Most people expect an art teacher’s favorite medium to be traditional like pencil on paper, or painting, but Proctor High School teacher Drew Kutcher prefers the violin.

 “That's my favorite art form just for myself,” Ms. Kutcher says. In addition, she really enjoys sculpting ceramics and working on her photography in her free time.

In her classroom, Ms. Kutcher has a really laid-back teaching style, usually letting students work on whatever design as long as it pertains to the project assigned, and uses the processes taught. This allows students to really get their creative juices flowing. 

For instance, my ceramics class and I would be working on vastly different things but overall be using the same techniques and tools to complete art projects.

Kutcher also likes to have her students connect to things going on currently in the world.

“I did a group project with my middle schoolers last year that was tied to social justice and activism. I always like to fit bigger themes in projects, thinking globally and using your voice and artistic skills to do so.” she says.

Students created websites and infographics with their own art and research. The variety of topics covered were: racism, intersectional feminism, and environmentalism. Students placed these infographics around the school to educate their peers about these current issues.

Kutcher continues to learn herself as well. She’s in graduate school completing her Masters in Art Education and is taking her last course which is a research class. “I'm doing my research on using tarot and spirituality as an avenue for mental wellbeing for self-reflection,” she says.

In her limited downtime, when not experimenting with her art, Kutcher watches True Detective and reads The Will of the Many to unwind.