Jan Wagstaff, art

B.F.A., M.F.A., California College of the Arts

Jan Wagstaff has been teaching art for over 30 years and at York School for 22 of those years. “Art gives voice to what we see, feel and think. The visual world is often overlooked and taken for granted. To give students a chance to learn, at an early age, how to look and how to see will allow them to function at a greater level in their lives. As there are no right or wrong answers in art, it allows students to become involved in the process, to think outside the box and to want to view problem solving as an adventure”

Jan is a professional artist and has exhibited nationally and internationally. She feels that working as an artist is integral to teaching art. In her studio she deals with the problems and projects that she gives the students in both the foundation and the advanced art classes. “I feel that in order to teach art, I must be fully engaged in the process as well.”