An Art Teacher’s Perspective: Working with IPaintMyMind & The Shared Walls Program

Hey everyone, Roxy here. I’m writing you because I have some cool news and a great opportunity to pass along to other CPS educators and schools! I recently accepted an invitation to become a member of the Board of Directors of IPaintMyMind, a local nonprofit arts organization that I’ve worked with the past 4 years!! I’m super excited about it, and I want to offer a CPS teacher’s perspective. 

When I first reached out to IPaintMyMind, I taught at Austin College & Career Academy, and our art budget was so low. I wanted to fill the halls with something that would encourage my students and show them that their school was worthy of having an art gallery inside it! My students absolutely loved having art in our hallways and felt proud to know about the artist and the artwork came from. 

I’ve continued to work with them at Northwest Middle School, allowing me to work with local artists Dan Grzeca and Grae Galindo.

As part of IPaintMyMind’s Shared Walls Program, each school receives:

• 12 to 20 framed pieces of art installed in the school as a “professional art gallery”
• The IPaintMyMind Art Guide, which includes an Engagement Plan which builds toward a Student Art Gallery
• Art Resources, Free Local Art Experiences, & Monthly Emails with bonuses
• An Artist Workshop exploring technique and a hands-on activity

The program is FREE to any CPS school in Year 1, then schools can work with IPMM to fund the program in Years 2 and beyond. That way IPMM can continue to bring art and programs to new spaces citywide every year while building relationships like the one I’ve built with them over the years.

The Shared Walls Program by IPaintMyMind has done more than make our school beautiful, it has created a learning environment where we are respectful and engaged by the art in our school; a place that is not just a school but a cultural institution. From a teacher’s perspective, I highly encourage you to apply for our Shared Walls Program for the 20/21 school year. The full application is live now, so go ahead and check it out!

Here is the link to our info page for CPS schools, as well as the link to our FULL Application for schools to apply for 2020/2021 (which is also on that page).

Link List

• IPaintMyMind – Info for CPS Schools 
• Shared Walls by IPaintMyMind: FULL Application for 2020/2021 – closes Feb 15th, 2020 at 11:59pm.

Simply put, IPMM is awesome. They support artists & give back to local communities, and it’s been a really special part of my job as an educator to be part of their effort to support artists, kids, and educators like you and me. I’m honored to be part of the IPMM mission as a board member and look forward to helping connect more communities with the power of art through IPaintMyMind’s art services & programs. 

That’s me, Roxy! My class was learning more about Grae Galindo of Chicagoteria before making their own prints!