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Hello, I'm Ms. H
Madelaine is a Massachusetts-born art educator and exhibiting mixed media artist who currently resides in the Greater Boston area. She received her MAT in art education from Tufts University, and BA in art history and studio art from Clark University.
Her contextual, multidisciplinary approach to visual art instruction is informed by her professional background in curation and gallery administration. She specializes in 2D and 3D design, portrait drawing and painting, printmaking, and mixed media.
She is MA DESE certified to teach young artists from grades PK-12 with a focus on middle and high school students.
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The arts communicate information that transcends the boundaries of written and spoken language, prompting us to empathize with perspectives of the world that are not our own. A strong student relationship with the arts not only allows them to become better critical thinkers and discerners of visual information, but enables young people to become active and sensitive citizens in the changing, contemporary world.
teaching philosophy
(above image) Genesis, Madelaine Hamilton, 2018, charcoal and chalk pastel on toned paper
Youth of the 21st century are the most vulnerable visual consumers of our society. Now, more than ever, schools in the United States need art education for its capacity to develop visual literacy, critical thinking, and empathy in students’ everyday lives.
New directions in contemporary art education meet differentiated student needs while fostering critical thinking, interdisciplinary learning, and social-emotional development in the art classroom.
Art Education:
Builds visual literacy and critical thinking through reflective observation of works of art
Allows students to investigate subjects that are meaningful to them through the research and production of artwork
Teaches social-emotional skills such as empathy, mindfulness, and resilience
As an Art Educator:
I teach an explicitly antiracist perspective of global art and cultural history that does not privilege Western aesthetic conventions
I uphold critical thinking, not just technical skills, as the sole prerequisite for creative development
I bridge the gap between the classroom and the outside world by designing curricula that covers thematic ideas, incites critical inquiry, and responds to students' immediate social, emotional, and cultural realities
I commit to providing a safe, equitable, and culturally responsive classroom that provides all young artists the opportunity to share their voices, take risks and develop their creativity
The arts communicate information that transcends the boundaries of written and spoken language, prompting us to empathize with perspectives of the world that are not our own. A strong student relationship with the arts not only allows them to become better critical thinkers and discerners of visual information but enables young people to become active and sensitive citizens in the changing, contemporary world.
(pictured above) Worcester High School students printing collographs during Teen Night at ArtsWorcester, fall 2019.
(pictured) Madelaine preparing hand-processed 16mm film in an animation workshop hosted by Sarah Bliss of the Boston-based, AgX film collective. Duncan Jordanstone College of Art & Design, Dundee, Scotland, 2019.
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SENSE: visual art &
social-emotional learning
All of my art classes, regardless of grade or ability level, incorporate lessons, ideas, and themes from Sense, an interdisciplinary unit plan that combines visual art and social-emotional learning. Sense is modeled from The CASEL 5 and meets the MA Comprehensive Health Frameworks (1999) for Social-Emotional and Mental Health (9-12), and the MA Visual Art Curriculum Frameworks (2019) (9-12). (click here for written unit plan)
Students will develop their sensory intelligence by understanding their own emotions, thoughts, and personal beliefs, and how they influence human well-being across contexts.
Students will:
Empathize with the perspectives of others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts
Reflect upon sensory processing styles as well as emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations
Be sensitive to their own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts
Make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations
Students will gain social-emotional and artistic proficiency by evidence of:
Respect for themselves and their peers when sharing artwork and discussing sensitive topics
Managing emotions, thoughts, and behaviors nonjudgmentally
Reflective and meaningful effort in translating thoughts and emotions into visual art
Enduring Understandings:
Subconscious brain activity is responsible for 98% of our daily functioning
We have the power to transform neural pathways in our brains through nonjudgmental awareness of the subconscious
Emotions, thoughts, and personal beliefs influence human health and behavior across contexts
Essential Questions:
What is sensory intelligence and how does it benefit us?
How do artists express and convey emotion in their art?
What is meaningful to me and others?
How does our perception affect reality and our relationships with others?
How do our senses communicate information to us?
Standards Addressed:
MA Comprehensive Health Frameworks (1999)
Social and Emotional Health | Mental Health (9-12)
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CH.SEH.05.11: Feelings and Emotions. Analyze healthy ways to express emotions and to cope with feelings, including the common causes of stress, its effects on the body, and managing stress.
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CH.SEH.05.14: Identity. Describe theories of personality development, including identity formation, and differentiate among the concepts of the ideal self, public self, and private self.
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CH. SEH.05.18: Decision Making. Identify ways in which decision-making is influenced by sound character, family, and personal beliefs.
MA Visual Art Curriculum Frameworks (2019)
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Practice 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work. Through observation, discussion, or research, students reflect on an artistic work to discern what it evokes, expresses, or communicates to them.
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Practice 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art. Students draw from their personal and artistic experiences and their multi-disciplinary knowledge when envisioning and creating original artworks that reflect on their own artistic identity.
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Practice 3: Refine and complete artistic work. Through a variety of strategies (e.g., teacher or peer feedback, exploration, research, self-reflection), students conceive and revise their artistic ideas to better express, evoke, or communicate their artistic intent.
Media Scavenger Hunt
How do I become aware of my present surroundings?
Big Idea: Presence
Students will exercise their critical thinking and creativity by reframing perceived hybrid learning “limitations”. Students will be prompted to gather miscellaneous media and materials within their classrooms and/or remote learning environments. Students will divide a sheet of paper into "Traditional" and "Non- Traditional" categories, and document their findings by labeling marks made with found materials.
Essential Questions:
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Limitation or opportunity?
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How do I nonjudgmentally perceive my surrounding environment?
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How can I embrace creative risk-taking by turning off the judgmental “left brain”?
Found Object Drawing
How do I make connections?
Big Idea: Connection
Students will expand their creative perceptions of everyday objects by creating a drawing that interacts with and/or incorporates a found object. Students will find and choose an object that fits in the palm of their hand and place it on a blank sheet of paper as a starting point for their drawing.
Essential Questions:
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What are examples of things that seem different from each other, but actually share similarities?
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What connections can I make between two things that seem different?
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How can I see the big picture?
Mindful Body Scan
How do I reflect on my mental and physical health?
Big Idea: Reflection
Students will sketch a symbolic outline of a body to represent themselves and will color it in to indicate where and how they’re feeling, physically and emotionally.
Essential Questions:
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What is mind-body awareness?
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How can I better listen to and trust my inner voice?
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What is the difference between an emotion and a feeling?
"What-If-Monster" Illustration
How do I face my fears?
Big Idea: Reflection
Students practiced non-judgmental self-awareness and channeled their self-expression by illustrating their fears as monsters. This activity is inspired by the children's book, Jonathan James and the Whatif Monster, by Michelle Nelson-Schmidt
Essential Questions:
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What is shadow work?
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How does it feel to confront uncomfortable emotions?
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How does shadow work give us power over uncomfortable emotions?
