“When you think you have made a mistake, think of it as an opportunity to make something beautiful”
Barney Saltzberg, Beautiful Oops!
This quote from the book Beautiful Oops! was front and center in Alli’s classroom. She encourages her students to create from their soul, explore new art materials with courage and create stories through their expression.
Alli is originally from New Jersey and graduated from Towson University with degrees in Deaf Studies, Art & Design with a focus in Education. Alli also spent a semester at Gallaudet University in Washington DC which is a university primarily for deaf and hard of hearing students. She spent her time at Gallaudet taking art and education courses and also interned at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School with the arts educator. In college she also started her own a cappella group and was deeply engaged in the ceramics community. She returned back to Towson and graduated at top of her class and was the undergraduate commencement speaker and also selected to sign the national anthem and alma mater at graduation.
After graduating she moved to Baltimore, Maryland and was hired to develop and run the art department at a private school teaching grades kindergarten through eighth grade. She taught at this school for 5 years. In addition, she taught art making online and transitioned her curriculum to a virtual classroom when Covid hit. She implemented the teaching philosophy known as Choice-Based Arts Education/ TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior) This is an up and coming modality of teaching art that she learned about by attending conferences through the National Art Education Association. Choice-Based Arts Education is all about enabling students to lead the art making process and encouraging them to create from their heart and express themselves through materials that they are interested in.
As the educator, Alli facilitates students to develop their craft through technique teaching and pushing them to develop art rich with content and themes driving their artistic choices. Art mediums include: sculpture, collage, jewelry, digital arts, illustration, sewing, painting, mixed media, photography, and weaving. Alli encourages students to explore their interests and create through exploration, expression and courage.
In addition to arts education, Alli has been signing since 2010 and engaged with the Deaf and DeafBlind community. She staffed international DeafBlind retreats and interpreted at various events in her local community. Alli has been teaching sign language to children for years and most recently has been teaching ASL online to elementary students. She also loves to teach ASL through creative modalities to enable students to develop their signing skills.
Alli’s passion is enabling others to express themselves through creative modalities whether through the arts or sign language. She personally loves cooking healthy meals, singing, dancing, and creating with any form of art. Most of all teaching is her deep passion and truly so excited to start teaching and connecting with the Open Tent community!
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ASL 1 – 2023-2024$600.00 - ASL 2 2023-2024$600.00
- Digital Arts – Photography and iMovie$250.00
- Digital Arts – Stop Motion Animation$250.00
- Digital Arts: Intro to Procreate$250.00
- Digital Arts: Procreate – Fall 2023$250.00
- Intro to ASL – Spring 2024$250.00
- Intro to ASL Elementary$250.00
- Introduction to ASL Middle School/High School$250.00
- My Story – Fall 2023 – Winter 2024$400.00
- Open Art Studio – Fall 2023$250.00
- Open Art Studio – Middle/High School Students$250.00
- Project Based Art Studio – Fall 2023$250.00
Sign Language!
Miss Alli has been teaching my daughters on zoom, both art and sign language from across the globe! It is one of the highlights of both of their days and they cannot wait to get started each week. Miss Alli is an amazing, patient and kind teacher and can keep kids engaged for their sessions even over zoom. My kids are learning so much from her and I am so thankful that my children get to work with Miss Alli.
Taps into Talents
Miss Alli is one of a kind. She was able to tap into talents I never knew my children had. My kids looked forward to her classes and their creativity blossomed just by being around her! She is extremely talented.
Warmth, confidence, intuition, talent, and joy
Miss Alli has the most magical way of leading her art classes! She embodies so much warmth, confidence, intuition, talent, and joy. Her many years of experience show when she walks around the room, engaging and guiding every student in creating their own unique masterpiece. She facilitates every style and personality, helping them express that which they never thought they could. Miss Alli doesn’t lead regular art classes, she touches souls through art and love. Being in Miss Alli’s classroom is a most wonderful experience that leaves all of her students feeling happier and more connected to themselves, those around them, and the world at large!
