December spotlight: Christina Muraczewski
Ms. Muraczewski showing her students the laser cutting machine.
When Christina reached out to me back in March to be a guest speaker for her students in their new innovation and creation lab, I was so incredibly humbled and honored. I literally jumped in excitement and wiped a couple tears when I read her message about the program and what her students are exposed to. St. Mary’s Academy in Inglewood California is changing these student’s lives by providing such a well stocked and amazing space that fosters creativity with the latest tools and technology. I know Christina and her students are going to make and do amazing things in this space and it is so incredibly cool to watch. I would have loved to have been emerged in this environment at such an impressionable age.
Christina reached out to me recently to share what her students have been up to. I am so excited to announce that after speaking with me (and other artists) they have started making and selling their own earrings to raise funds for a scholarship. I am so incredibly proud of all of their hard work and absolutely love their designs! Keep reading to find out how you can get a pair for yourself and contribute to an amazing cause.
Some of their designs from this season:
More about Christina:
Ms. Christina Muraczewski has been a practicing visual artist since childhood, winning her first art contest at the age of 5 and selling her first artwork at the age of 10. She attended a Catholic high school in Milwaukee, WI that was an arts magnet and was deeply influenced by her art teachers there, a few of which she is still in contact with today. She moved to the Los Angeles area after graduate school and has shown her own artwork in multiple group and solo shows around LA. Ms. Muraczewski not only enjoys sharing her passion for creating with her students but also exposing them to the art world that exists around them.
Ms. Muraczewski has been teaching at St. Mary's Academy for 12 years. She started out teaching ceramics, acrylic painting, and drawing, and quickly developed a curriculum for a digital photography class as well as AP Art & Design (then AP Studio Art) to accommodate a growing arts program. Ms. Muraczewski takes pride in the fact that more and more of St. Mary's Academy students are matriculating into college art programs. Getting her students out into the real world to see artwork and having artists as guest speakers is one of her favorite parts of teaching. Getting to see the amazing work that students have created year after year is the icing on the cake.
Most recently, Ms. Muraczewski has taken on an additional role as Innovation Lab Coordinator. St. Mary's Academy Innovation Lab opened just one year ago and students have already created countless projects and learned new tools such as 3D printers, laser cutter, and traditional power tools. As part of the kick-off for the grand opening of the lab last year, makers were invited to share their craft with students over zoom. Clearly the students were inspired by those makers as they've been busy making their own earrings to sell to other students, at open houses, and they participated in Inglewood Open Studios Art Walk.
All profits made from earring sales will go to a scholarship fund for graduating seniors that are continuing on in their artmaking journeys. Contributions, regardless of size, are welcome to support the ARTS program. Please give online at Donate Now-ARTS Program. If you make a contribution of $20 or more to support the scholarship fundraiser, you will receive a pair of student made earrings as a thank you gift. Choose "Natl Art Honor Society" from the dropdown menu to be eligible for your free gift.
The Innovation Lab:
The Inglewood Art Walk:
More about St. Mary’s Acadmy:
St. Mary's Academy was founded in 1889 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet as a private high school for young women. It is the oldest continuously operating Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The six sisters who founded St. Mary’s established a tradition of academic excellence, sisterhood and service to the “dear neighbor.”
St. Mary’s Academy, a Catholic, private, college preparatory high school for young women, founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, shapes women of distinction who are committed to lifelong learning and service to the “dear neighbor”.
The Career Path Programs are additional unique features of the SMA curriculum that offer specially designed courses within Health Sciences, Engineering, and the Arts. Students who join a Career Path Program receive the support, lifelong skills, specialized knowledge, and resources they need to succeed in college, career, and beyond.
The Arts Careers Program prepares young women for a successful transition into college in the areas of visual, performing and media arts. The Arts Careers Program offers students both theory and hands-on experience in various creative art topics. Students may choose to join the Media Arts, Visual Arts, or Performing Arts track. The program exposes students to project-based learning, experiential learning, and the opportunity to work with teaching artists that are professionals in the field. After successful completion of the Arts Program, an SMA student will have gained extensive exposure to that particular field including career options.
Mission
St. Mary’s Academy Arts Careers Program creates an environment where our students find their creative voice and become effective storytellers in order to have their voices heard.
Program Director- Ms. Christina Muraczewski