Team Intro: Maria Palkon
Introducing Minni’s Lead Teacher: Maria Palkon
Maria Palkon is Minni’s lead teacher of online and in-person programming. She has been teaching at Minni for about 2 years, but has been teaching art classes for over 4! Any kids who have had Maria as a teacher know that her favorite color is turquoise, that dance parties are a natural part of classroom etiquette, and that she loves telling riddles.
Having earned a bachelor’s degree in illustration from MassArt, her artwork is meant to accompany a story or inspire the viewer to make their own narrative. When she is not teaching at Minni, you can find Maria in her art studio working as a psaligrapher, among other things. Psaligraphy is the art of making paper cutouts, and her specialty is making paper miniatures. Much of her art can fit on the tip of your finger! Aside from cutouts, she loves making gouache paintings, pen and ink illustrations, embroidered brooches, and hand-bound sketchbooks.
Maria shares, “In-class I go by Miss Maria. As a teacher, I do my best to be approachable and supportive while also maintaining a sense of structure in my kids' class life.”
When she’s not at Minni, you can find Maria in the SoWa district on the 2nd floor of 450 Harrison Ave, studio 217. “This building has hundreds of artist studios, and we're open to the public on the first Friday of every month, the second Sunday of every month, and during the summertime open market. You can also view my art on Instagram. My handle is @mariapalkon. I hope to see you either in Minni or in my studio! Feel free to wave hello if you see me in SoWa. Cheers!”
