ABOUT NIKI
I graduated from The Maryland Institute College of Art’s (MICA) nationally recognized art education program with a Master of Arts in Teaching in Art Education with and a studio focus in printmaking.
Before teaching I volunteered for The Homeless Children’s Playtime Project where I collaborated with an art therapist to provide art experiences for children in transitional housing in Washington, D.C.
I was a student teacher for elementary visual art in Maryland Public Schools and middle and high school studio art at the Baltimore Design School in inner city Baltimore and was named A Maryland Teacher of Promise by the Maryland Dep. of Education.
After moving to California I started the K-8 Art Program at a San Diego Charter School where I taught for 6 years. During that time I was chosen to be a presenter at the California Art Education Association’s annual state conference in Sacramento.
I’ve always been aware that my art room was a safe space for students to process their emotions and feel accomplished even when they struggled in other subjects. I’ve spent my career tirelessly advocating for art education and sadly, at the onset of the pandemic, at a time when we desperately needed the arts for healing, art became the last priority in many California schools. The realities of how I was able to serve my students within the changes made to arts programming lead me to the decision to head out on my own.
In 2020 I started The Studio Space. I’m able to offer intimate art programs with the small class sizes, flexibility, time, and consistency that I believe is necessary for a truly holistic and personalized approach to teaching art. I’ve also been lucky enough to partner with two local non profit organizations, The Teaching and Learning Collaborative and The Karen Organization of San Diego on a grant serving Refugee Youth from Burma living in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego. I’m honored to be one of the lead teachers for this after school, makerspace program.
It’s always been important for me to remain a practicing studio artist; the process heals me. I would feel inauthentic asking my students to go through the creative process without going through it regularly myself. You can check out my work here if you're interested. Thanks for stopping by!