Charlene Lutz is an artist and educator with experiences teaching in public, charter and non-traditional educational settings.
Charlene has worked with a diverse group of children, teenagers and adults creating all types of art from fabric weavings, hand bound books, sculptures, and murals, to handmade natural paint, made from berries and greens; to paintings inspired and influenced by nature.
She has worked with teaching artists in the Philadelphia area including collaborations with The Delphi Arts Program (Philadelphia Museum of Art), The Barnes Foundation, The Woodmere Art Museum and Portside Arts. She was awarded Teacher of the Year in 2017 by The School District of Philadelphia
She has created art with children at Brush Ranch Camp (Terrero, NM) and at The School in Rose Valley (Rose Valley, PA) in summer camp settings where the focus was self-directed and nature-based art making.
She has worked with adults creating art for healing and overall wellness, at Heart Space in Media, PA and in various workshop spaces in Northern Maine.
She is one of several wellness practitioners involved in a biannual Educator Renewal Retreat that is grant funded and free for all educators in the United States.
Charlene is currently on the Katahdin Children and Families Foundation committee (a non-profit in Stacyville, Maine) and one of two artists grant funded to hold monthly art workshops in their self-directed learning space, The Orchard. She also holds workshops and retreats for children and adults in spaces throughout Maine.
“My art teaching philosophy is emergent and intuitive allowing loads of space for play, material exploration and experimentation. The healing power of arts is part of my own personal artistic journey and offering workshops for children and adults is how I bring it all together. Workshop experiences are emergent with an emphasis on slowing down, gratitude, mindfulness, play, process and experimentation. By combining this with technical skill building and art practices, folks in attendance are able to have a whole person and balanced experience-mind, body soul!”
Charlene is the author and illustrator of Fox’s Winter Journey (Maine Authors Publishing) a children’s book about practicing mindfulness and gratitude everyday.
She holds an adjunct position at Antioch University.
Her personal work has been in several shows including a solo exhibit at Muse Gallery in Philadelphia called Through These Walls and a publication in The Strength Source Project
EXHIBITIONS
Muse Gallery, Philadelphia PA; Member 2016-2018
2019 Solo Exhibition, Bittersweet Cafe, Media, PA.
2018 The Impact of Art: artists find refuge and regeneration through their art, group show. Art Times Two Princeton, NJ.
2018 Through These Walls, Muse Gallery (Solo Exhibition) Philadelphia, PA.
2018 Survivor Knights, Philadelphia PA.
2017 Muse at 40, group show, Muse Gallery Philadelphia, PA.
2017 Solo Exhibition, Seven Stones Café-Media, PA.
2016 Group Show, Muse at 39, Muse Gallery, Philadelphia, PA.
2016 Solo Exhibition, Seven Stones Café-Media, PA.
2011 Runner–Up, Creative Quarterly The journal of Art and Design
2010 Solo Exhibition, The Coffee Beanery-Media, PA.
2010 Absolutely Abstract, group show, Philadelphia, PA.
2010 Art in City Hall, group show, Philadelphia, PA.
2010Newman Gallery, group show, Philadelphia, PA.
2010 Identity, group show, Dirty Franks, Philadelphia, PA.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Maine Authors Publishing Cooperative
Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance
Katahdin Children and Families Foundation
WORK EXPERIENCE
Self Employed, Artist, 2010-
Antioch University (Adjunct) 2024-
Philadelphia School District 2008-2022
EDUCATION
BFA (2002) Pratt Institute
M.Ed Leadership (2007) American Intercontinental University