By Taylor Boggs ’16, Perspectives Section Editor

“Seasoned and optimistic,” Ms. Louise Hausman is ready to move on to a new chapter in her life after 19 years at Country Day. It all started when Ms. Hausman took her undergraduate classes at the University of Iowa in photography. “I fell into teaching,” says Hausman, but “art is my thing and I couldn’t imagine teaching anything else.” After a long residency at the Tyler Museum of Art in Texas, teaching students who visited the museum and teaching classes in communities, she became the curator of education. “I missed the teaching however,” admitted the artist. “I had a terminal degree in art but not a teaching certificate so I began looking into independent schools. After being an administrator I realized I loved teaching and that I missed the fun; it seemed like everyone was having a good time while I was sitting behind a desk.”

While Ms. Hausman says that she doesn’t really have a philosophy on teaching, she believes that “the best way to learn is by doing…This is relative to the skill level of course. An Art I course requires more direction, but once the skills are built you want to students to utilize and strengthen them.” To the artist, the most satisfying aspect of teaching is “seeing the growth of amazing students.” Not only do you see the development of their work and minds, but the growth of their personalities. This year two of Ms. Hausman’s students, Sean Muldrow ’08 and Terrace Poole ’03 worked with the students in her art classes. “It was fabulous to see them so many years later and see what they have become.” Likewise, Hausman says that it is always rewarding when “students give me trouble and then come back years later and thank me.”

An arts program is an integral part of a student development. Ms. Hausman believes that “everyone needs to lead a creative life no matter what they do.” Practicing art is like learning how to ride a bike: “If you don’t know what the process is, you lose it along the way. Participation in arts classes reminds students to be creative…a lot of students are going to find themselves working for symphonies or ballets or museums, and it is important that they have taken art classes so that they can make personal connections.” Likewise, it is important to understand the process alongside being philanthropic.

Over the years Ms. Hausman has built relationships with the faculty and the students. “I think it has been really wonderful to be a part of this community of learners. The faculty learns along with the students and from the students.” She is going to miss “her friends and the faculty and all of the students that [she] will not get the opportunity to teach” when she leaves at the end of this year. Outside of school Ms. Hausman loves to read, go to singer/songwriter concerts, and garden. She is planning on revitalizing a lot of old traditions with her new time. Following this year, Ms. Hausman is going to spend her time doing her own artwork: “There are non-profits that I am interested in and I am also interested in sustainable farming. I am going to spend some time with different volunteer organizations and I am committed to animal welfare so I am going to see where that takes me.”

When Hausman first arrived at Country Day, there were “three broken paintbrushes and a bunch of out-of-date computers in a closet full of spiders.” She moved the Visual Arts Department into a place where it could truly be called a department. “There was really no curriculum or materials or thought about art being important,” says Hausman. After her reconstruction, the department was really able to grow and change.

Although there are many different opinions regarding the purpose of education, Ms. Hausman believes that it is “to have a good life, to spread the goodness around, and to share with and reach out to people…You can apply art to being an engineer, plumber, lawyer, a creative business person and so many other things…It’s not about art, it’s about living artfully.” If there was any last advice that Ms. Hausman could give to her students, it would be: “Be hungry, don’t take your blessings for granted, and be grateful for the community that you are in.”

We wish Ms. Hausman all the best and hope that she enjoys all of her newfound time and freedom.