Meet Ms. Emami
Hello and thank you for your interest in the Art program at Boltz! My name is Farrah Emami (eh-mah-me) and it is my fifth year teaching art at Boltz. I graduated from Colorado State University in May 2017 and started my career at Boltz that same year. I have been an artist my entire life and am a professional photographer in addition to teaching. I grew up in Fort Collins and am so thankful to call it home. I am passionate about getting out in nature, living a mindful life, social justice, and creating art whenever possible. Some fun facts about me are that my favorite color is purple, I am half Persian and lived in Iran, I have a cat, and three younger siblings.
Last summer I completed my Masters degree in Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity through University of Colorado Boulder which I am so passionate about. I believe that the arts can be an incredible tool to learn about and celebrate student's cultures and unique individual identities.
My favorite art medium is photography, however I also have a strong love for drawing, painting, ceramics, and graphic design. I have exhibited my work in multiple galleries including The Center for Fine Art Photography, The Hatton gallery at Colorado State University, and the Curfman gallery at Colorado State University. My work has been published in The Rose Magazine, Archive Magazine, Half Snake Media, and the Undergraduate Research and Creativity Catalogue.
Art courses at Boltz are designed to inspire students to tap into their creative potential and express themselves through the process of art-making. In all courses students will explore various art skills, mediums, and conceptual ideas.
Last summer I completed my Masters degree in Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity through University of Colorado Boulder which I am so passionate about. I believe that the arts can be an incredible tool to learn about and celebrate student's cultures and unique individual identities.
My favorite art medium is photography, however I also have a strong love for drawing, painting, ceramics, and graphic design. I have exhibited my work in multiple galleries including The Center for Fine Art Photography, The Hatton gallery at Colorado State University, and the Curfman gallery at Colorado State University. My work has been published in The Rose Magazine, Archive Magazine, Half Snake Media, and the Undergraduate Research and Creativity Catalogue.
Art courses at Boltz are designed to inspire students to tap into their creative potential and express themselves through the process of art-making. In all courses students will explore various art skills, mediums, and conceptual ideas.
Teaching Philosophy
I N S T R U C T I O N A N D A S S E S S M E N T
T E A C H I N G S T U D E N T S T O T H I N K L I K E A R T I S T S
The art room is not necessarily intended to turn students into studio artists, but rather to teach them transferrable skills and artistic thinking habits, which they will develop throughout their education and daily lives.
- Challenging students to think in creative and unique ways
- Being problem solvers, and expressing themselves
P E R S O N A L, P E R T I N E N T, P A S S I O N A T E
Part of art instruction is to learn content and skills, but this is only a smaller piece of the puzzle. The main goal in the art room is for students to learn to express themselves, and to create works that are meaningful and important to them. My goal for all projects is for students to feel personally invested in their artwork. Projects must be pertinent to student’s lives and ignite their passions and interests.
R E F L E C T I O N
Students should be continually self-reflecting on their work in order to learn and grow, it is integral to the artistic process.
- Make deliberate and meaningful choices when creating art
- Self-reflection creates an authentic learning environment
- Students can truly take ownership for their own learning
C H O I C E
In the art room, students must be given appropriate opportunities for choice, so that their learning is self directed and guided.
- Individually guide their own learning through problem posing and problem solving
- Encourages creative and innovative thinking
- Students gain higher thinking skills in their artistry through exploration, ideation, and and experimentation
U N D E R S T A N D, K N O W, DO
In the art room students learn content and technique, but are also taught transferable skills. The instruction is geared to get students to understand, know, and do.
- Understand: concepts and their relationships (e.g. rules, laws, relationships, cause and effect, local and global perspectives)
- Know: art content (e.g. materials/techniques, types of line, color schemes, art movements, multicultural/historical art traditions)
- Do: processes & skills (e.g. planning, problem solving, communicating, decision making, critical thinking, reflecting)
F O R M S O F A S S E S S M E N T
In the art room students are given both summative and formative assessments in order for them to reflect and grow. Formative assessments are intended to check in with students regularly to ensure that they are learning and growing, and shows ways the instruction may need to be modified to be more effective for students.
Formative assessments are given daily through:
- Brainstorming, sketchbook assignments, tickets out the door, pre-assessments, and in progress critiques.
Summative assessments include:
- Critiques, artist statements, portfolio reviews, gallery walks or quizzes and allow for students to evaluate the completion of projects and determine their overall growth.
A U T H E N T I C A S S E S S M E N T
Giving students a voice in their assessment and success criteria is essential. For example, engaging students in the creation of rubrics and class norms allows them to feel invested in their learning. Students will be able to evaluate themselves and reflect on how well they engaged with the material, in their own language. This encourages students to make mindful choices in their artwork and think deeper about their decisions as they move forward.
I N S T R U C T I O N A N D M A N A G E M E N T
C U L T U R E
A successful classroom management plan is based off a strong culture of mutual respect and safety. A growth mindset, positive mental attitude, and willingness are always encouraged and applauded. Critiques in the classroom offer students the chance to share their work and learn from their peers, which encourages vulnerability. Students must feel supported, respected, and encouraged by their peers in order to be comfortable to learn and grow collectively. Classroom critiques instill a mutual respect of all students and show that we are all partners in learning.
C H O I C E
Choice in the classroom is an important instructional tool, as well as for management. Offering students choice gives them personal investment in the classroom and makes the art making experience more relevant. Choices vary depending on the project but may include choice of materials, composition, process, subject matter, size, and concept.
D I F F E R E N T I A T I O N
Differentiation occurs naturally in the art classroom when students are given choice. Art can be accessed through a variety of modalities in order to meet each student's individual needs:
- Logical/mathematical (planning, step-by-step processes, building, sorting, arranging, measuring, experimenting)
- Kinesthetic (creating art, building, constructing, investigating, using tools & materials)
- Verbal/linguistic (talking about art, discussing process, explaining techniques, reflections, artist statements)
- Intrapersonal (developing craft, understanding the self, identifying and communicating personal ideas)
- Interpersonal (sharing of art materials, collaborative projects, peer feedback, critiques)
- Musical (art shares a similar ability with music to represent a concept or idea without words)
- Naturalist (artists have long been inspired by nature; exploring art is a way of understanding the natural world)
- Visual/spatial (products, plans, sketchbook brainstorming, materials)
E F F E C T I V E E N V I R O N M E N T
The art classroom is designed so that all students have a safe and effective space for creating art. The environment is arranged for maximum productivity and students have access to all materials. Arrangement is another way to effectively meet student's needs and seating charts are created to ensure that all students can best access the material.