Recently, a story featuring Athena's work was published in the two newspapers shown below; the article follows.

FOR ART'S SAKE

                             
                                                  James Neiss/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
FINALIST:  Artist Athena I. Revelas, who teaches art at Albion middle and high schools, talks about her acrylic on canvas painting, "Sunflower Surprise", in her middle school classroom.  She was selected as a finalist in The Call to Arts! Visual Art Competition in Pasadena, Calif.

Albion Artist Gains Recognition

Teacher is finalist in Calif. competition
BY AKIKO MATSUDA 

ALBION--  Artist Athena I. Revelas can convey her energy through her arts and her talk.  The combination made her a successful art educator who can reach out to kindergarten students as well as adults.  She currently teaches art at the Albion Middle School and High School, while teaching private lessons for students at her home studio in her spare time.

"She's really gifted by God,"  said Gordon Anderson, colleague who also had her for a student when she was a seventh-grader.  "She has not just creativity, but an ability to talk to all people of all ages."

Athena is successful not only as an art educator but also as an artist.  She recently was selected as one of the finalists in The Call to Arts! Visual Arts Competition, an international competition, in Pasadena, Calif. 

 

CREATIVITY:  Albion artist Athena I. Revelas, an art teacher at Albion Middle School, works on a pastel painting, using a brush to blend the colors between teaching classes.

"It wasn't just about being recognized but also a humbling experience,"  Athena said.  "It was a wonderful opportunity to come together with likeminded people and to know that I was selected to be a part of a privileged few."

Her success, however, did not come automatically.  She's constantly made an effort to do her best in each aspect of her life, juggling additional work and responsibilities.  And recently, her tireless efforts seem to have started blooming.

                                      

FINALIST:  Artist Athena I. Revelas, who teaches at Albion Middle and High Schools, is working on a piece.  To the right, her work, "Sunflower Surprise," is on display in her middle school classroom.  She was selected as a finalist in The Call to Arts! Visual Art Competition in Pasadena, Calif.

Born and raised in Albion, Athena has always been an artist.  She made sculptures out of mud in spring and snow in the winter. When she was 9 years old, her family moved to a house next to a watercolor artist, Dick Bloom, and he immediately recognized Athena's talent.  He gave her art books and sketch books, encouraging her to draw.  "It was very inspiring," Athena recalled.  "It is good to have role models, which I am now trying to be for kids in the public school system."

Athena studied interdisciplinary arts for children and studio art at Brockport University, and graduated with certificates for both elementary education and art education. But she didn't find an art teaching job right away.  In 1993, she became a fifth-grade teacher in Albion.  She made the best use of her knowledge in interdisciplinary art to teach her students in many subject areas.  Her classes were full of maps and collages, which helped fifth-graders learn and understand the subjects better. After six years of teaching fifth-graders, she found an opening in art education.  She became an art teacher in 1999, and has taught various types of the arts to a wide range of students.

While working as a teacher, she hasn't forgotten to be an artist herself.  Evenings and week-ends are the time for her to produce her own creative artwork, including painting, pottery and photography.

"I like to create a visually interesting story," Athena said.  "I think artists are really doing their job if they not only create quality artistically rendered pieces but also an energy of mystery or mystique concerning their subject matter.  This is when the viewers really have to think about the piece.  That is a good piece of artwork for me to create, one that captures the viewer's interest and ultimately their mind."

Her oil pastel painting, 'The Bath', was one of the pieces that she brought to The Call to Arts! Competition in California.  In the painting, a young woman exposes herself to the splashes from a waterfall.  The woman only shows her back, stimulating viewers to wonder what she looks like, how she feels, and why she is in the water. She completed the piece while working on several other paintings.

"As soon as I have an inspiration in my head, I start working immediately," Athena said.  "I am constantly balancing and juggling things.  A new idea is one more thing in the mix."