Meet Ms. Messner
Welcome! My name is Heather Messner and I teach 7-8 grade Visual Arts at both Royal Oaks STEAM Academy and Beardslee! I'm a graduate of The University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a BFA in Illustration and a Master of Arts in Teaching Visual Arts. This is my 25th year teaching. I am certified in tk-12 Art in NJ, PA and CA. Previously I taught at Northview Intermediate, Duarte High, Mt Olive and Andres Duarte for a total of 18 years in Duarte Unified. Prior to teaching in DUSD, I taught in the School District of Philadelphia and began my career teaching in Beverly City, New Jersey. I have experience teaching tk-12 graders but majority of my career has been teaching middle school.
Course Description:
Visual Arts is a course for all levels of artists! We focus on learning about the Elements and Principles of Design through Art Production, Art Criticism, Art History and Aesthetics using a multi-disciplinary approach, teaching through an artists' vocabulary, learning about different artistic skills and techniques, various art genres and careers in art while also incorporating use of technology. Every Monday and Wednesday we work with two industry creatives from Creating Creators, to develop the students' skill set through film-making processes with a goal of achieving competency in the craft of storytelling: visual, spoken, and written.
Visual Arts is a course for all levels of artists! We focus on learning about the Elements and Principles of Design through Art Production, Art Criticism, Art History and Aesthetics using a multi-disciplinary approach, teaching through an artists' vocabulary, learning about different artistic skills and techniques, various art genres and careers in art while also incorporating use of technology. Every Monday and Wednesday we work with two industry creatives from Creating Creators, to develop the students' skill set through film-making processes with a goal of achieving competency in the craft of storytelling: visual, spoken, and written.
Fun fact about me:
I love animals and have a lot of rescues: 10 ducks, 2 dogs, 3 turtles, 1 ball python and a gorgeous tropical fish tank. My minor in college was Glassblowing. I had the honor of illustrating a children's book, "The Velveteen Dress" with a dear friend, author, artist and former DHS teacher - the late Terri Lujan.
I love animals and have a lot of rescues: 10 ducks, 2 dogs, 3 turtles, 1 ball python and a gorgeous tropical fish tank. My minor in college was Glassblowing. I had the honor of illustrating a children's book, "The Velveteen Dress" with a dear friend, author, artist and former DHS teacher - the late Terri Lujan.
