Congratulations to Kate Griffin our Winner for September Member Spotlight!

Kate Griffin is a high school Fine Arts teacher at Watchung Hills Regional High School in Warren, New Jersey where she teaches AP2d Art and Design, Fine Art Honors, and introductory and intermediate painting courses.  Additionally, she is the sponsor for their chapter of the National Art Honor Society as well as the advisor for the Script & Cue backstage crew, which is responsible for painting the sets and props for the theater program’s fall play and spring musical.

After earning her B.A. with a focus in drawing and painting and a k-12 teaching certificate from New Jersey City University in 2009, she was hired at Watchung Hills.  In 2016 she earned her Masters in Studio Art from Kean University, where her thesis focused on realistic and symbolic self-portraiture as well as the study of female self-portraiture throughout history.  She has since earned an additional 60 credits in various programs focused on art-making and art history.  Outside of WHRHS, she has taught art in summer programs at Montclair Kimberly Academy in Montclair and the Visual Art Center of New Jersey in Summit.

Kate creates her own work throughout the year, usually, paintings focused on portraiture and/or women’s issues.  She enjoys participating in group shows and visiting local galleries for inspiration.  She is also a musician and a writer and finds that all forms of creative expression deeply influence one another.

Kate’s teaching philosophy is that art-making is a learnable skill, which can become a tool for self-expression, communication and representation.  With enough practice and passion, anyone can be an artist.  She aims to give her students confidence in their art-making abilities and show them that art can be found everywhere.