Caroline Rufo began teaching art classes at Ursuline in 2011 and has inspired more and more students to engage in this field each year since her arrival. Ms. Rufo currently teaches grades 10, 11, and 12 in Visual Arts and AP Art & Design, and she has helped with the Web Design class in recent years.
Before coming to UA, Ms. Rufo taught art classes out of her own studio, to adults and young people alike. When the art position opened, Ms. Rufo wasn’t really looking for a teaching position, but she is grateful to have landed here.
“I always tell people that I have the best job in the world. I love working with teenage girls, and I get to teach them about the things that I care about the most.”
Ms. Rufo’s favorite tradition at Ursuline is our annual Clothe-a-Child drive. A long-standing tradition at Ursuline, we partner with the Yawkey Center to sponsor close to 60 children each year to buy them Christmas gifts. Each homeroom sponsors a child or two and buys clothes, as well as a few toys, for their child.
Ms. Rufo and her family also sponsor a child together.
“It feels like it is one of the great things we do that sets us apart from public or other private schools; we do it every Christmas to provide a service that focuses on the needy.”
Another tradition that Ms. Rufo loves is graduation. She cherishes how the teachers process down from the convent together, and then they watch as the seniors process down the steps in their white gowns.
“It is always nice to see the girls in a different sort of uniform that makes them look so beautiful. I always get choked up about it.”
One of her memorable moments in teaching was when she was working closely with a student who she knew was struggling, but who was very talented and smart. Ms. Rufo fondly remembers this student because she saw how the student was able to “make it to the finish line, when we were unsure if she would. But once she got to it on her own, she really flew.”
At the end of the year, the student presented Ms. Rufo with a mini printing press, which she had designed and printed using the 3D printers and laser cutters in the iHub.
“It was a beautiful gesture and so very thoughtful,” and a great way for Ms. Rufo to remember this student.
In the summer, Ms. Rufo can be found in her studio, and she spends time planning for larger projects and coordinating with galleries. This past summer, she worked on a collaborative project with her husband. Together, along with help from their daughter and some friends who were graduates of Massachusetts College of Art and Design, they created a large installation for New England BioLabs.
The project was about the health of rivers, specifically the Ipswich River, and how the damming of the river has affected the environment. Collaborating with her husband was interesting because they have different processes, but it produced a better result in the end and was super fun for them too.
Ms. Rufo practices meditation, and she produces oil paintings that focus on the ideas of awareness and consciousness. She also enjoys ceramics.
In recent classes, Visual Arts 1 students have been creating DaVinci dragons. Students put together elements of various animals to create their DaVinci dragons, which helps them learn to draw in proportion and to draw texture well.
In Visual Arts 2, students are working on sculpture. Each year, these students take a trip to a sculpture park, where they can view great examples of the different aesthetic principles they are learning about in class.
