Local art teacher inspires by supporting students' passions

May 18—Elizabeth Wernsing is both a sixth grader at Salazar Elementary School and a small business owner.

She makes and sells jewelry in several craft shows, with more planned this summer.

It's a creative enterprise Elizabeth said her art teacher, Anna Gibson, encouraged.

As a member of Salazar Elementary's "Art Squad" — a group of advanced art students — Elizabeth gets extra time in the studio each week to hone her jewelry skills, with some help from her teacher. The two occasionally dive into business skills, too, weighing profits versus material costs.

"Ms. Anna is super creative and wants us to follow our dreams," Elizabeth said. "She will go to any length she can to get us what we need to do that."

In a special ceremony Wednesday, the Partners in Education Foundation honored Gibson as one of this year's Teachers Who Inspire in honor of her creativity and persistence in helping her students pursue their artistic interests.

Gibson is the sixth Santa Fe Public Schools teacher to win the prestigious award that recognizes teachers with a surprise ceremony at school and a $1,500 check. The previous five teachers received their awards last week.

Gibson's work is apparent throughout the halls of Salazar Elementary. The school's interior features all kinds of student artwork, from sculptures constructed of recycled materials to self portraits to carefully decorated masquerade masks to intricately carved shadow puppets.

Gibson — who has been teaching for more than 20 years, the last 10 at Salazar Elementary — adheres to the Teaching for Artistic Behavior model, allowing students from pre-K to sixth grade to explore artistic media and follow the path that inspires them.

"The idea is that the studio belongs to the students," Gibson said in an interview. "They have their own ideas and investigations to do."

Gibson has a particular talent for connecting school with the outside world and and students' extracurricular interests, said Salazar Elementary Principal Alyssa Maestas. It's common for Gibson to help students like Elizabeth pursue their out-of-school goals.

"She really finds students' interests and their passion and helps them build on that," Maestas said.

Gibson, however, attributed much of her success to her diligent students, who she said take risks to create beautiful works in Salazar's art studio every day.

"The students are amazing," she said. "They're so talented, and they're so giving, and they work so hard."