Welcome,

you would like to get more information about me?

Here is my history and here are my experiences…

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Doing art work was a long but evolving way for me. I was born in 1956, grew up in Germany and am still living there today. 1981 I achieved my public acknowledgement and diploma at the University of Applied Sciences in Bielefeld/ Germany in “Social Work and Social Education”.
The following 24 years of working as a social worker/ social educator at the City Council of Nienburg/ Department of Culture were enriched by a variety of experiences: managing a Youth Center, managing a Culture- and Community Center, and developing and linking concepts as well as managing projects for the youth involvement and welfare. I completed continuation training, am a certified Moderator (initiating and managing strategic planning processes) and a certified Conflict Counselor and Mediator.

At the same time I trained and broadened my artistic skills continuously and took part in numerous art workshops. After retiring from my job as a social worker I am focused on making arts and am working as a freelance workshop teacher.

ART MAKING AND TEACHING

In 40 years I have worked with many different kinds of art, i.e. classic lead glazing, photography, silk painting, felting, mosaic art and clay sculptering.

Over twenty years I am teaching arts at workshops for children and adults as well as seniors. The workshop participants learn to use various techniques and are encouraged to produce individual pieces or are focused on designing large pieces together as a group with various topics. Currently I am teaching art workshops using various media like lifecycle –mandala painting, felting, photography and mosaic art.

I developed special methods for seminars with dementia patients and am experienced in creating and realizing workshops with Alzheimer patients – I called my project: “PUR GOLD instead old iron”.

I have been working in photography and photo art over the last decades and am often using photography as a media for documentaries and photo stories. As an example check the photo story “A dragon is being born” on the website http://www.artandlifeinthehood.com.

STATEMENT

I am very happy that I was always able to combine my strong interest in art and my art teaching skills with my job in youth work and community development. I have successfully used the art as the media to work with my clients of all age groups and of various backgrounds. To do art encourages my clients, as well as my workshop students and me to “think outside the box”, to discover new talents, to become acquainted with new technologies and techniques, and to develop individual artistic skills and pride.

These experiences enable people to find new ways to express themselves, their needs and strengths, and to create something on their own and which is special to them. Art students working in a group, design something new together, broaden social empathy and horizons, and discover a sense of common purpose and understanding … in this sense my work in community development and education as well as my art teaching and art making work are striving for the same goal and have a strong synergetic effect.
My hobbies like Tai Chi Chuan, walking and dancing help keep me strong and balanced. My favorite hobby is traveling. This and experiencing art workshops abroad (Europe, South Africa and U.S.) brings enormous stimulation to my art work. During several long-term stays in Columbus, Ohio I got a manifold of new inspirations. Joining workshops at the Cultural Arts Center, organizing Art Studios at the William H. Thomas Gallery, and further multicultural experiences, challenged me and had a great influence on my artistically expression and development.