All roads led me here.
Since I was 5 years old, I could wield pencils and paints. I’m
lucky that my proud parents saw my passion and embellished me with art lessons.
And one day at age 6, I came home with a big black rat snake. I found it in our
creek, picked it up and allowed it to drape around my shoulders. And a fire was
ignited inside me. From that moment on, I’ve been able to love, understand and draw
beings that make most people recoil. Thank goodness, my parents saw my passion
and supported it.
When I was in college, I was volunteering at Baltimore’s
then exotic animal rescue. At the time I was also illustrating, photographing
and cataloging plants and animals for the Smithsonian. A dream come true. I
wanted to go back in time and high-five 6-year-old me.
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| Prepping a Coral Snake specimen for photography. |
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| Bathing and drying an Albino Burmese Python at Charm City Reptile Rescue. |
After a 14-hour shift waiting tables, I came home and
greeted my darling rescue iguana. It was late and I was supposed to be creating
a thesis paper for a grad school. But all I wanted to do was love on him and
paint him. And why not? That’s what I’m good at. Art, natural science and
loving the unlovable. Shortly after, I got a request from an old professor at
MICA. She was teaching Nature Drawing and remembered the girl with the odd
rescue pets. She asked if I’d be willing to bring them in one day to model. And
the light bulb lit up over my head! I had my thesis.
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| Pierce, the Iguana, was my first, most severe rescue and most popular model. |
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| Graduation from MICA' Masters of Business of Art & Design |
I tested my service throughout 2012 and incorporated The Drawing
Zoo in February 2013. The service has been evolving fast. What started out at a resource
for college art students has turned into a forward thinking arts integration
service that meets Common Core requirements in elementary school arts and
science.
Refinement.
While building my brand, I secured a job teaching at The Legacy School. My learning curve was steep, as I was responsible for lesson planning, the supply closet, the syllabus and of course-classroom management. I enjoyed this huge experience for two and a half years. I had the pleasure of teaching art in Fall, Spring and Summer and learned to accommodate students with all kinds of learning differences and needs.
Immediately after gave my tearful "good-bye" to the Legacy community, I participated in "Artists as Educators" seminar from The Kennedy Center. I learned the mission, applications and methods of teaching Arts Integration. It was a validating experience- as The Drawing Zoo naturally met every criteria with gold stars!
My experience at with The Kennedy Center and recent friendship with Young Audiences fueled my enthusiasm for taking the Teaching Artist Institute Seminar and Training. Through this experience, I test and revise my current lessons to ensure that on top of having an inspiring experience, the students will be able to self assess, reflect and retain the information.
As the person responsible for The Drawing Zoo, I am constantly in a state of refinement and thinking ahead.
Lesson planning is a big part of my "behind the scenes" job. When a teacher is interested in booking a visit, I like to communicate what my procedures and plans are to ensure they and their students are getting the most value out of our time together!
In addition to "freelancing" our services, The Drawing Zoo has an awesome partnership with Arts Everyday. Our programs meet Common Core Science Standards and Fine Arts Standards. Our program options are evolving even fast!
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| Students learn how snakes move by building their own model. |
Keep an eye on our Facebook and website to be the first to book these innovative learning experiences.
-Brittany Roger
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