Commissioned Artist, Art Teacher, Mother: All in a Day’s Work for Michaela Schnetzer
- Feb 5
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 17
By Davion Holt
It’s a wonderful day at Nashville School of the Arts. There are kids singing and dancing in the hallway, painting murals in front of the school, and practicing lines for the Theater Conservatory’s next play. While all this is happening, there’s one teacher that’s making sure you turn in your Workbook Check on time and that’s Michaela Schnetzer.
Michaela Schnetzer is a visual art teacher at Nashville School of the Arts. She teaches Art Survey, Visual Arts, and Sculpture and Ceramics I and II. With teaching those classes, she doesn’t get as much time as she would like for her to make and sell her own art.
The following interview has been edited and condensed.
What are some of the best learning experiences you’ve got from teaching while working at Nashville School of the Arts?
I would say any of the experiences we’ve had were not like your traditional classroom education. I loved making the pit fire. I love doing field trips; anytime we can go out of the building and learn something or apply something new techniques with visiting artist, that’s always fun. We had a muralist come and teach us how to do murals. Cesar Pita came and taught us how to do a pinfire. He’s coming back this spring to teach the class how to do sprigs. Years ago, we had an artist named Aaron Graham come and he taught us how to do Jesso transfers.
Have any students ever influenced or impacted your personal art in any way?
I wouldn’t say they impacted what I’m making, but seeing my students get into their flow or come up with good ideas, definitely. It helps me be productive and get inspired to work on myself.
By being around such young brains, have any students ever brought you any new artist or new art techniques?
I mean students bring me new artists all the time. Like, “Oh Ms. S. have you followed this person on Instagram?” Or, “I saw this show while I was traveling with my family in New York,” so I love when that happens. You know in Art Survey, especially when we’re talking about meaning behind artwork or the history. You know a student’s point of view could be different than one I would have considered myself, and that’s always genuinely nice.
Having had an experience as a visual arts teacher at non-art school, what things could you say that are different?
I don’t know, you guys are more dramatic. Just kidding, I don’t have to work so hard as a teacher to get you engaged. You know teaching Art I at a high school, where everyone’s only taking it to get their fine arts credit. You have got to work hard to get those kids interested, but not so much here. You guys pretty much do whatever I tell you without much complaint.
While being an art teacher, how do you make time for your own art making?
It’s extremely hard, but I wouldn’t say being the teacher part does not make it hard but being a parent. That’s what makes it hard. So, like, right now, I only work commission-based, and I used to have like an Etsy shop, and I don’t even have that anymore.
Why?
I can’t keep up. I’m too busy. Or I’m not here; somebody [has to get] to hockey practice. So, I only take requests from friends and family. Well, I mean, so I’m still making art, and I like demoing and, you know, I made that face jug when you the other kids were making their face jug. So, I still get to make art, just not at the level and consistency as I would like to. But that’s just the chapter I’m in my life right now. It happens.
How do you evaluate students’ grades overall in art? What’s the process?
I grade on effort, attitude, and craftsmanship. Did you follow the directions of the prompts, and did you include the things I asked you to include? I do not grade on creativity.
Is there anything you would like to talk about that we haven’t already?
No. What do you want me to say, something super cheesy like I love you guys so much. I’m just not a sentimental person till I am. Till I am, and then I’m a babbling wreck. I feel like you guys know that about me already.
