“Art is a place for children to learn to trust their ideas. Themselves. And to explore what is possible.” Maryann F. Kohl
Allison Swanner Certified K-12 Visual Art Teacher and Owner of Exceptional Artist, LLC
My Philosophy
I believe beginning the creative process at a young age allows children to be confident and eager with divergent thinking. Just like anything else, creativity takes practice. The more you practice, the better and easier it becomes. As an art educator, I encourage and develop this creativity through hands-on art-making. Whether for school, camp, or boxes, I strive to create a comprehensive curriculum that includes 2-D and 3-D art skills, experiments with various tools and materials and explores art theory and history.
Exceptional Artist is about making opportunities that encourage children to be creative, confident, and self-expressive. Our programs provide positive art-making experiences where every child is successful, no matter their skill level.
A Special Student
I have always loved art making, but a special child encouraged me to be a teacher. While in the M.S. Architecture program at the University of Tennessee, I worked a summer job for the Clark County Children’s Council in my hometown of Winchester, KY. The job included designing a week-long summer art program for around 30 elementary students. At the end of the program, I recognized several students whose work ethic and talent stood out. One of these students was a 1st grader named Demarcus. Demarcus was quiet and shy but a fantastic artist. His craftsmanship and creativity stood out in every project. I still remember his huge smile when I called his name to receive his award.
The following week, I received a phone call informing me that Demarcus was in the hospital. Little did his family know Demarcus had leukemia. I was able to visit him in the hospital and had a chance to talk to his family. They told me he hadn’t stopped talking about art camp and had been so proud to bring home his award.
Demarcus passed away a few weeks later. As a memento, his family gave me one of his stuffed animals to always remember him. It currently sits in my art classroom. I will forever cherish that summer getting to meet Demarcus. Although we only knew each other briefly, it changed my life. It opened my eyes to the importance of children’s art and encouraged me to change my career path from architect to art educator.
A Little History
I grew up in Winchester, KY graduating from George Rogers Clark High School in May 2001. I earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Maryville College in Studio Art, a Master’s Degree in Art Education with K-12 certification from the University of Tennessee, and an Educational Specialist in Leadership and Administration from Lincoln Memorial University. In 2008 I received my first teaching job at Lake City Elementary in Rocky Top, TN, where I designed an art curriculum for Kindergarten through 5th grade. In 2010, I received Lake City Elementary Teacher of the Year and Anderson County Teacher of the Year. After nine years, I accepted the art teacher position at Clinton Elementary School, teaching Kindergarten through 6th grade. I received Clinton Elementary Teacher of the Year and Clinton City Schools Teacher of the Year in 2019. I have the best job in the world and am blessed to be a part of such an excellent school system and community.
The EA Story
My first art camp took place in 2011, in my hometown of Winchester, KY. At the time, several elementary schools did not have art programs. As an elementary art teacher, I knew the importance of art at a young age and wanted to provide these children the opportunity to create. Not knowing if there would be an interest, I opened up registration for a week long day camp for Kindergarten-5th grade students. To my surprise, I had 60 students sign up. I taught all 60 students in the cafeteria of the middle school. Looking back, it was organized chaos but ended as a huge success!
The following year, the Winchester camp grew in numbers and I added a second camp for my own students in Anderson County, TN. Finally in 2014, I officially created the Exceptional Artist, LLC. Each year our Exceptional Artist Camps have grown, building a strong community of young artists.
Creative Opportunities