Art(ist) Educator
My name is Chloe Mahon and I grew up in State College, Pennsylvania. I am currently teaching K-6 art at G. Frank Davidson Elementary in Phoenix, Arizona. My school is a title 1 school and nearly all of my students are living below the poverty line. Working in a school with such a high percentage of students living in poverty has taught me a lot about teaching students who have experienced trauma. In addition to this, I have gained experience teaching using Kagan instructional techniques, Boys Town behavior management, and Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS). Outside of teaching art, I co-founded the school cheerleading team and yearbook club during my first year teaching at G. Frank Davidson Elementary. Today, I continue to coach the cheerleading team and I am the head designer of the school yearbook.
I graduated from The Pennsylvania State University in May 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Art Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts with a focus in Ceramics, along with an Art History minor.
In addition to my studies, I worked part time as a lab consultant through Information and Technology Services at Penn State. I also participated in Vole, the Penn State Ballet Club, as both a performer and a choreographer, and participated in The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON) every year. THON is the world’s largest student run philanthropy. THON’s focus is to raise money for children and families affected by pediatric cancer.
My first experience in teaching was assisting with a tap class for toddlers when I was in high school. Since then, I have worked at the YMCA after school program, have had experience teaching summer art camps, and have volunteered at an underprivileged school in South Africa. My experience teaching in South Africa has had a significant impact on my teaching philosophies and on my personal art practices. You can read more about this in my Teaching Philosophy and Artist Statement.
In addition to teaching in South Africa, during my third year at Penn State, I was lucky enough to study abroad at Studio Arts College International (SACI) in Florence, Italy. At SACI, I studied fresco painting and took a Renaissance art history survey class.
Aside from fresco, I also have extensive experience working in ceramics (both wheel thrown and hand built), making clay, making glazes, firing kilns, sculpture, welding and other metal work, mold making, slip casting, knitting, drawing, oil painting, and much more. Please look in my Art Making section to find images that support my background in these areas.
