Influential Woman · Art Education and Artist
Sandi Gredzens
Art Teacher and Artist, Not mentioned
Two Harbors, MN
Her Story
About Sandi
My journey as an artist began when I was a little girl, probably in third or fourth grade, when my parents bought me my first oil paint set. They saw I had talent and enrolled me in art summer workshops at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts, where I grew up on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota. I started with an Associate of Arts degree from Stevens College, initially pursuing fashion illustration and design, but I found some of the classes too competitive, so I decided to go for a fine arts degree instead. I got my BFA from the University of California, Santa Cruz, after moving there to be with my first love who was stationed at the Presidio of Monterey. I knew I probably couldn't make it as just a studio artist, so I decided I would love to teach art. After my grandmother's death brought me back to Minnesota, and with my father getting ill, I got my teacher's license at St. Catherine's University where I had fabulous classes and instructors I just loved. Then I went on to get my master's in education with a visual arts emphasis from Hamline University. I've been teaching for about 33 years, teaching everything from kindergarten to elder hostel, and I love teaching children - it's just magical watching them. I taught full-time in the Anoka Hennepin schools, a huge district where every single school had art K through 12. I wrote a lot of curriculum alongside my colleagues, and when the art facilitator retired, several art teachers told me I should become the art facilitator because I was a leader. I taught full-time plus served as art facilitator, which was a lot of work. One year at the Peter Hobart Kindergarten Center, I counted that I saw about 1,000 students. Oil painting is my true love, though I've done watercolor and acrylic. I learned a wonderful technique from my mentor Hazel Belvo at the Grand Marais Art Colony, where I've been going since 1985. She taught me to do an acrylic underpainting in the opposite color of what you're going to put on top, which brings so much depth and luminosity to paintings. I took mentored instruction from Hazel for several years, which really boosted my confidence and helped me find my voice in art. I served on the Grand Marais Art Colony board for nine years and was chair of the board the last three years. Even though it was a group show, I had an exhibition at the Agora Gallery in Manhattan, which I consider my most notable achievement. As a result, I was contacted by Universal Publishing of New York, and Frank Anthony came to my home on the North Shore of Lake Superior to do a video that was featured in one of their publications. He invited me to send JPEGs for a private showing at a home on Park Avenue in New York, and all of my pieces sold between December 2019 and January 2020. He had reserved a spot for me at Tribeca in August 2020, but then COVID hit and everything was canceled. I lost track of Frank and my art sales went to the tank. I'm an active member of the Outdoor Painters of Minnesota, and I have a lifetime membership with the National Art Education Association and belong to the Minnesota Art Educators. I have a flower series I've been working on for years, painting flowers in Georgia O'Keeffe style as portraits, with each one being a tribute. Monet has been part of my life since I was a little girl when my mom would take me to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. When I went to Paris in 2015, I finally got to see Monet's water lilies at the Orangerie, and I was literally in tears - I just sat there astounded by his work. I also have a series of sky and clouds that I've done. Right now I'm dealing with a back injury, but as soon as I get better, I'm volunteering at the DAC, the Disabled Achievement Association, to teach art to young adults and older adults with disabilities. I just love seeing people of all ages experience the awe of what you can do with different mediums, and when they finally get to that point where they're just free expressing whatever they're feeling, that is just magic.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sandi
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
When I was getting my Minnesota teaching license in art and elementary education, I was told by several of my teachers that the best thing to do is to really let your student teaching really just soak it in. That will give you a real taste of what it's like to work with kids. I mean, you can only do so much with books and notebooks and practicums and things like that, but to really soak in that student teaching element - they were so right. That was invaluable to me, the student teaching.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Whether it's teaching or being an artist, don't get discouraged. I've had a lot of nos, and I really haven't earned that many awards, but the awards are secondary to the feeling I had that I influenced other young people's lives. To have them come to me years later, recognizing me and saying, gosh, you were such a good teacher - what could be better than that? As far as art and being an artist, I'm always open to learning new things. I don't close any doors. Just because I have worked in oil so much, watercolor can be such a challenge, but just be open, and don't get discouraged, and seek out learning however you can. I always just say, if you don't learn something new every day, you're not living. And never give up. Just keep doing what you love.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Right now, with our economy and such as things are, people are not really looking at art. That's something frivolous to them. They're looking at putting food on the table, paying their bills, putting gas in their cars, just trying to deal with day-to-day living. They don't have any extra income for art, which is so sad. It's very, very sad. This seems to be my biggest challenge. Also, I just haven't had the opportunity to break through into well-known galleries, even though I've been painting for so long. That's why I was just thrilled with my connections with New York - I was like, oh good, finally, finally I've got it. And then I see these younger artists that somehow get some connection or something, and they just boom, they get all these awards and they're all over the place, and I just think it's not fair.
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