Ms.Biermann sitting at her desk ready to share art throughout the TJ community. photo by Ravi Apte
TJ’s newest art teacher shares her past and ideas regarding her passion for drawing and painting.
In 2022, Timi Biermann entered the artistic halls of Thomas Jefferson High School with plenty of skills to share with the TJ community. Coming from a background of twenty-two years as an elementary school art teacher, she was excited to be able to work with high school students and spread her artistic skills through the Drawing and Painting class.
Since the age of 14, Biermann has been fascinated with art and the ability to portray one’s emotions through a visual aspect. As her career progressed, she found her way into the creative elements of education and she began teaching art to countless young and optimistic students. Her passion for art reflects on her many students who allow themselves to explore different parts of art in her class.
Although she does have her favorites, Biermann enjoys spending her time exploring different forms of media. “If I had to select only one media to use for the rest of my life, it would be a pencil, because I love drawing and shading,” said Biermann. She finds inspiration from her interests, such as her ever growing vinyl collection and her two beloved black cats, Eve and Gregor.
Currently, Biermann is interested in the world of abstract art. She enjoys presenting her artwork to the public along with her art collective that consists of 10 other artists. She finds it important to share her artwork with other artists in hopes they can further inspire her and give insight on her pieces. She wants to further dive into local art collections in hopes of becoming a well-known artist throughout the community.
Similar to how her students look to her as an inspiration, Biermann looks up to other historical figures such as Joan Mitchell. Mitchell was an abstract expressionist and one of few women to gain fame from her pieces in her time, paving the way for many more female artists and inspiring those who need it.
Though the shift from elementary to high school can be intense, Biermann has taken it in stride and greatly enjoys teaching students at TJ. Due to the more developed mindsets regarding the visual art world, Ms.Biermann believes that high schoolers are much more enjoyable to teach than younger kids. High school students are able to come into the drawing and painting class with questions and ideas that are always welcomed and analyzed by their peers and by Biermann. “My favorite part of TJ…is the students. I just can’t believe how talented, kind, interesting, and fashionable students are, and I just love talking to my students and learning about their art interests,” Biermann explained.
Biermann has a plethora of ideas for TJ in order to create an increasingly creative school. She wants to continue to give students the chance to exhibit their art in multiple different art competitions for young artists and strongly encourages students to take that next step into public art spaces in order to create opportunities that can further benefit their present and future art aspirations.
Biermann looks at art as a way to escape from the hardships of the world around her and realizes that many students have a similar point of view. Her art is a form of self-expression and gives her an ability to work through her feelings on certain topics. “Art is not easy – it is emotionally and physically challenging at times, and it’s really important to find ways to work through those challenges,” said Biermann.
One can see that Biermann is extremely passionate about her line of work and her students. Her 26 years of experience continue to be an inspiration for administration and students alike. She takes opportunities and makes incredibly beautiful things out of them. Sophomore Lelah Sharrow is continually inspired by Biermann. “I actually love how we can express ourselves through art, we do have rules but we can really do anything we put our hearts to which I really enjoy.” As Biermann walks the halls of TJ, her artwork and teaching experience will continue to inspire students and allow the school to flourish with creativity.
