Promise Academy Art Teacher Encourages Kids to Color Outside the Lines

An art show at Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy was a tapestry of eras and styles: aboriginal bark paintings, handmade “geodes,” a tribute to Keith Haring, and even a pair of five-foot dragon sculptures. You have the talent of our scholars and the teaching of art teacher Crista Terrizzi to thank for that.

When it comes to art and self expression, Crista encourages her scholars to explore and color outside the lines.

“Teaching kids to be different shouldn’t only be acceptable, it should be encouraged,” Crista says. “I want to instill the importance of being true to who you are.”

Being true to your art — and yourself

Crista is one of the many HCZ Promise Academy teachers who do whatever it takes to help our scholars thrive — in the classroom, college, and their careers.

For Crista, helping her scholars thrive means encouraging them to embrace their individuality.

“I’ve personally experienced the long-term damage of not being true to who you are as a child,” Crista says. “I want these kids to be more successful than I was in my emotional and social development.”

Art from around the world

Crista encourages her scholars to look both within themselves, and the outside world, for inspiration.

She teaches them about art from different cultures and continents. That can range from Buddhist sand mandalas in Tibet to Keith Haring’s iconic East Harlem mural just a few blocks from Promise Academy. 

In Crista’s classroom, different worlds means those both real and imagined. She took inspiration from “Game of Thrones” for an assignment in which scholars designed papier-mâché dragons.

“My scholars told me, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a lot, Ms. Terrizzi, this is so hard,’” she recalls. “But I told them, ‘You can do it, and once you do it, you’re going to be so proud of yourselves.’” 

“Trying to be something that wasn’t me”

Growing up, Crista didn’t know that she was artistic until a middle school art teacher noticed her talent and encouraged her to pursue art. It was through art — and expressing herself creatively — that she found her calling.

“I was trying to be something that wasn’t me,” Crista says. “I never had anyone say I didn’t have to not be me until I had art teachers.”

In college, Crista studied fine arts, but had no interest in pursuing a teaching career. That was until she took a required course in education equity and traveled to Haiti to volunteer in a school in Port-Au-Prince, the country’s capital. After her trip, Crista became passionate about education and decided to become a teacher.

Caring for the whole child

Like many Promise Academy teachers, Crista centers takes a “whole child” approach to teaching. In her first year as a Promise Academy art teacher, Crista had a scholar who often got into trouble. So, she encouraged the student to share his feelings and express himself through art projects. The scholar’s behavior improved dramatically. 

“Sometimes, kids need that outlet for self expression,” the art teacher says.

Her classroom is designed to foster that. It includes workstations named after Jean-Michel Basquiat, Frida Kahlo, and Pablo Picasso; spaces for self-reflection; and an art-themed library.

At the end of her classes, wet paintings are neatly layered in the drying rack, the rainbow of acrylic paint in squeeze tubes is refreshed, and often a student leaves with one last, burning question for the art teacher: “Can we have art class one more time this week?”