intro >> about anitra

Anitra Redlefsen is a Teaching Artist who conducts hands-on visual art workshops for students and teachers that are based upon the Ohio Academic Content Standards for the Visual Arts and other curriculum subjects. Anitra is on the roster of Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio, the Ohio State-Based Collaborative Initiative (a program of the Kennedy Center's Partners in Education Program), and on the Medina County Performing Arts Tours.

She conducts private lessons for students of all ages and abilities, specializing in working with those who are gifted or have special needs.

Anitra does commission work, exhibits her work locally, and is a conference presenter for groups and organizations. Anitra is a substitute teacher for the Medina County School District, and is writing and illustrating a book about her passion ~ pomegranates!

Anitra holds a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Art and Communications, and a Masters of Science in Human Resource Development and Training.

ANITRA REDLEFSEN
RESUME/LIST OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS
(Includes upcoming events.)
Revised 10-1-08

2008, First Night Akron, "Frida's Fiestas!" family interactive art on New Year's Eve!

2008, October 27, 29 & 30, Roxboro Elementary, "Click! Click! Click"

2008, October 23, Playhouse Square Foundation, "Fall for the Arts," Professional Development Workshops for Teachers, Cleveland, Ohio.

2008, Lorain Community College Early Collage High School, "Hold Fast To Your Dreams," Lorain, Ohio.

2008, August, Jewish Community Center, "Click! Click! Click!" Beachwood, Ohio.

2008, July, University Settlement, "Let's Fly A Kite," Cleveland, Ohio.

2008, July, St. Francis Xavier Church Edge Summer Camp, "Art Reflections," Medina, Ohio.

2008, July, Summit County Youth Employment For Success Program, "Click! Click! Click!" Akron, Ohio.

2008, June and July, Summit County Juvenile Court System ~ Family Resource Center, "Express Yourself!" Akron, Ohio.

2008, June, July and August, ParkWorks Cleveland, "SummerArt!" various projects, seven two hour sessions, Cleveland, Ohio.

2008, May, Masson Elementary, "Eric Carle," Lorain, Ohio.

2008, May, Sheffield Elementary, "Let's Paint Flowers," Sheffield, Ohio.

2008, May, Midview Elementary, "Eric Carle," Grafton, Ohio.

2008, April, Willoughby Fine Arts Center, "Let's Fly A Kite," Willoughby, Ohio.

2008, March and April, Bassett Elementary, "Click! Click! Click!" Westlake, Ohio.

2008, February, Medina Meadows Nursing and Rehab Center, "Printmaking!" Medina, Ohio.

2008, January, 2008, St. Albert the Great Elementary, "Eric Carle" and Frida, North Royalton, Ohio.

2007, First Night Akron, December 31, "Seurat, The Dot and the Learning Tree," family interactive art on New Year's Eve, Akron, Ohio.

2007, October 12, "Frida!" interactive performance and art experience for ARTCetera, Young Professionals Group, Akron Ohio.

2007, Summer, Nominated for "Collaborative Project Award," (along with the Medina County Board of MRDD), Akron Area Arts Alliance, Akron, Ohio

2007, Summer, six outdoor workshops for Parkworks, Cleveland, Ohio.

2007, July 12 "Eric Carle Picture Writer" St. Francis Xavier Edge Summer Camp, Medina, Ohio

2007, May, "Eric Carle Picture Writer!" (residency) Midview Elementary School, Grafton, Ohio.

2007, May, "Painting Flowers!" workshops K-6, Masson Elementary School, Lorain, Ohio.

2007, April 24, 26, 28, "Eric Carle Picture Writer!" (residency) Roxboro Elementary School, Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

2007, March 29, "Integrating the Arts in the English Language Arts Curriculum," Grades 7 -12, Professional Development Workshop for teachers, Lorain County, at The Cleveland Playhouse.

2007, March 12 and 19th, "Eric Carle Picture Writer!" (residency) Roosevelt Elementary School, Euclid, Ohio.

2007, March 11 & 12, B'Nai Jeshurun Congregation, "Confirm!," 2007 Confirmation Class, Pepper Pike, Ohio.

2007, March 6, Professional Development Workshop for ICARE Partners, Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio, Mound Elementary School, Cleveland, Ohio.

