Amy Hitchcock's Community Spotlight

Amy Hitchcock has been teaching Eliot School students paper arts and assemblage since 2009. She has seen many students come through her class and still looks forward to starting a new session and meeting more!

We sat down with Amy for this month’s Community Spotlight to discuss how the school welcomed and empowered her as an educator, and what keeps her coming back today.

Check out her upcoming classes and sign up today for a chance to think outside the box or maybe inside of a very tiny matchbox.

Transcript

I'm Amy Hitchcock, and I teach Assemblage with Found Objects and the Matchbox Art Workshop.  

How long have you been teaching those here? 

I've been teaching since 2009. 

How did you get started with assemblage? 

I’ve done it ever since I was a little kid, you know, when you make those dioramas out of those shoeboxes. It just kind of spoke to me as an adult, that joy of putting things into boxes, and I've always had a bunch of stuff I’ve collected. My mom was an antique dealer, so I had the materials, and it just all came together one day. 

What brought you to the Eliot School? 

I moved to JP in 1994, and sort of knew the Eliot School, and I went as a visitor to Open Studios at the Eliot School. Then I started showing my art around 2002. Then I met Abigail Norman, and she wanted to know if I wanted to teach at the Eliot School. And I said yes. And here I am. 

What kept you involved with the Eliot School over the years? 

Well, I love the students. I think my classes are good for introducing people to art. Some of the students are young, and some recently retired, but they all seem so talented and ready to learn new things. 

What are your hopes for the future of the Eliot School? 

I just want to see it continue growing. I think the outreach programs are wonderful to bring in new people to the arts, especially younger people, because I think it's so important to always have art in your life and to make time for it. 

I think the 350 Festival you had was so great. I was just there for a couple hours, but I could really see how it brought in a lot of people, and it was very hopeful for the arts and for institutions like this in Boston.