educational Philosophy
Project-based artistic learning environments foster joy in discovery, expression, wisdom, and knowledge. I love being both an artist and an educator. Teaching allows me to collaborate with and contribute to one of culture’s most precious resources: children. I cannot think of a more meaningful or rewarding endeavor.
The skills required for the 21st century demand that young people grow into observant, creative, critical thinkers and compassionate human beings. The experience of making art develops and nurtures these essential qualities in expressive, engaging, and deeply human ways, while also allowing students to participate in one of humanity’s oldest and most enduring practices.
Bonnie Thomas artist & educator.
I first began teaching conversational English in Reims, France in 2007. While pursuing my Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Kansas City Art Institute, I sought out opportunities to teach art and art history whenever possible. During that time, I taught summer camps, collaborated with peers to create weekly arts experiences for children at a local women’s shelter, and worked as a long-term visual arts substitute teacher at an Experiential Learning private school. These early experiences helped shape both my artistic and educational philosophy.
I have now spent over a decade teaching visual arts in a variety of secondary school settings, primarily within Title I public high schools. Throughout my career, I have worked to build inclusive, student-centered studio environments that foster creative confidence, curiosity, technical growth, and personal voice.
I knew from a young age that I wanted to teach art because of the profound impact my own artistic mentors had on my life. My teachers helped guide me toward one of the deepest sources of meaning and joy I have experienced. The opportunity to pass down the human tradition of making and experiencing art is something I consider both deeply meaningful and endlessly rewarding.
As an artist, I am inspired by personal narrative and feminist perspectives. My work explores themes of the body, identity formation, renewal, healing, memory, and perception. These ideas are approached with both sincerity and humor and expressed through a range of media including sculpture, drawing, painting, video, performance, and installation.
