Evonne Avalos is a teacher in the Art Department and a House Counselor in Chase House. Avalos has been interested in art from a young age and has taught her skills to all ages. When she’s not drawing or painting, Avalos enjoys traveling and nature.
How did you become interested in art?
I was always excited about the materials, to start, and I’m still excited about the materials. I can remember always carrying around crayons, markers, [and] materials that younger kids use. Any chance that I had I would sort of be playing around, even when I didn’t know how to draw everything. I just wanted to draw things the way that felt right at the time.
What’s your artistic process like?
It depends on what the project is. If someone brings me a commission or an idea and they have something specific in mind, then it’s back and forth where I’m processing what their needs are and some of the solutions that I’m trying to offer. For my own personal work, I try to document things that I’m curious about. Then when I have time, which is precious when you are a full-time teacher and mom and all those things, I get these little moments that I can work on projects that are just for my own personal curiosity. It helps give me direction, so I have a plan. When I have those few moments to myself, I can just open up that list or photographs, and that’s when I can jump in and do some work in response.
How did your love of art transition into teaching?
I would say that at the same age that I was carrying around all those drawing and painting tools, I can remember hanging out with younger kids and planning a lesson that I was going to teach to them, as a way of me playing. My mom being a teacher influenced me. I really enjoyed walking people through a learning process and helping people from an early age so I knew that I always wanted to be an artist. I was always excited to break things down and share information with other people. It started early but it’s definitely grown with me and my interests are just as deep as an educator as they are as an artist.
What’s your favorite part about being an art teacher?
That I get to be part of a process, where hopefully, we’ve set up a curriculum in the circumstances for people to make discoveries and surprise themselves. It might be somebody who says “I can’t draw, or I’m not artistic,” which are not things that I believe, at all. My hope is that within each class, somebody in my class finds something that they at least really gravitate towards, and they can surprise themselves with something that they are able to do. Here at Andover, I would say that one of my favorite parts is that we can bring artists from outside the community. We also have the Addison, which is incredible. If you want to make a reference to an artwork, I can have a student go from class and meet with educators. I feel like that is something that is really important to me, so that folks can get a better understanding of communicating with people that come from a different life experience than them.
What do you like to do in your spare time, apart from art?
I like traveling, and meeting with friends, and I like riding my bike, and swimming in the summertime. We’ll spend a lot of time outside, and swimming, being in nature, but art always kind of sneaks in there! I’m always either taking pictures or making art, [and] we’re going to an art museum when traveling. I always want to see what kind of art is being made in that community.
Where did you teach before Andover? What drew you to Andover?
I taught in community arts settings in New York City, ceramics to little ones, portfolio classes for high school, college admissions, and here at the senior center, so I’ve taught the full age range. Then when I moved back to Massachusetts, I taught for a while at the Francis Elly Parker Charter Central School on Devins, and that is a school that’s mastery based. There I was teaching Visual Arts, but I was a Humanities Generalist, so I was able to teach classes that incorporated literature and media analysis, as well as art making. That broadened my understanding of how to teach, and how to teach in a new form. After that I was in a middle school in Malbarrow for a while. While I love middle school, it made me certain that I wanted to work with high school students again. When there was an opportunity to teach here, I was really excited to work with high school students in small classes with amazing resources.
If you could share one message to Andover students that are interested in and looking at art careers what would it be?
You should find opportunities to gain exposure to see what it would be like to be in that career. If you could take internships in those fields or interview people in those careers. [For] the class that I taught over the winter [where we curated] the Addison, a big part of that class was that we got to meet with the different professionals at the Addison. It was a really interesting way to get a whole picture. You may just think that there are a few people working at the Addison but there’s actually a lot of them behind the scenes. Anybody who’s interested in the arts or any other career, [should] try finding real practical experiences over high school and college years. People generally really want to help you out when you’re at that stage in your career and they want to help you so take advantage and try out new things.
What is your favorite space on campus?
My favorite space on campus is probably over by Rabbit Pond by the Sanctuary. I really like to spend time there with my painting classes or going for walks in the Sanctuary but the Pond is probably my favorite space.
What would you say is your favorite piece of art?
A favorite series of pieces I have at the Addison right now are a really cool video by the artist Nick Hayes and some still lifes of his sculptures. They’re part of a show that has to do with different kinds of performance. It incorporates dance, video and sculpture and I enjoy teaching his work in my classes. I would recommend that anyone go there and visit, it’s great.
What part of art do you like most?
When you hit a wall and hit some trouble and get to the point with an artwork when you think you’re either questioning whether it’s worth your time. Can you save this piece, will it get to the place you want it to? If you can work past that, there’s a really good chance you’ll be able to take it to the place you want and surprise yourself. That’s probably my favorite part even though it’s hard. If you push through there’s usually a really good surprise.
