Beth Klingher. Artist & Educator.

I have been an artist and educator all my life. I love getting my hands dirty – clay, grout, dirt, or dough.  My first love was clay – where I built both abstract sculptures and functional pots.  More recently I have discovered mosaics. I am intrigued with the textures and patterns, and the intricacies of creating a work of art one tiny piece at a time. I create landscapes – both realistic and abstract – to reflect or make sense of what I see in the world around me.    

I spent ten years teaching math in New Haven public schools and continue to work as a teaching artist with schools exploring the connections between math and art.  I offer a number of unique arts integration workshops including “Teaching Math Through the Art of Sol LeWitt,” which uses abstract art to teach math, pre-algebra and algebra.  I have also worked on a number of small and large-scale mosaic murals  including a 40 foot long world history mosaic timeline, mosaic panels for the West River water shed, and a number of historical murals at schools all over Connecticut.  

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As one reviewer stated:

Each of her imaginative mosaic constructions is a symphony of visual and tactile materials–  glass, ceramic, stone, and pottery.  This lively exhibit of abstract geometric designs, stunning undulating landscapes and playful patterns of color is a joyful concert for the eye that is not to be missed.

228 Everit Street

New Haven, CT  06511

bklingher@yahoo.com
203-675-1393

Bio

College: Studio Arts Major

In college I majored in ceramic sculpture, creating a series of pit-fired abstract landscapes for my final senior project. Although I loved working with clay, it wouldn't pay the rent, so after moving to NYC, I expanded my job search to include anything art-related.

First Career: Cut & Paste Artist

My first job was as a cut and paste artist (yes, with an exacto knife and rubber cement) creating bank forms for Chase Manhattan Bank.  Although this job did not last long, it introduced me to computers and allowed me to move on to designing computer systems using some of the first personal computers used in the business world.  I decided to return to school to further my knowledge and opportunities in technology.

Second Career: Software Designer

After getting my Masters degree in Management from MIT, I began working for Reuters helping to design their financial software for traders and portfolio managers. Four years later, I left to start my own software development company –

Willow Solutions – based in New Haven, CT.  After 17 years with the company, I decided it was time to move on and I sold the company to my employees.  

Third Career: Math Teacher

At this point, I had two young children and had been spending more and more time volunteering at their school.  I loved working with the students and soon decided to become a teacher.  Through the Alternate Route to Certification (ARC), I gained my certificate as a middle school math teacher.  I spent most of my nine years in teaching at Worthington Hooker School, a small neighborhood public school in the East Rock neighborhood of New Haven.

Fourth Career: Artist and Teaching Artist

After many years in technology and math, I decided to return to the art world. I continue to work in clay, both on and off the wheel, but have expanded to other mediums, most notably, mosaics. I have explored ways to integrate my interest in art with math and have developed a number of projects and approaches to bring my love of both art and math to students in schools throughout the Northeast. I also teach mosaics in my own studio and at art centers around the country. My abstract mosaic artwork has been shown in museums in the Northeast and at mosaic exhibits such as the Mosaic Arts International. I now spend my days working in the two areas I love most: teaching math and creating art.