Abbie Hebein is a visual artist, creative organizer and exhibition maker. She studied Art History at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR. Passionate about connecting students of all ages through creative experiences, she has curated a site-specific exhibition with No Longer Empty in Jamaica, Queens and organized 14 hours of public programming for Forward Union, a social action information and art fair in Manhattan.
In 2014, She received a Fulbright grant to teach and research public arts education in Mexico. She designed an after-school arts and narrative program to explore creative expression and expand language and literary skills through the collage, photography, poetry and theater with high school students in Puebla. Prior to Mexico, Abbie served on the fundraising committee at arts integration non-profit, Right Brain Initiative, in Portland, OR and assisted Object Stories in the Middle at Portland Art Museum.
TAP Work:
“As a part of TAP 2018, I joined a Community-Word Project residency at P.S. 279 in the Bronx with Teaching Artists, Katie Rainey and T. Scott Lilly. Lilly incorporated theater and movement, Rainey brought her creative writing practice into the classroom. Together with our class of 12 fifth graders, we crafted a group poem inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven. Focusing on mood and atmosphere to begin, the students brainstormed emotive and sensory vocabulary to use in their personal writing. The poem evolved throughout the residency and at the culminating performance, students choreographed movements to correlate with their recorded voices. Lilly and Rainey had been with the class for several years and it was unique to experience their relationship with the students during the opening and closing rituals. Lilly leads a focus ritual with sound and silence followed by a movement exercise. In both rituals, students take ownership in leading one another, and also assess and share their own level of focus afterwards. Being a part of and experiencing the importance of classroom rituals as a form of community building has transformed my teaching practice. Whether I am in a classroom, a museum gallery or alternative art space, I am alert to the ways I can guide a reflective, trusting space through consistent introductory and closing practices.”
Most Memorable TAP Moment:
“What I have loved most about TAP is the community of fellow creatives. As a visual artist, it has been formative and inspiring to listen to the perspectives and learn from the experiences of playwrights, writers, musicians and actors.”
Find out more about Abbie here:
Check out Abbie’s Lesson Plan she presented in her CWP residency.
Interested in TAP? Find out more about our 2018-19 Program.
See more of our 2017-18 Graduates in the 2018 TAP Anthology!
