Who is the course author?


 

My name is Helen Rindsberg. I was been a teacher and administrator in Cincinnati for 33 years. I have a Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts in Art Education from the University of Cincinnati. I began writing curriculum for Cincinnati Public Schools in 1982. In June 2002 I retired from administration and began teaching again.

Below is the biography that I provide each student when they enroll in my course:

Who is Ms. Rindsberg?

Answer #1: Your art teacher

Answer #2: An interesting person

I love art and have loved art since I was about four years old. My goal is to help you enjoy it, too. I took my first art courses at the Cincinnati Art Museum beginning when I was nine years old. My high school art teacher was terrific and I was blessed to be able to take art courses all four years there. About my sophomore year in high school, I knew that I wanted to be an art teacher. My training was at the University of Cincinnati where I earned a Bachelors and a Masters of Fine Arts in Art Education. I taught art for eight years then took a little detour in my career to teach economics and computer literacy before becoming an administrator. I retired as an assistant principal in 2002. But I'm back now to my first love, art education.

My chosen media are photography and drawing. I built my own darkroom when I was 17, taught photography as a graduate assistant and married a photographer. I never worked as a professional photographer, but I did sell some of my work through an art gallery. I plan to illustrate the book that I am writing about Japanese culture and art history with my own photographs. For a third year I am sharing a studio with another artist and experimenting with oil painting and Japanese calligraphy.

My photography work since college has been on our trips around the Eastern U. S. and on our trips to Japan. We just took our eighth trip there in October 2003. I have many beautiful images of the Japanese people, their temples, festivals and landscape. I also collect Japanese toys and kimonos, love Japanese gardens, and have over 100 books on Japanese art and culture. The period I love the most is the Edo Period, from 1605 - 1868 AD and my favorite medium from this time is the woodblock print. I play Japanese drums with the Cincinnati Dayton Taiko Group; we perform around the Tri-State at festivals and private events.

I have just completed my first year as a docent at the Cincinnati Art Museum, after a rigorous year of training. I led 35 tours in 2004-2005 and thoroughly enjoyed touring school groups from grades 2 - 12, college students and adults. I am also on the committee to train the docents for upcoming special exhibits.

My husband's business evolved into software development. We have no children in our thirty-two years of marriage. But we have had Japanese college students living with us since 1989. They've stayed from one to five years. Kayo Yoshida (#11) from Hiroshima will be with us until April 2006. We're very close to them and they call us their American parents. I'm also a mentor, currently to two Taft H. S. graduates who are juniors in college. I grew up in College Hill and have lived in Fairview for 26 years.

I relax by gardening, biking and yes, visiting art museums. My husband and I look forward to doing all the other traveling we've dreamed of doing since we were first married.

Helen Rindsberg
381-0234 from 7 - 10 PM

 

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