Notre Dame Academy
Meet Ms. Beauvy
Visual Arts
Art and AP Art History teacher and Dean of the Visual and Performing Arts, Ms. Beauvy believes that the study of the visual arts and art history is essential for a successful navigation through the contemporary landscape. Images surround and shape our lives.
When she was six years old, she moved in late December from the wintry, snowy, cold of northern Canada to the sunny, warm, bougainvillea filled neighborhoods of Los Angeles. That visual change jarred her. Not only were the colors and textures so radically different, but the contrast in the sociocultural structures also became visible. From that point on she understood visuals as a language, and becoming an artist was inevitable.
At Marymount High School, she excelled not only in art but also in math, which eventually led her to advertising, first in the media department at Eisman, Johns and Laws, then as Director of Advertising for Warner Bros. Records. Eventually, Ms. Beauvy took her work to Paris not only to see and study the rich heritage of art in Europe but also to view the United States from a distance. To her surprise and delight, working for Reed Publishing as director of Advertising, business lunch conversations revolved around politics, philosophy and social structures.
To process and acclimate upon her return to the States, she finished her degree in art at UCLA, graduating top of her class. She exhibited in various venues and earned her MFA at UCSB. Ms. Beauvy brings her extensive experience as a working artist and designer, as well as her knowledge of the corporate world, to the classroom. She encourages her students to develop their voices, through understanding themselves, their community, and the world, while honing the skills needed to express themselves eloquently, clearly, and with love through art, design, photography, and/or film.
Meet Mr. Heim
Visual Arts
Mr. Heim is delighted to be a new faculty member in the department of Visual and Performing Arts at Notre Dame Academy. He is very excited to be teaching Drawing and Photography this year.
In addition to his training as a studio artist, Mr. Heim has taught on both the college and high school levels, and has organized and curated many student and professional artist exhibitions. He continues to seek opportunities to learn and grow in his own art practice, and is constantly inspired by his students, and proud of what they’re able to accomplish.
Mr. Heim believes that the arts are an integral component of a student’s education, that offer an opportunity for students to not only hone their technical skills, but also to respond to the world around them, through their artwork. He believes that as students learn what it means to think like an artist, they begin to discover their own unique voices.
Mr. Heim’s goal for remote learning is to provide a thriving, impactful virtual studio-classroom environment, where students feel connected, supported, and inspired to create. He wants students to feel 100% able to participate and contribute meaningfully to their class while they learn from home. This means providing ample moments of synchronous learning, with realtime demonstrations and class discussion. It also means dialoguing with each student, dedicating time for answering questions, and providing students with a space to engage with their peers through breakout sessions and peer critiques.
Mr. Heim invites you to take a moment to view the selection of student work virtually displayed for you here, which demonstrates some of the fundamentals that have been covered so far in class.