2007, March 5, Professional Development Workshop for Teachers, Revere High School, Akron, Ohio.

2007, February and March, collaborative mural project at the Medina County Board of MRDD, Medina, Ohio.

2007, January 19, Berea City Schools, Professional Development Workshop for Teachers, Berea, Ohio.

2006, FIRST NIGHT AKRON, New Year's Eve family celebration: "Surprise! Step Into Eric Carle's Studio!"

2006, November 22, Professional Development Workshop for Teachers, Revere High School, Akron, Ohio.

2006, October 26, "Fall For The Arts," Playhouse Square Foundation, workshops for teachers and artists, Cleveland, Ohio.

2006, October 9, "The Writer's and the Visual Artist's Toolbox," Professional Development Workshop for Teachers for the Norwalk City Schools.

2006, September 16, "Flying High In The Autumn Sky," Akron Art Museum at Summit ArtSpace, kite workshop for children and families.

2006, August 10, "Eric Carle Picture Writer," Early Childhood Center, Shaker Heights, Ohio.

2006, June and July, "Eric Carle Mr. Seahorse Adventure" and "Having Fun With Clay," Parkworks, Cleveland, Ohio

2006, May, "Eric Carle Picture Writer" Artist Residency, Midview Elementary Schools, Grafton, Ohio

2006, May, "Eric Carle Picture Writer," Irving Elementary School, Lorain, Ohio.

2006, April, "Eric Carle Picture Writer" Artist Residency, Medina Kindergarten Center, Medina, Ohio.

2006, March and April, "Eric Carle" Artist Residency, Knollwood Elementary School, Sheffield Lake, Ohio.

2006, March, "Let's Fly A Kite," B'Nai Jesherun Hebrew School, Pepper Pike, Ohio.

2006, January, "Toolbox Tools," Berea City Schools, Professional Development Workshop for teachers.

2005, December, FIRST NIGHT© Akron, New Year's Eve family workshop.

2005, November, development of professional development workshops for teachers and ICARE Partnerships, Young Audiences of Greater Cleveland.

2005, November, development of training workshops for teachers sponsored by the Kennedy Center.

2005, October and November: "Art and Self" Visual Artist Residency with the Akron Art Museum and Hudson Middle School, Hudson, Ohio.

2005, October: OCTELA (Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts) annual conference, presenter: "PhotoSynthesis: A Writer's and Artist's Literacy Toolbox," Dublin, Ohio

2005, nominated for Arts Educator Award, Akron Area Arts Alliance's "Arts Alive!" Awards Celebration to be held in November, 2005

2005, Visual Arts Presenter at the graduate level course at Cleveland State University, "Linking the Arts to Literacy" sponsored by Young Audiences of Greater Cleveland, Playhouse Square Foundation and Cleveland State; development of English Language Arts and Visual Arts integrated curriculum

2005, Development of English Language Arts and Visual Arts integrated curriculum for the Kennedy Center for the Arts, Washington D.C.

2005, Developed and delivered Early Learning language arts and visual arts curriculum and workshops for the Medina County Performing Arts Center

2005, selected for scholarship and then completed the "Artists As Educators: Planning Effective Workshops for Teachers" training conducted by the Kennedy Center

2005, Presenter: "PhotoLiteracy," at the Ohio Department of Education's Ohio State Homeless Education Conference, Newark, Ohio

2005, "Under the Sea," Strongsville Schools, Transition Learning Center, murals and collages

2005, "The Giving of the Gift: The Ten Commandments," B'Nai Jeshurun Hebrew Religious School, Pepper Pike, Ohio

2005, "Twig and Ink" workshop, Akron Art Musuem at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park

2005, selected for and served as adjudicator for the Wayne County High School Art Exhibit

2005 thru 1999, First Night Akron, a celebration of the arts on New Year's Eve, interactive and community visual art projects

2005 through 1996, visual art private lessons for students of all ages at the Greenleaf Way Studio

2005 thru 2000, substitute teacher for the Medina County Schools

2004, Nominated for the 2005 Governor's Award for Arts in Education

2004, was selected as a visual arts Teaching Artist with Young Audiences of Greater Cleveland

