Did Michelangelo, DaVinci, or the anonymous artist who painted images on Etruscan pottery know what kind of people would view their creations centuries later? Probably not. They did know, however, that they were expressing what they felt, and that viewers would appreciate their artwork on their own terms with their own sensibilities.
In Polly Werner’s class, students encounter art as a form of individual expression by the artist and individual response by the observer. They learn that great art contains elements of style, technique and emotion that bridges great spans of time, place and culture. They also learn that they need not be great artists to value the feelings and emotions expressed in the artwork they study.
As a high school student, Ms. Werner’s encounter with art was supported by a caring teacher who entered her work in an art auction. When her painting sold for several hundred dollars, Ms. Werner recognized her own ability to connect with others through art. Today as a teacher, she connects with her students, inspiring them to encounter art for themselves.
Ms. Werner is especially excited by the capability of the Internet and online instruction to make artwork of all kinds directly available to all her students. The collections of the world’s greatest galleries from the Louvre to MOMA are immediately available for appreciation and study. As a recipient of a National Consortium for Teaching on Asia Study Abroad award, Ms Werner also shares with students her own experience of the art and culture of China and Japan .
Ms. Werner is currently working on her Masters in Literacy and the Arts from the University of Florida . Her Bachelor of Art in Art Education is from the University of Florida .
