Alyson Annette Eshelman has interwoven her work as an artist and art teacher for the past 20 years. Her approach to creating art is inspired by her family's Appalachian heritage and strong connection to the "home place", where Annette returned with her husband and young daughters for a year to immerse herself in the culture and lifeways. Her BS in Art and Home Economics from Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky set her on a path exploring and experimenting with fabric and fiber arts. While pursuing her MFA from Bowling Green State University, she participated extensively in solo, group, and juried exhibitions; receiving numerous awards for her work Including the exhibition Roots of Racism: Ignorance and Fear, Arts in Embassies, Islamabad, Pakistan (2003-2005). Annette continues creating new work for exhibition and receives commissions for private and religious collections. Annette's teaching experience has taken her inside juvenile detention facilities, inner city community centers, park districts, daycare centers for individuals with disabilities, schools, colleges, and museums. She thrives on creating customized art exploration and art learning experiences that draw from the strong values and characteristics of her Appalachian heritage and identity, observing the natural world, and the act of making as self-expression.
Annette is currently Curator of Education at the Springfield Museum of Art creating immersive art education learning experiences that engage all audiences. As a teaching artist she shares the sense of wonder in the creative process with her students.