Art @ 29
Primary Art
Primary Art for kindergarten and first grade is taught by Liz Cosentino. Ms. Liz has been a NYCDOE educator since 2001. She has taught a variety of early childhood grades, including Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade and 2nd Grade, before teaching Art and Physical Education for P.S. 29’s early childhood grades, a position she has held for the last five years.
Ms. Liz also loves to share stories about her dog, Doodles, and her three boys, Charlie (a PS29 alum!), Louis and Michael (currently PS29 students!). They provide her lots of material. ☺
In Art, process is valued over product. Children practice skills such as cutting, drawing, ripping and mixing colors while exploring a variety of materials. Art units often support the work happening in the classroom. For example, in Kindergarten, the students practice drawing people like “Mat Man” to support the personal narrative unit in Writer’s Workshop where students draw true stories from their lives.
During Harvest Week, students mix colors to create orange autumn pumpkins. During the math unit on patterns, students paint, collage and stamp patterns to extend the work of Math Workshop. Ms. Liz particularly looks forward to the spring when classes complete unique projects for PS 29’s Children’s Art Auction that takes place at the June Block Party.
Upper Grade Art
Art for Students in grades 2-5 is taught by Kristen Adamczyk, who has been an art educator for more than 20 years. She has taught at PS29 over 16 years. Before that, she worked as a visiting artist. Kristen completed her BFA at Massachusetts College of Art and her MA at UNM in Albuquerque. Besides teaching at PS29, Kristen co-wrote, and administered a four-year arts grant from the Annenberg Foundation and a 2016 research grant through the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
Kristen's teaching philosophy incorporates history, science, and math with art. She believes that children make real-life connections of these subjects through discussion and making art. She also believes that young artists can create meaningful art while standing or sitting! She is a strong supporter of active learning.
Kristen is also a proud parent of three boys: Alejandro, Tomas, and Felix (all PS29 alums)! Her family balances outdoor activities (especially hiking in the Adirondacks) with visits to art museums. She is also an encaustic painter, exhibiting nationally and locally.
