MMI Preparatory School art instructor Lisa Marie Ferry recently earned the prestigious Master of Arts degree in Art Education with an Emphasis in Special Populations from Moore College of Art and Design. It is the only degree of its kind in the country and they are very selective in the application process. The rigorous program trains and empowers art educators to develop skills for adapting and implementing strategies that enrich the lives of all learners.
Once accepted into the master’s program, candidates develop and test innovative techniques through their action-based research in a field setting, while critically assessing art education policies and documenting the study of contemporary art education issues for diverse learners.
“The process to obtaining my Master of Arts degree was a very rewarding experience. I am honored to bring the knowledge I gained back to the students at MMI as we start the 2016-17 school year,” Ferry said. “I had to do a qualifying review and pass that to move on with my research. I chose to focus on using postmodern principles in art to alleviate anxiety and stress with students in middle and high school. Anxiety disorder is an ever-growing issue with our youth. Of the 55 million students in the United States, 17 million of them will have an anxiety or learning disorder. At least 40 percent of those 17 million will have an anxiety disorder and the numbers keep rising.”
In October, Ferry will give a presentation on her research topic at the 2016 Pennsylvania Art Education Association and Pennsylvania Independent School Association conferences. She will share her knowledge and understanding of how to create art activities and an art journaling kit based on postmodern principles to help alleviate anxiety and stress symptoms.
Ferry’s experience includes teaching photography and advanced photography at Misericordia University for three years. She has been a photographer for more than 20 years and traveled to Mexico on a full stipend for a photo ethnography assignment. Ferry has had her work shown at her own exhibitions and has had three pieces of artwork selected for the juried Northeastern Biennial Twenty Thirteen and Twenty Fifteen. She was also a published finalist for two consecutive years in Photographer’s Forum magazine. Additionally, Ferry has served as a facilitator and speaker for the Pennsylvania Humanities Council.
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