Background

Helen Weinblatt Levin was born in New York City and raised in Yonkers, New York. She currently has her artwork (see her website : helenlevin.com) in nine museum collections. This includes paintings in the Staten Island Museum, the Museum of the City of New York, the National Museum of Dance, and several university museums. A collage of hers is in the Museum of Fine Arts of St. Petersburg,FL, and her artist's books are in the Museum of Modern Art and Brooklyn Museum of Art's Artist Book Collection. She is working on a memoir about her teaching career. Her son, Golan Levin (golanlevin.com) is an internationally prominent new media artist and art professor at a major university. As a young man, he was voted one of two top new media artists in the world under the age of thirty five by Technology Review. Helen is the grandma of his two kids.

Education

Bachelor of Fine Arts, Hunter College of the City University of New York, New York City, 1962. Master of Fine Arts, Columbia University, 1963. She also attended Women's Studio Workshop, the Center for Book Arts, and several other universities for teacher training.

Career

Teacher adult studio art, Tottenville Adult Evening School, New York City Board Education, 1980-1986; teacher of homebound children, New York City Board Education, 1989 - 2002. Teacher adult education language arts New York City Board Education, 1984-1986, developer, demonstrator art pilot project, 1985-1986. Field representative New York State Council on Arts, New York City, 1981-1983.

Held summer residencies in Art: (Artpark Kidspace) Lewiston, NY 1983; Palenville Interarts and in Canada. Did freelance staff development in art. Taught art and literacy at various day schools, an alternative high school, and in adult ESL, Basic Ed.,and GED programs. Varied teaching career focusing on art and art-literacy applications.

Achievements

• Developed accelerated techniques for drawing instruction that dramatically improve both expressiveness and likenesses.
  
  Developed a program to use drawing skills with adult new readers to help give them breakthroughs in both reading and handwriting.
  
  Wrote useful information and did presentations to help people understand better the importance and value of abstract art.
  
  Presented and shared a number of open-ended visual art projects for classroom teachers. Also originated several new sculptural artist's book formats.

Works

• Other Work

  • Author: Brainstorms, 1978. Art reviewer Staten Island Register, 1978-1979. One-woman shows include Education Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey, 1984, New York Open Center, New York City, 1986, Staten Island Cmtyl television Gallery, 1993, Wagner College Gallery, Staten Island, 1994.Exhibited in group shows at Cork Gallery Lincoln Center, New York City, 1984, 90, 91, 94, Janco Dada Museum, Ein Hod, Israel, 1985, Ammo Gallery, Brooklyn, 1986, Phoenix Gallery, New York City, 1988, Provident National Bank, Philadelphia, 1988, Macy Gallery Teachers College, Columbia University, 1989, 91, Broome St. Gallery, New York City, 1991, Rosenthal Library., Queens College Art Center, 1991, 92, 26 Federal Plaza, 1992, Art Lab, Snug Harbor, Staten Island, 1992, Bank St. College, 1993, Westbeth (New York ) Gallery, 1994, Schering-Plough Corporation, Madison, New Jersey, 1995. Represented in permanent collection Museum of City of New York.Subject of numerous magazine and newspaper articles. Contributor articles to professional publications.

Membership

Member Women in Arts, University Council Art Education, Women's Caucus for Art, New York City Art Teachers Association (Art Advocacy award 1994), New York State Art Teachers Association, United Federation Teachers.

Interests

• Folkloric music, dance, hiking, rollerskating, writing.

Connections

Married Shane Levin, September 15, 1968 (divorced March 1989). 1 child, Golan.

Father:

Isadore Weinblatt

Mother:

Yetta Weinblatt

Spouse:

Shane Levin

child:

Golan Levin