Christiane is a professional collage artist with an academic background in sociology. She earned her M.A. degree at Kiel University, Germany, in 1997. In the following years she worked as an editor and writer for German university publications and special magazines before coming to the United States in 2001. Both the sociological contents and the writing have been essential parts of her art works.

 

Besides making art, Christiane has been teaching art classes in various settings for more than ten years. This includes after-school classes, summer camps, and adult workshops at her own studio. Since 2013, she has worked in Montessori environments teaching art to elementary and middle school students.

 

As an artist, she enjoys working in interdisciplinary fields and using art as her voice. She teaches art similarly: “I like to introduce my students to the cultural and historical contexts of certain art forms, techniques, and styles, and to inspire them to think about the meaning and relevance of a certain piece of art. I ask them to have close looks, see the invisible, and to experience art with all senses and an open mind.”

 

Most projects she teaches are based on her original concepts; many of them involve mixed media and collage. “I love seeing the students play with different media and explore the possibilities for their own works, while learning and mastering new ways of telling their stories.”