Makers & Mentors: Sierra Miles

Mushroom Bowl

Since an early age, art making has been a huge part of who I am.

Growing up in a home with a designated ‘art room’ full of every imaginable art supply at my disposal, my creative projects with family inspired me to pursue art study and teaching. Whenever someone asks me what my favorite art medium to work with is, I jokingly say “kids.” My answer is no joke. Helping children express their ideas freely, solve problems and experience art making as a valuable learning process, enriches my life as an artist and teacher.  

Meeting the requirements for the BFA degree with teacher licensure, was a rigorous but very rewarding experience that included experimenting with numerous materials and creative processes 

as well as learning about the relevance of art history and art education theory and practice.

Having just completed my third year of teaching during socially challenging pandemic-related circumstances, I believe I am well-prepared and suited for teaching. I have more to learn, but plan to keep going for much longer. Responsible for teaching 25-30 K-5 art classes per week to an average  of 18 students per class, I am constantly working to improve ways to create lessons that inspire students to think and make creatively, appropriate to their age group. 

Teaching elementary art is essentially presenting students with clear skill steps to achieve a creative goal. In the end, a meaningful work reflecting the shared student-teacher understanding of the task at hand inspires them to continue making art in relation to how they see themselves, others, and the world.

Being a full-time elementary art teacher is a great job but is sometimes exhausting; often leaving me limited time or energy to develop my own creative work. It is sometimes discouraging to realize that art study is too often undervalued by others who do not understand it as the important learning experience for kids that it is. 

Traveling from an artist’s perspective to new places and learning about other cultures, traditions and art histories, has become an essential activity for me when not in school. 

STATEMENT ABOUT THE ARTWORKS EXHIBITED

The works chosen for this exhibition are examples of experimentation with materials and processes often used in teaching demonstrations. Through travel journaling, I continue to discover much about my creative thinking by reflecting on the stories, facts and visuals of my trips. Carrying extensive supply of art materials is not an option. So I focus on bookmaking, embroidery, and rapid drawing to record my experiences for later references in my work and in teaching. 

Sierra Miles

UNC Charlotte BFA Art Education

Art Teacher, Glenn Elementary School, Durham, NC