featured Member's Art Room

My Art Room Philosophy
I teach high school digital art at The Haverford School, an all-boys school just outside of Philadelphia. My art room is more than a classroom—it's a space built with intention, care, and a reflection of the students who fill it. I've worked to create an inclusive, evolving environment where creativity and community thrive.

The walls contain student-made banner logos, and a rotating collection of Polaroids—from field trips to spontaneous snapshots between classes. Student-created music posters, studio portraits, and images from shared experiences help tell the story of who we are. It’s a space that grows with us—a place where individuality is celebrated and connection is nurtured.

In addition to teaching, I also advise the Yearbook. This year, one of my students, Liam French (Class of 2025), beautifully captured the spirit of the room in his Letter from the Editor:

"Whether you are her advisee, in one of her classes, or just following your friends to the disco ball-lit classroom, you will find a community there; and myself, I didn't quite imagine the countless hours I'd spend in her room this year. There is an addictive quality that keeps pulling me back to her room, like a hand on the shoulder offering good company, art, laughter, and music. I've often skipped lunch with the friend group to eat lunch in her electric kettle, microwave, and laser cutter-equipped art studio-café. I am thankful that spaces like Ms. Brown's room exist at Haverford—spaces where diverse groups of people come together through their shared love of art, religion, or sport. In her room, I've created new friendships I never thought I'd form and had genuine conversations with people I'd never conversed with in my 12 years at Haverford. Those who circulate through Ms. Brown's room are a part of my favorite community at Haverford. Whether it be her students, her lunch crowd, or Yearbook, I know I'll always be at home here."

This is the heart of my philosophy: that art has the power to bring people together, that classrooms can feel like home, and that a disco ball, a kettle, and a few shared meals can help build a community where students feel seen, supported, and inspired.