Art Educator: April Speed

Project: Mosaic Prayer Wall

The Truth Academy is a hybrid private Christian school located in downtown Springfield, MO. I was honored to be hired as their art teacher for grades K-12 during the 2021—2022 school year. Most of my art lessons took on a humanities approach and incorporated art history along with examples of the musical period. Students would learn why art was created, how the culture and history influenced the style, and listen to recordings of classical music.

All grades, K-12, participated in the creation of this Mosaic Prayer Wall for the people of Ukraine. Our art history lesson on the Byzantine Period (330 AD—1400 AD) coincided with the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. We listened to Gregorain chants as we created our iconography art. Even the kindergartners got into art history of the 13th century—you’d be amazed.