Jenny Santa Maria is a Monmouth County based Teaching Artist and arts educator whose work bridges two worlds: 11 years of Special Education classroom teaching and a growing practice of community workshops for adults, teens, and general audiences across New Jersey and New England. She teaches pysanky, watercolor, embroidery, folk arts, observational drawing, and lecture based art experiences that pair art history with hands on making. At the center of it all is her belief that creativity is far more accessible than most people have been led to believe.
Tell us about yourself! What do you teach, where do you teach, and how long have you been an arts educator?
I’m a Monmouth County, New Jersey–based Teaching Artist and arts educator who has spent the past 11 years working in Special Education classrooms while also teaching creative workshops for adults, teens, and community groups throughout New Jersey and New England. I teach a wide range of classes rooted in creative empowerment, including pysanky (Ukrainian egg decoration), watercolor, embroidery, vision boarding, folk arts, observational drawing, and lecture-based art experiences that combine art history with hands-on making.
My workshops are designed especially for the general public, including people who may feel hesitant about art or believe they are “not artistic.” I’m passionate about demystifying the creative process and helping participants build confidence, flexibility, and creative agency through approachable, skill-based experiences. I regularly teach in libraries, museums, retreats, community centers, galleries, and craft schools, and I also lead seasonal retreats and teaching tours throughout New England.
I also genuinely love connecting with fellow educators and sharing what I’ve learned from the past two years of workshopping full-time. One of the most rewarding parts of this transition has been realizing that the same empowering language, patience, art history, and enthusiasm I brought into Special Education classrooms can deeply resonate with the general public as well. It has been incredibly meaningful to watch adults reconnect with creativity, often for the first time in years, through the same supportive and encouraging approach that shaped my classroom teaching philosophy.
How would you describe your approach to teaching the arts? What principles or values guide your work in the classroom?
My approach is deeply rooted in the work I did in Special Education, where I learned the importance of always meeting people where they are at and recognizing the potential in each individual and in their work. That philosophy continues to shape every workshop and creative experience I lead today.
I believe creativity is far more accessible than most people have been led to believe, especially adults who may carry fear, perfectionism, or the idea that they are “not artistic.” One of my favorite phrases to share is, “If you can write your name, you can sketch.” It immediately reframes drawing as something human and approachable rather than something reserved for a talented few.
I also believe that art is our first language, and it’s never too late to remember it. I talk about the value we should have on the arts in society, and that children are our best example of what uninhibited creativity really looks like. This idea deeply resonates with the thousands of participants I’ve worked with over the years because it reminds people that a new beginning with a relationship with the arts is always within reach. In every workshop, with every medium, my goal is to demystify the creative process while still honoring craftsmanship, art history, and emphasizing our shared humanity.
Tell us about a program, project, or initiative you have developed or been a part of. What inspired it and what does it look like in practice?
The greatest work I have ever set out to create is the life and work I am building now as a self-employed Teaching Artist. For years, I never imagined it was possible to pursue this path full time, and yet in just two short years it has brought me across the country and abroad—from Greece to Toronto—connecting me with craftspeople, artists, and everyday people who are excited to bring creativity more fully into their lives, and for those I am most excited to welcome into class: the “non-artists” who say “I’m not artistic,” before they even sit down.
What inspired me to pursue this full time was the realization that I had already been building toward it for years and growing a little following. For about eight years, I taught workshops after school while also working in a nonprofit Special Education setting, and I could clearly see there was universal language I was using with different populations that share limiting beliefs. I was already doing this work in the classroom: helping people build confidence, recognize their abilities, and move past the idea that they were incapable. That realization — that people between the ages of 18 and 98 could deeply benefit from a special educator approaching them with heart, hope, patience, and genuine belief in their potential — changed the course of my life and teaching practice. Above all, I believe people deserve opportunities to feel capable, expressive, imaginative, and connected to themselves through creativity, regardless of age, background, or prior experience with the arts.
Over time, I began to realize that the same empowering language, patience, encouragement, and passion for learning that worked in Special Education deeply resonated with the general public as well. Watching adults reconnect with creativity, sometimes for the first time in decades, made me feel there was something meaningful and needed in this work. Eventually, I reached a point where I felt compelled to fully commit to it.
How have you seen arts education impact your students? What moments or outcomes stand out to you?
One of the most meaningful things I’ve witnessed through arts education is how it creates connection: connection to self, connection to others, and connection to a more reflective way of living. I’ve seen genuine friendships form in my workshops between people who may never have crossed paths otherwise. I’ve also watched participants begin bringing creativity into their everyday lives through sketching, journaling, embroidery, watercolor, and other personal practices that become sources of comfort, reflection, and self-understanding.
I often say, “Art will always be your friend,” and that is one of the deepest takeaways I hope people leave with. More than simply learning a technique, I want participants to recognize that creativity is a lifelong tool they can return to in moments of joy, uncertainty, grief, curiosity, or growth. The emails I receive regularly affirm that this work is helping people reclaim something that was always theirs: the right to use art for expression, healing, meaning-making, and as an instrument for understanding their own minds and navigating life’s struggles.
Quality arts education helps cultivate a more compassionate and thoughtful society. The arts ask us to proceed through uncertainty, observe, empathize, and reflect, and how to really look at the minute detail and the big picture. One email I received just a few days ago said, “Whenever I attend your classes, I leave a better artist and a better woman.” Those are the kinds of responses I keep on the top shelf in my studio because, to me, they represent the real heart of this work. This is not simply what I do professionally; it is my life’s work.
What does showing up for your students through the arts mean to you?
Showing up for my students through the arts means creating spaces where people feel seen, capable, and welcomed exactly as they are. It means bringing patience, enthusiasm, preparedness, and a genuine belief in each person’s potential. I think it also means being my authentic self: teaching out of suitcases, visiting communities and spaces all around the state, and showing people that there are many ways to live a creative life.
If I can give myself permission to be the kind of teacher I want to be, and pursue the creative life I want to live, then maybe others can give themselves that same permission too. I do not possess special gifts or was born an artist. I champion hard work and genuinely love to learn, and practice what I share in these classes; we have this one precious life, and we deserve to enjoy and express it. These art classes are about so much more than teaching technical skills; they are a celebration of life and human expression. I show up for people by helping them experience what meaningful arts education can truly be: something that speaks to our humanity, encourages connection, and reminds us that creativity belongs in everyday life.
