Jess Grisafi is an artist and educator in the Philadelphia area. She is a mom of two incredible teens, loves to travel, and is inspired by the small moments of exquisite beauty in our everyday lives.
Her work has ranged widely over the years, from mosaics, raku ceramics, and bronze sculpture to printmaking, watercolor, oil and acrylic painting, collage, photography, and laser engraved wood. What connects it is a way of looking: she moves in close, drawn to texture, pattern, and the quiet details most people pass by, from the ridges of tall grasses to the rings of a fallen tree. She often works with natural and found materials, letting the surface guide the image, and much of her work grows out of travel and time spent outdoors. Each series marks a chapter of observation and change, and together they reflect an artist who stays curious, follows the material, and finds wonder in the ordinary.
Currently in her 25th year of teaching at Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, PA, Jess works primarily with art students in 4th and 5th grade. She is also the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) Coordinator for the school, PK through 12th grade, and manages the Lower School MakerSpaces. Jess leads a yearlong STEAM Studio course as well as the Innovation Leadership Club for 4th graders, with a culminating Family STEAM Night in the spring. She also offers periodic learning opportunities in the community to practice creative problem solving and explore new technologies and approaches to teaching and learning.
Jess co-curates the Arts Center Gallery at Germantown Academy and is co-founder of Art Across the Academy. This program was built to create opportunities for students to connect with professional artists and to participate in large-scale collaborative installations. Resident artists range from the world-renowned, such as Isaiah Zagar and Sonya Clark, to local creatives and alumni such as Drew tye Ruby-Howe. Some favorite events were Poems in Trees, Dip n' Dance, Humanitas, Bloom Garden, and Woods to Water.