Artist in Residence

For community, religious and civic groups, art schools, colleges and in most popular – schools K through 12, I offer exciting options by serving as an Artist in Residence and guest speaker in the classroom and throughout your community.

Options range from a staff training workshop for your school’s teachers-in-service day, a community building project for your religious congregation, to multiple approaches to school residencies. Since 1994, I have lived and worked in the Philadelphia area as an artist and educator specializing in teaching the craft of Batik, while also teaching about the culture of Indonesia. Prior to living in the Philadelphia area, I lived in Indonesia for six years working as an artist, and I continue to return to Bali and Java every year for extended visits. By maintaining my connections to this exotic culture and bringing it back into my studio, shows and teaching, I offer a unique slice of another world for your students and your school.

How It Works

For one or two weeks, I work with a group of students (size of group and grade to be determined per school) to teach the craft of batik, and to guide the students as they make hundreds of squares of batik fabric. We also learn about Indonesian culture through slides, music, food, language, crafts, and discussions. A strong focus of Indonesian batik is the collective art-making process, a collaborative approach reflected in this unique residency. Upon completion of the batik art-making, I work with a group of volunteer parents to design and sew a fiber installation (from the batik squares) that is permanently installed in the school.

A Sample Program

Windows & Reflections of Batik & Indonesia

A Flint Hill Community Art Project

As fellow explorers, we will travel through the windows of your mind off to a far-away land halfway around the world: the country of Indonesia. During our week together we will study the art and culture of batik, a traditional art form using wax resist and dye to decorate fabric, and Indonesia, where batik originated. We will experiment with this ancient craft and use it to make artwork which reflects our own culture. As a group of fellow travelers and batik artists, we will create, together, a community art project that will hang permanently in the halls of your school. So if you love to travel, experiment, and create, I invite you to come with us on our journey beyond Flint Hill’s windows off to Indonesia. Tell your parents not to worry: we will only be gone one week!