Advanced Art Techniques
Miss Alli not only taught my children unique and advanced art techniques with such skill and patience but perhaps more importantly, she infused in them a love and curiosity surrounding what it means to be an artist. She wet their appetite so they could see themselves as lifelong learners of the craft. There’s nothing I could want more for my children than an educator who values their involvement in the process just as much as the end result. Miss Alli is a breath of fresh air in her unique ability to meet each kid where they are with palpable enthusiasm.”
Skillful and Imaginative
Miss. Alli is wonderful! A skillful and imaginative artist herself, she has a lovely, calming energy and she sees the true artist hidden in each child. Children blossom under her instruction and encouragement, discovering the artistic style and form that speaks to them. All of my kids loved their time with Miss. Alli, from my oldest who is naturally drawn to art to my middle son whose previous refrain was always, “I hate art.” Ms. Alli helped my oldest daughter to try out new media, understand art as a means of self-expression, and clarify the narratives behind her artwork. And she got my skeptic son to engage and enjoy art for the first time!
- ASL 1 – 2023-2024$600.00
- Intro to ASL – Spring 2024$250.00
- Digital Arts – Photography and iMovie$250.00
- Digital Arts – Stop Motion Animation$250.00
- My Story – Fall 2023 – Winter 2024$400.00
- Digital Arts: Procreate – Fall 2023$250.00
- Open Art Studio – Fall 2023$250.00
- Project Based Art Studio – Fall 2023$250.00
- ASL 2 2023-2024$600.00
- Introduction to ASL Middle School/High School$250.00
- Intro to ASL Elementary$250.00
- Digital Arts: Intro to Procreate$250.00
- Open Art Studio – Middle/High School Students$250.00
Sign Language!
Miss Alli has been teaching my daughters on zoom, both art and sign language from across the globe! It is one of the highlights of both of their days and they cannot wait to get started each week. Miss Alli is an amazing, patient and kind teacher and can keep kids engaged for their sessions even over zoom. My kids are learning so much from her and I am so thankful that my children get to work with Miss Alli.
Taps into Talents
Miss Alli is one of a kind. She was able to tap into talents I never knew my children had. My kids looked forward to her classes and their creativity blossomed just by being around her! She is extremely talented.
Warmth, confidence, intuition, talent, and joy
Miss Alli has the most magical way of leading her art classes! She embodies so much warmth, confidence, intuition, talent, and joy. Her many years of experience show when she walks around the room, engaging and guiding every student in creating their own unique masterpiece. She facilitates every style and personality, helping them express that which they never thought they could. Miss Alli doesn’t lead regular art classes, she touches souls through art and love. Being in Miss Alli’s classroom is a most wonderful experience that leaves all of her students feeling happier and more connected to themselves, those around them, and the world at large!
Advanced Art Techniques
Miss Alli not only taught my children unique and advanced art techniques with such skill and patience but perhaps more importantly, she infused in them a love and curiosity surrounding what it means to be an artist. She wet their appetite so they could see themselves as lifelong learners of the craft. There’s nothing I could want more for my children than an educator who values their involvement in the process just as much as the end result. Miss Alli is a breath of fresh air in her unique ability to meet each kid where they are with palpable enthusiasm.”
Skillful and Imaginative
Miss. Alli is wonderful! A skillful and imaginative artist herself, she has a lovely, calming energy and she sees the true artist hidden in each child. Children blossom under her instruction and encouragement, discovering the artistic style and form that speaks to them. All of my kids loved their time with Miss. Alli, from my oldest who is naturally drawn to art to my middle son whose previous refrain was always, “I hate art.” Ms. Alli helped my oldest daughter to try out new media, understand art as a means of self-expression, and clarify the narratives behind her artwork. And she got my skeptic son to engage and enjoy art for the first time!
Amazing Teacher!
Miss Alli has been teaching my daughters on zoom, both art and sign language from across the globe! It is one of the highlights of both of their days and they cannot wait to get started each week. Miss Alli is an amazing, patient and kind teacher and can keep kids engaged for their sessions even over zoom. My kids are learning so much from her and I am so thankful that my children get to work with Miss Alli.