2004, "Sacred Journey," B'Nai Jeshurun Hebrew Religious School, Pepper Pike, Ohio

2004, "Eric Carle: Picture Writer," Garfield Elementary, Cleveland and The International Institute, Akron, Ohio

2004, "Let's Fly A Kite," Westfield Companies, Westfield Center, and the International Institute, Akron, Ohio

2004, "Art Bingo," Akron Art Museum, Akron, Ohio

2004, Completion of graduate level course at Cleveland State University, "Taking the Arts to New Places: Designing Interdisciplinary Curriculum"

2004, "Me, My World, and Me As A Woman In The World" A collaborative Photo Literacy Project, Project R.I.S.E., Anitra Redlefsen, M.S. and Safe Landing Youth Shelter

2003, "Great Artists" week long half day SummerCamp at Summit Artspace.

2003, Series of workshops for Children's Hospital.

2003, Nominated for Akron Area Arts Alliance's "Arts Educator Award"

2003, Completion of a 3 1/2 foot by 14 foot mural and outdoor piece of art at Summit Artspace in conjunction with the Akron Area Arts Alliance and the Summit County Youth Employment for Success.

2003, Outreach programs for the Akron Art Museum at International Institute, Akron, Ohio.

2003, "Cats" family workshop for E.J. Thomas Hall for the Performing Arts, Akron, Ohio

2003, "Pollack" workshop for ArtsCetera, Akron, Ohio

2003, Selected as a Teaching Artist Mentor for Young Audiences of Greater Cleveland "Artist to Artist Mentoring Program."

2003, Completion of graduate level course at Cleveland State University, "Linking the Arts to Literacy."

2002, Nominated for the 2003 Governor's Award for the Arts, Community Development and Participation.

2002, Akron Area Arts Alliance (AAAA) and the youth from the Summit County Youth Employment For Success Program to create visual art (an eight foot by 12 foot mural, photography and small paintings) for the opening of the new Summit Arts Center in downtown Akron.

2002, served on the Summit Artspace Steering Committee to plan for the renovation and opening of this new facility in September 2002; included two interactive workshops for the public in preparation for the opening (Volunteer)

2002, working with the Akron Art Museum to develop outreach programs to be implemented in the summer of 2003.

2002 continuing to work with the Akron Area Arts Alliance to create and implement public art programs at Summit Artspace in Akron (Volunteer)

2002, Akron Area Arts Alliance Advocacy For The Arts Committee Member (Volunteer)

2002, Established www.artisjoy web site and ARTSNEWS, a free monthly arts email newsletter

2001, creation of a 20 foot by 12 foot mural for PAX 23 and WKYC Channel 3's new TV studio at the corner of Main and Market streets in Akron, Ohio, brought together eight local artists, including Anitra, and members of the Akron community, created "scenes of Akron" for the studio. (Volunteer) 2001, interactive art at the first annual Akron Area Arts Alliance fundraiser Arts Alive, engaging attendees in the creation of a collaborative art piece (Volunteer)

1999-2002, interactive art projects at the Medina County Library on Art In Action Day (Volunteer)

1999 Created the idea and implemented the start up of a Very Special Arts site in Medina, Ohio. Over 400 people—adults and children from the community, volunteers, presenters, teachers, chaperons, and financial supporters— came together to make this event possible. (Volunteer)

1993-2000, artist in residence with Very Special Arts Summit County (Partially volunteer)

1998, created and mounted a public exhibit "Art for All Ages: 254 Years Of Art," featured on TV Channel 5's Morning Exchange show. (Volunteer)

1998-present, customized hands on art projects for B'Nai Jesherun religious school in Pepper Pike, Ohio.

1997-2000, interactive art projects for Parkworks/Greenland Ohio in Cleveland, Ohio.

1996-present, career shadowing for middle and high school students (Volunteer)

1996, interactive art workshops for women, Sacred Space, Cleveland, Ohio.

1996, 1997, series of painting and collage workshops at the Orange Art Center, Pepper Pike, Ohio

1993-1997 Tutored art with an at home student with muscular dystrophy, fostering self esteem and autonomy; student graduated from high school and is preparing for college. (Partially volunteer)

Read an article about Anitra in the Akron Beacon Journal