It was so great talking with Chris Brandt about her winding path to teaching, her art-making, and TAB. I’ve mentioned before how I started attempting to shift to teaching for artistic behavior (or TAB) this year, so it was very helpful to hear about how Chris structures her curricula and sets up her classroom.
Chris was generous with her time in recording a second time to talk about racism very honestly and with vulnerability. I really appreciate her openness and desire to continue improving how she works towards eliminating racism in her classroom and teaching.
I also loved hearing about her artwork and how she shifts back and forth between 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional media. Thank you, Chris!
Christina (Chris) Brandt is a teaching artist at The Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas. She graduated with a BFA in drawing and painting from The Ohio State University, and recently completed her master’s degree in Art Education from Texas Tech University.
Chris still paints but has expanded her work into clay and metals as well. Her recent sculptures are based on Aesop’s fables, depicting the animals as they learn human moral lessons.
Chris teaches Pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, primer and fourth grade art as well as eighth grade ceramics and sculpture. The Hockaday School is a PK-12 girls’ school that values the fine art. Chris uses the Teaching for Artistic Behavior method in her early childhood art classroom. The girls learn new art skills and methods while enjoying the freedom to create what they desire with the mediums they choose.
Living in a suburb of Dallas, Chris is married and has three grown children and three rambunctious long-haired dachshunds.
Links
- www.chrisbrandtartwork.com
- @christbrandt1212 on Instagram
- Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB)
- Remote Teaching: K-12 Art Teacher Facebook Group
- Art Workshop for Children by Barbara Rucci
- Engaging Learners Through Artmaking by Katherine M. Douglas and Diane B. Jaquith
- Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold (read aloud)
- My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken, and Me by Maya Angelou (read aloud)
- Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World by Selby Beeler
- Alison Saar’s Mirror Mirror; Mulatta Seeking Inner Negress II, 2015
- A brief article about Alison Saar
- Toko Shinoda’s work that “blends traditional calligraphy with Modern abstraction”
- Kimmy Cantrell’s Masks
- Leonardo Drew’s work
- Firelei Baez’s work
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Turnips 2, Monoprint with paint and ink. Drawn from the Farmers’ Market. 
Turnips, Monoprint with paint and ink. Drawn from the Farmers’ Market.
Night Lights, Hot glue, melted crayon and oil on canvas. 
Meeting Place, Hot glue, melted crayon and oil on canvas.