Ms. Aubry and Reinventing Art at Masterman

While navigating the basement’s halls, you may have noticed the sneaker art club posters clipped to the walls or the new eclectic decor of the art room. This is thanks to first-year art teacher: Ms. Allison Aubry— Masterman’s resident sneakerhead, dog lover, globetrotter, and most notably, the newest addition to the art department in seven years! 

Although she has experience as an art teacher at Central and now at Masterman, Aubry’s career path has been anything but linear. Aubry grew up in an incredibly artistic household, stating “I have two brothers and a sister, and they’re all very artsy.” However, Aubry did not initially share this passion. As a child, she wanted to study genetics. “I really loved biology and science–which I still think is really creative.” Aubry explains. “I think there’s such a crossover… you need to be creative in science especially if you’re someone doing research, which is what I was interested in doing.” Science provided an outlet for her to think outside of the box. “I think if I didn’t fall in love with art, that’s what I would probably do.” 

It wasn’t until attending high school in Glassboro, New Jersey that she first discovered her love for art. In ninth grade, her positive and engaging art teacher showed her how enjoyable art could really be. Aubrey cites that ninth grade class, specifically her teacher’s teaching style, as highly motivating for her to pursue a career in art education. 

Aubry’s ninth-grade teacher is also what inspires her to foster a non-traditional art class environment. “I think I use her teaching style now. I’m just always positive and let kids figure out things on their own. You don’t have to do art a certain way, you can kind of  play with mediums and figure out what works best for you,” explains Aubry. By prioritizing students’ enjoyment and creativity, she challenges the typical standards of art class that she thinks discourages students. As someone who went to a competitive high school herself, she wants her art class to be a place for students to unwind and worry less about their grades. In her favorite project to conduct with students, they customize sneaker models for popular brands and learn about the history and culture behind certain sneakers. Aubry observes that “Kids get super hype… they’re so passionate about their original ideas.”

Following Aubry’s ninth-grade art experience, she continued to pursue art through high school and college. However, this pursuit was not without criticism from her peers. When Aubry decided to go to art school, people often questioned her choice. “That was not a typical career path to pick, people would always tell me not to do it.” Aubrey responded with: “Ok, cool, I’m just gonna do what makes me happy and I’ll figure the rest out later’” 

Aubry attended Maryland Institute College of Art— but only for a year. “I hated art school,” Aubry chuckles. “I hated only being around artists, taking only art classes.” Aubry later transferred to Penn State, because she wanted a more diverse college experience. Aubry’s advice to artistic students is to “be sure you actually want to go to art school, because it is non-stop art 24/7.” 

Post-college, Aubry has explored the art landscape both locally and internationally. Nearby, she often takes her students on trips to the Barnes Foundation, a local resource she praises as accessible and well-curated. Additionally, Aubry has taught foreign exchange classes in Beijing and Prague (and hopefully Scotland by next summer). She notes the importance of cultural exchange in the arts; there are certain cultural aspects that most people do not comprehend until they confer with the people of that culture. 

Aubry also enjoys making art in her free time, although she doesn’t have much creative time during the school year. Her creative process is spontaneous — when struck with an idea she’ll write it down in her notes app. Aubry says an important part of her process is music, and she likes listening to a variety of genres to spur her creativity. One of her “side hustles” is decorating shoes with her original designs and reselling them.

In Philadelphia, a city known as the “Mural Capital of the World,” encouraging kids to enjoy art in various ways remains important to Aubry. She comments on the importance of Philadelphia’s vibrant art culture: “When you see a big mural in a Philly neighborhood, it sometimes tells a story too, of the area. There’s a big Puerto Rican flag on Mount Vernon Street, and it talks about the history of Puerto Rican immigrants and families here in this neighborhood.” Aubry also enjoys the different art organizations located in Philadelphia. The Mural Arts program is one of Aubry’s favorites. “Philadelphia has the most murals in the entire world—of any other city, country, place, we have the most murals and public art. So Mural Arts is really cool, I think that's really unique, and they do a lot of good work beautifying the city.” 

To Aubry, art serves many purposes. It can make a city more lively, encourage human connection, inspire cultural exchange, and challenge people to express themselves creatively. “I love seeing kids thinking about things that maybe they wouldn't normally think about,” says Aubry. 

Aubry’s unorthodox approach to teaching and relaxed classroom environment acts as a critical step in students' creative journeys. As her time at Masterman begins, students, teachers, and art enjoyers look forward to seeing how she transforms Masterman’s art community—and what pair of sneakers she decorates next.