Teaching Experiences

STATEMENT of PHILOSOPHY

As varied and numerous as there are reasons one produces art, so too are the reasons for teaching it. I see a similarity in the qualities I consider important to art and to life in general.

Hard work, commitment, honesty,open-mindedness, and intuition are essential to both. Hard work is something that non-artists rarely associate with fine art. Consumers fail to realize that for every placid painting, slithery sculpture, or vitreous vase there are many hours of hard physical and mental labor. I hope that those students who do not pursue a career in art will at least realize and appreciate the effort that went into creating works of art.

Commitment to one’s art often means sacrifice. It means spending money on supplies and entry fees rather than on luxuries enjoyed by others. It means postponing social life, family gatherings, and vacations. Perhaps if students learn a sense of commitment, it will help them hold a job, achieve a goal, or save a marriage.

Honesty and integrity should be the foundations of one’s art as well as one’s life. An artist’s visual statement is the result of his/her own life experiences. An artist should be true to him/herself rather than bend to the whims of a fickle public. The production of art works can help students face and overcome their problems and emotions by creating a sense of order and harmony.

I find a special pleasure in works that evolved intuitively. With a strong background in drawing, design, color theory and the mechanics of a particular medium, students can make wise and imaginative choices.

Creativity cannot flourish if one has preconceived ideas about what art is or what it should look like. I encourage students to feel free to experiment and realize that there may be multiple solutions to a problem.

Hard work, commitment, honesty, integrity and keeping an open mind are some of the qualities I look for in works of art as well as in people.

I hope that when students leave my class, they will carry some of these qualities with them.

Shirley Cadmus demonstrating digital capture on the Amiga

Shirley Cadmus the ART EDUCATOR

Teaching Certificate:Post Graduate Professional

Teaching Experience and Presentations Shirley Cadmus

1970-2000: George Washington High School, Danville, VA (ceramics, drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, computer art, computer animation, art history )

1994-2012: Averett College, Adjunct Professor, Danville, VA. (Computer art, art appreciation, pottery)3hr credit courses,

1998-2008:Danville Community College Danville, VA. Adjunct Professor

Photoshop, 3credit hour courses, and several weekend 1 credit hour classes for teacher recertification credits, Summer Gifted programs

Additional Teaching and Presentations

1989 AND 1990: Introduction to & Intermediate/Advanced Amiga Graphics and Animation 30th/31 Annual Art Teachers’ Summer Workshop, Mary Baldwin College, Staunton,VA Sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education & MBC

1991: Presentation/demonstration:Computer Art - is it art? Danville Art League, Danville, Va

Presentation: Using the Personal Computer in the Classroom, Fine

Arts Leadership Conference, Williamsburg, VA

The Computer as a Teaching Tool and Art Medium,

Averett College, Danville, VA

1996: Presentor, VA Association for the Education of the Gifted State Conference, Hotel Roanoke, Roanoke, Va

1995-1997: Computer Art, Junior University Program Sponsored by Averett College, Danville, Va

Teacher Awards: 1992

1992:

Art Teacher of the Year, Southwest Region, Virginia Art Education

Computing Educator of the Year, VECA

CLASS ACT-AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE PRESENTED by Channel 2 WFMY TV

PRESIDENTIAL CITATION AWARD, GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL FOR THE VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS

GRANTS

DANVILLE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MINI GRANTS (2)

2021: NC ARTS COUNCIL ARTISTS GRANT

2022: Small Business Covid Relief Fund. CARES Milton, NC

Publications

”George Washington High School’s Computer Art Program”. ARTS ADVOCACY STATE NEWSLETTER

CONFERENCES

VIRGINIA ART ED. ASSOCIATION STATE CONFERENCES (30 YEARS)

FINE ARTS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE (PRESENTER) Williamsburg Va.

SuperMud Pottery Conference, Penn State University

Association for the Education of the Gifted State Conference (Presenter)

Roanoke, Virginia

SCHOOL COMMITTEES

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TEAM

RESTRUCTURING COMMITTEE

ART CLUB SPONSOR (9) YEARS

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL SELECTION COMMITTEE

SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE

STATE DEPT OF EDUCATION

SOL (Standards OF Learning) K-12 Curriculum Development, Richmond,Va (2

Visiting Committee, Evaluation of Instruction (2)

Professor, Summer Art Workshops for Art teachers Mary Baldwin college, Staunton, Va.

CONTRIBUTIONS MADE TO ART EDUCATION

DISTRICT LEVEL

Wrote proposal for and received Mini Grants for Computer equipment, computers, printers, software, and other equipment to establish a Computer Art Lab

Wrote and presented two Curriculum Guides/proposals for a two year Computer Art Program for GWHS

SERVED AS SECONDARY SCHOOL CHAIRPERSON FOR Danville’s Youth Art Month Committee

3 Days in March participant, The Museum of Fine Arts and History, Richmond, Va

Identified by the Danville Community College freshman class as a teacher who had the greatest influence on them and received a letter of commendation from the school

Delivered a Gallery Talk at the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History

REGIONAL

Served 2 years as newsletter editor of the Southwest Virginia Art Education Association

Numerous Scholastic Art Award winners

Represented the Danville area in an exhibition of art works by Art Educators held at Ferrum College

Solo art exhibit at the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History

STATE

Taught summer Computer Art Workshops for Art Teachers from all over Virginia at Mary Baldwin College Sponsored by the Va Dept. Of Education

Gave a 50 minute presentation at the Fine Arts Leadership Conference concerning the students’ use of the computer in the Art room

Works were accepted and I Participated in 3 Annual Art Auctions held by the James Madison University student art scholarship fund. The Homestead , Bath Co VA

NATIONAL

Work accepted in the Fourth National Computer Art Invitational Juried Exhibition Sponsored by Washington University, Spokane, Washington.

Several students won the highest awards possible for Computer Art in the National Scholastic Art Award Competitions This competition included thousands of entrees from every state in the nation plus Canada and Puerto Rico

Cadmus assists student creating soft sculpture doll

Cadmus assists student with booster babies

Cadmus explains her work to students at the Yanceyville civic center