Mrs. Tamalonis, also known as Mrs. Tam, has been a GA teacher for almost 41 years. She teaches several AP Art classes here GA and has had her work exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. We have been so lucky to have her here for so long and are sad to see her go. Check out this interview with fun facts you may not know about her!
How many years have you been at GA?
Forever. This is my forty-first year!
Did you teach anywhere else before coming to GA?
I taught in colleges in upstate New York.
Do you have any kids?
I have three children. My two daughters graduated from GA and love the school and all of their GA friends. Kim, GA ’91, is an artist and a teacher in Rye, NY. Kate, GA ’96, is a teacher/tutor in Los Angeles. My son, Peter, is a special education teacher.
Favorite season and why?
Spring, because there is a promise of flowers and good weather.
TV shows, movies, books?
I like everything. I like TV shows, movies and books. I read about everything, and I am very fond of one author, Daniel Silva, who writes suspense mystery novels where he takes his characters all over the world and the story often has something to do with art.
Why did you choose GA originally?
I came for an interview here and I was interviewed by the head of the art department, Carol Dixon, who was just brilliant and loved art, loved art history, and we started to talk about architecture because her husband was an architectural writer, editor-in-chief of an architecture magazine. I enjoyed the conversation with Carol so much that I said to myself, “If everyone at Greenwich Academy is that smart and good at their field, those are the kind of people I want to work with.”
What do you find interesting about the different communities you’ve worked in?
I’ve found that I like teaching at a high school more than I liked teaching at a college. I can get to know the students better and see them every day, rather than seeing them twice a week for a three-hour class. In a college, after a one semester or a one-year course, you often don’t see the students again. At GA you get to know them over a long period of time and have really good relationships with the students and their families. I am in contact with many of my students and advisees through the decades!
What are the different types of students you get in your classes? Skill wise? Interest wise?
The students at Greenwich Academy are always happy to be taking an art class. They are so nice, talented, smart, and committed, and they start to fall in love with the subject. I enjoy seeing each student find a way to express their thoughts and ideas through visual means. It is my goal that our students fall in love with art and art history and that it enriches their lives forever.
What is something you do in your class that affects the dynamic and that students love?
We combine skill building in art with an emphasis on art history and art appreciation. In my art class, each student develops a personal direction. It can be anything that is meaningful to them. Throughout the year, students revise their ideas, and experiment with methods and materials. Every student develops an art portfolio and my students take pride in having a body of work, an art portfolio, to show for their efforts.
What is something that you suggest for students who function less artistically and get frustrated easily by art?
There are so many ways to make art. There’s a way for everybody to make art that’s not frustrating. Students can choose their methods and materials, with an emphasis on experimentation. Art is not singular. An abstract piece and a realistic piece can be equally valuable.
Any personal connections or stories that directed your choice of becoming an art teacher?
I just remember being in third grade and the teacher asked us to create drawings for Halloween. I just remember that everyone else was drawing, but I took a pair of scissors and cut out the shapes of a body of a witch and a hat and arms. By the time I was finished cutting out all the pieces and gluing them together, the figure was six feet tall. Then I looked at it and then at everyone else’s drawings and realized that I was thinking differently. At that point I realized that I liked creating art.
What is your favorite form of art? Is there a specific reason or connection for this?
I’ve done all kinds of art, and it really depends on the year. I began as a printmaker…etchings and lithography. I loved making prints and Rembrandt’s prints are my favorites. I knew that there were a lot of toxic chemicals in the processes. These days, there are materials for printmaking that are not as dangerous, but when computers were introduced, I immediately got on board with computers. I could make prints that did not require toxic chemicals. I’ve made computer art for a long time and then to balance it, I do drawings and paintings during the summer time.
Do you think art is more spiritual or mental? More to do with thinking and rigidity or free?
I think about what I am doing before I do it, but I also experiment during the process. There is definitely a spiritual quality to making art. You become so involved in the art making that it totally absorbs you for that period of time. You are thinking in a way that involves the intellect and the senses.
What differs from generations of art students and what they enjoy?
Superb art has been made for millennia. I am overwhelmed when I am at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and surrounded by astounding artwork that people have made across the world and across thousands of years. My students follow in that thread of people trying to express themselves visually and to the very best of their abilities. It is a joy to watch their progress!
