Alexandra Neuber, Visual Artist

My experiences as a teacher, which is build on twenty-seven years of

photography work, have been among the most meaningful and rewarding

of my professional life. Watching children find their artistic voice and self-

assurance in the art classes that I have taught has been truly inspiring.

For three years I have been teaching photography, film making and

animation in New York public schools. I work for Marquis Studios, a non-

profit that brings arts education to under-resourced schools. Since last

October I have been participating in the Community-Word Project’s

Teaching Artist Training program, which emphasizes critical thinking and

social justice-based pedagogy. I also taught children in Quito, Ecuador,

and in after-school programs at Castle Bridge Elementary School (P.S.

513) in Manhattan and Hillside Elementary School in Hastings-on-Hudson. In November 2016 I ran a children’s art workshop at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum.

My experience as a photographer includes shooting fine arts, architecture,

fashion and still life, as well as concerts, corporate meetings, political

fundraisers, parades and celebrity parties. I have photographed Colin

Powell, Bill Clinton, Pope Benedict and other notables. My work has

appeared in major magazines in my native Brazil and I have had photos

and artwork in individual and group exhibitions.

In the mid 90’s I worked as a printer in a New York lab, in the black-and- white fiber division. My clients included Robert Frank and Martine Barrat.

In the 2000’s, for seven years I was senior photographer at Group Photos,

Inc., an office with several networked computers and professional ink jet

photo printers, where I created a fail-proof backup system and was

responsible for the company’s editing, color correction and printing. In

2010, I founded a company that photographs weddings, bat and bar

mitzvahs and other celebrations.

TAP Work:

"When I started attending TAP I was already working as a teaching artist for a few years. Even though I always got good feedback about my classes I

thought I could improve my practice with TAP training. Now, I’m almost at

the end of my training and I can see already how TAP helped me to

improve as a teacher and as a person. Before my students liked my

classes, after TAP they LOVE my classes. Every day I get cards from the

kids telling me how much they missed me and what a great teacher I am

and how they wish I could teach them every day.

Working with Amy was a nice way to learn how I could combine two

different styles in one lesson plan and make it harmonious and engaging.

Because of this partnership I realize how important, it’s working with a

partner. Besides this partnership, I was on the penguin care team and my

fellow teammates were very supportive. I enjoyed the idea of care team

and I’m using it in my teaching practice."

Most Memorable TAP Moment:

"My most memorable moment was the game of cowboy, bear and Ninja.

For me it broke the ice and I started to feel comfortable being silly with my

colleagues."

Find out more about Alexandra here:

• Website

Alexandra's Teaching Philosophy:

"My most important teaching objective is to build the students’ self-esteem and to create a culturally aware community in the classroom. I accomplish this by encouraging self-reflection through hands-on activities. I use independent individual and small-group exploration to empower the

students and help them to find and share their hidden talents and their

own voices.

When children identify their strengths and create a classroom community,

they thrive and appreciate and respect each other. I view teaching art as a

means to nurture visual sensitivity, informed seeing and critical thinking

skills.

I believe that the most inspiring creative environments are those where the

children are engaged, having fun, and are appreciated for who they are. I want my students to leave my classes confident, self-assured, happy, and

with a sense of accomplishment."