Melissa is a certified visual art teacher licensed to teach pre-k through 12th grade. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Art Education, graduating Magna Cum Laude from Kent State University in 2003. Previous to her employment at The Fine Arts Association, Melissa was an art teacher with Painesville City Local Schools. She received her Master of Education, with a focus on curriculum and instruction, from Walden University in 2005. She has been with The FAA since 2013 and teaches visual art to all ages ranging from two-year-olds to adults. Melissa is the Grant Curriculum Coordinator at The FAA. She has developed state standards-aligned, cross-curricular, multi-arts, themed programming for many school systems and other social groups to enjoy at The FAA. Countless visual art teaching assignments in a wide variety of diverse off-site locations have been facilitated by Melissa. She has continued her own professional development, taking courses in both art and education, while creating a diverse portfolio of her own artwork. In 2018, her most recent course focused on tools for increasing parent-teacher communication (Lake Erie College), a subject that is very important to her. Her art has been on display at various public venues, along with a high school mural, designed and painted under her direction. Her favorite art media are collage and upcycled art, along with watercolor cartoon illustrations in the children’s book series she has been writing and illustrating in her free time. She is also a Girl Scout Leader. Melissa attended classes at The FAA as a child and is honored to be teaching there. Art is something she believes should always be meaningful, and she strives to empower each of her students to develop the confidence to utilize their own originality. You can view her website to see examples of her portfolio pieces, pictures of her classes and the special ways that art inspires her everyday life.
