Longtime Art Teacher Anne Brady Retiring
As the seasons turn on our campus, so comes change for members of our community. Today I’m sharing one such staff member’s news: longtime Miquon Art Teacher Anne Brady has decided she will retire at the end of this school year. Anne has been a stalwart figure in the school’s history for many years — June will mark the end of Anne’s 31st year teaching art here at Miquon. Known by us all for her yearly theme studies, her hours of work guiding children on projects ranging from pottery to portraiture, her annual efforts to adorn our grounds with everything from children’s mural paintings to ghoulish paper mache creatures at Halloween to recycled shoe creations that tickle our funny bone, Anne has left an indelible mark on our school — and we are grateful for it.
Yet she is more than an art teacher. Anne has been one of the true Progressive pillars at Miquon for over three decades. She is an amazing observer of kids, and she cares deeply about them — ensuring we attend to the whole child as an individual who exists here at school and also outside of school. She is a patient supporter and an encourager of Miquon children (and also Miquon staff), recognizing each person’s own unique talents, skills, and character, and respecting that person for it. More than that, Anne helps children look inside themselves to see what is within, and to build on it, reminding them that the focus is the process, not the product. She is approachable, generous, and kind, bringing newcomers into the fold of our community, quietly letting them know they are included without judgement or instruction.
We will miss Anne dearly, the art she brings to Miquon through every child she touches, and the artistry with which she does it. We send her off with fond memories of the impact and influence she’s had on kids’ lives, with so many Miquon children going on to become professional artists and so many more acknowledging that there is nothing to become, that in creating art, they are already artists right here and now.
Honoring Anne
Please join us this spring as we celebrate and thank Anne, both at a special gathering (to be announced) and at Spring Fair on May 15, that will feature “Anne’s tent” for visiting a presentation at 3:00 pm on the Playbarn. Also, when you see Anne at the annual Art and Science show on May 3, please share your appreciations along with us. We wish Anne well in her next chapter; we know that she will not be far from our hearts.
The Anne Brady Visiting Artist Fund
To celebrate Anne Brady and her 31 years of service to Miquon, the school is seeking donations in her honor to help create the Anne Brady Visiting Artist Fund.
