Friday, November 11, 2016

Hello! ¡Hola! I'm Maggie Lynn Negrete


Greetings from your new Education Coordinator, Maggie Lynn Negrete. I'm an Allentown resident, artist and event organizer with a serious commitment to social justice and providing enriching art environments. Here's a little bit of my personal history:

I grew up Washington county spending most of my time in my grandfather's print shop, playing music, in community theatre or making art with my friends. My family was heavily involved in our community, helping with events and clean-ups at our local park.
backstage during a production of the Odd Couple
Rage of the Stage, 2003

my senior art show! check out my hair! Canon-McMillan, 2006
At Vassar College, I majored in Latin American Studies as a means to learn more about my Mexican heritage and to better understand our hemispheric history, politics and cultures. During this time, I lived in Peru and Mexico. Did I mention, I'm a total nerd?


hiking in Cusco, Peru, looking down at Saksaywaman, 2007
standing on the Pyramid of the Sun
with the Pyramid of the Moon in the background,
Teotihuacan, Mexico, 2009


I returned to Pittsburgh after college and spent a year as an Americorps Public Ally with the Children's Sickle Cell Foundation as the Family Support Coordinator. This experience, along with the nanny-ing I did on college breaks, convinced me to work with youth and go back to school for a NAEYC certificate. This certificate prepared me to better understand child development and best practices in education.

I love exposing my students to typography!
mini-zines are a go-to for
introducing book making and sequential art




Since my Americorps year, I have been an active teaching artist with organizations like MGR Youth Empowerment, Neu Kirche and others across the city. I love teaching typography, illustration, zine making and printmaking with themes of personal identity and community engagement. I believe that youth voices need to be elevated and considered within community decision-making.

at the 2015 Pittsburgh Zine Fair (photo by NakYouOut)
my portrait of Jorge Negrete, my famous relative,
from my series with Cafe Con Leche

Meanwhile, I have been active in the Pittsburgh art community, helping to organize the Pittsburgh Zine Fair and sharing my artwork in local galleries such as the August Wilson Center, Most Wanted Fine Art, Assemble, Boom Concepts, Modern Formations, ImageBox, the Roboto Project & more. My ongoing artistic projects have been Adventuring Princesses, a fantasy comic and the Apothecary of Esoteric Panacea, an interactive installation. I have been thankful to be a part of the Flight School Fellowship, the Arts Education Collaborative Leadership Academy and a resident artist with Cafe Con Leche.

my Flight School Fellowship class, 2015
my final presentation for the AEC Leadership Academy, 2016
Before joining the staff at Brashear, I was employed at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council (GPAC) performing tasks as varied as graphic design, social media, event & office management, facilitating board meetings and my favorite, organizing networking and professional development for fellow teaching artists with partners at Gateway to the Arts and PF/PCA. This is how I met Amber Rooke, my predecessor!

with some of my former coworkers
from GPAC before our Annual Meeting, 2015
addressing teaching artists at the Children's Museum, 2016
(photo by Heather Mallak)
My presence in the neighborhood and within the education community at large gave Amber the confidence to recommend me for this position. I am so excited to expand upon the amazing work that Amber has done and put my own spin on future programming. Look forward to more gardening, outdoors and healthy eating, but keep your eyes peeled for rigorous art activities and community outreach.

self portrait as a warrior woman
Feel free to contact me at mnegrete@brashearassociation.org or check out my personal artwork at mgglntcreates.com

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