And now, a word from an Artpace Educator
In 2010, Artpace provided 14 educational tours for 319 university students from various Texas colleges. As a college student in 2010, I was one of those students who visited the non-profit organization with my senior thesis class from Texas State University in San Marcos. Our tour guide that day was Associate Educator Ernesto Olivo. I remember feeling thrilled to learn about this amazing residency program in my hometown and all of the invaluable resources Artpace has to offer, such as the Archive and Resource Library and internships in various departments. After my experience there, I remember thinking how awesome it would be to be a part of this amazing space. Fast forwarding one year, and I was able to do just that.
In the summer of 2011, I became an Education intern at Artpace and was able to learn about the inner workings of the place by participating in meetings, assisting in the facilitation of public programs, and shadowing the Associate Educators as they led tours and worked with students. Following my internship, I had the privilege of joining the Education team as an Associate Educator, working alongside gifted Educators including the fabulous Ernesto. As my supervisor, Kaela Hoskings says, your job as an Associate Educator is to “change lives” through contemporary art. We lead hands-on activities with children of all ages at Family Days, at Chalk It Up, and other educational programming, including Artpace3, our three-part touring program.
Whether I’m at an outreach event or leading a tour of children through the galleries of Artpace, my favorite part of my job is hearing what kids think about contemporary art. It amazes me 1) how quickly children are able to grasp conceptual ideas and 2) how accepting they are about different or unconventional ideas. Honestly, on most days, I’d rather talk to a 3rd grader about a new exhibition than an adult.
Introducing contemporary art at an early age expands a child’s idea of what art is and what art can be. As an Educator, I feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to assist students in understanding contemporary art. I’m also excited to be a part of an organization that provides art opportunities for students who might not have access to an art program through their school. In this new year, I’m excited to gain more experience in art education and become more involved with the vibrant art community in San Antonio.
Christina Zambrano, Artpace Associate Educator
