I have been working as a teaching artist for over a decade, and through what I have learned through a lifetime of art, I am convinced that learning about and practicing art is essential and beneficial for everyone. The arts encourage self expression, exploration of our inner worlds, and are a bridge for sharing our ideas with others.
Art provides space for reflection and healing. It can boost our self-esteem, bring joy, and tap into our empathic natures.
My role as a teaching artist is to create an inclusive space that encourages students not to get hung up on being “right” or “wrong” about their art, but rather to feel freedom to make what speaks to them.
In my art classes, students explore a variety of traditional mediums, develop their own ideas, try new things, practice creative problem solving, and create art that they can look back on and feel proud of.
I also collaborate with classroom teachers to develop visual art-integrated projects in science, history, math, and more, to expand on their creativity within these other core subjects.
Hannah Shun is a visual and teaching artist specializing in metalworks. After receiving her BA in Biology in South Korea, she attended California College of the Arts in the United States. There, she fell in love with metalsmithing. While living in the Bay Area post-college, Hannah dabbled in a wide range of artistic work, including prop and costume making, stage design, and art instruction. Living in Hawaiʻi put her in touch with her passion for metalworking. She is partnered with SFCA (Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts) as a teaching artist, and she leads various classes and workshops for children, adults and families throughout Oʻahu.
The Artistic Teaching Partners (ATP) Roster is an adjudicated directory of Hawai‘i professional teaching artists qualified to conduct in-depth residencies in educational settings. Each artist or arts organization has a page in the directory with contact information, a short bio, and an artist statement. The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts draws from this roster for arts education programs including Art Bento at the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum and Artists in the Schools.
