therapy. She was born and raised in Washington County, Maine and growing up on the coast has influenced her as an artist. Jessie considers her artwork to be an exploration of her interaction with her environment, other people, and her experiences. Through art she reflects upon her inner dialgoues that are evoked by day to day experiences.

For as long as I can remember, creating, viewing, and discussing art has been an integral part of my life. Since an early age, I dreamed of being an Art Educator, and here I am, in my fourth year at the University of Maine, studying both Studio Art and Art Education. I have used my art-making as forms of communication and healing, and I dream of someday facilitating a classroom full of trust, honesty, and risk-taking. I am forever grateful for this amazing opportunity and journey. 

Hattie is in her third year at the University of Maine, with majors in Art Education and Studio Art, and minors in Art History and Biology. She has lived in southern Maine for most of her life, which often shows up in her work. In particular, her art is frequently inspired by botany, combining an interest in scientific elements of the natural world and recognition of its elegance, its intricacy, and its conundrums. While Maine will always remain her home, she wants to move elsewhere following graduation to teach art at the high school level.