Meredith Arcari Luciano

Certified teacher Meredith is a multi-passionate Teaching Artist and Master Gardener.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art Education and Regional Geography.  Growing up in Hartford, CT, her family had small vegetable gardens in their tiny backyard.  Her Grandmother sparked her love for gardening - their favorite thing to do was to get their hands dirty in the soil.  Realizing it doesn’t take much space to produce fresh vegetables for her family, she created her first edible garden with the New Britain Museum of American Art.  After becoming a Master Gardener in 2013, her work focuses on rebuilding the soil, redistributing, and preserving native flora and fauna.  Meredith participates in various educational seminars to enrich her own teaching seminars.  Her work as a Teaching Artist is to give access to the arts to all students, in every community and to create inclusive programs.  Her approach to teaching is to provide an opportunity for each individual to tell their stories, share a little about themselves, and connect to their artwork while also integrating higher-order thinking within her programs.  In addition to her love for educating and gardening, she is a Painter, Photographer, and Entrepreneur running her small business from her home with her two girls.

EDUCATION:

2006: Bachelor of Arts in General Regional Geography, Minor in Art                                  2009: Bachelor of Arts in Art Education, Minor, Drawing & Painting                                                         Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT

CERTIFICATION:

Fall 2009: Connecticut Teacher’s Art Certification, K-12, CCSU, New Britain, CT

Fall 2013: Master Gardener Certification, University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT

Spring 2020: The Science of Well-Being, Yale University, New Haven, CT

Fall 2020: Making Injustice Visible: Exploring the Complexity of Power and Participation, Harvard University, Project Zero Virtual Workshop.

Fall 2020: PZ Ideas in the Science Classroom, Harvard University, Project Zero Virtual Workshop

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND SEMINARS: 

2023: Teaching Artist Training Institute (TATI) six sessions at Marquis Studio, Staten Island, NY

2023: HOTSchools: PD Culturally Responsive Teaching Artists: Expanding Perspectives and Practices

2023: HOTSchools: PD Mirror Neurons and Arts Integration

2022: AFLCT: PD National Core Arts Standard

2021: AFLCT: PD Social Emotional Learning 

2021: AFLCT: PD Culturally Responsive Teaching

2019: present: Hartford Foundation internal list of Teaching Artists for Healing Arts

2018: Seminar, (HOT) Schools Approach: Arts Integration - Reaching all Learners, NBMAA

2017: Seminar, Mapping the Journey: Planning Effective Residencies by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. 

2015-present: Connecticut Women Artists, Inc

2013: Connecticut Office of the Arts Visual Artist Registry