Visual Arts at Colorado Academy | Best Private School in Denver

Visual Arts by Division

List of 3 items.

Lower School

Beginning in the Pre-Kindergarten, our young artists work with our experienced art teachers to learn and explore a range of mediums and art practices. Our philosophy is to expose them to the creative process through a thoughtful balance of play-based learning and building of skills.
Middle School

Our Middle School artists are exposed to a range of art classes, and we encourage them to try as many disciplines as they can. In Grade Six, they take part in an arts rotation which includes studio art in two-dimensional and three-dimensional mediums. In Grades Seven and Eight, artists have an opportunity to try a variety of trimester electives, including studio art, graphic design, ceramics, photography, and film.
Upper School

In Upper School, many artists begin to specialize in an area of their choice, while some artists continue to take full advantage of our diverse offerings. Artists that pursue visual arts at an advanced level may apply to the Senior Portfolio program, a renowned experience that allows them to create a body of work that culminates in a Senior exhibit in the Ponzio Arts Center Gallery.
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Learn about the numerous classes offered in the visual arts, including beginning to advanced classes in these areas:
- drawing
- painting
- printmaking
- sculpture
- ceramics
- graphic design
- two and three dimension experimental media
- architectural drawing
- digital art and design
- digital photography
- digital video
- digital special effects
- filmmaking
- yearbook design & production
- Portfolio

CA Visual Arts Faculty

List of 8 items.

Katy Hills

Director of Visual & Performing Arts
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At CA Since: 2009
Connecticut College - BA

Katy Wood Hills, the Upper School visual arts teacher, graduated from Connecticut College with a BA in Art and a concentration in Painting and Drawing. She also studied at Maine College of Art. She was the Museum Educator at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Conn., and she has worked as a full-time artist, selling her oil paintings. Hills has shown her work at several galleries, including The Cooley Gallery in Old Lyme, Conn., and the Vose Galleries of Boston. Hills has taught at CA since 2009. Outside of the art studio, you will find her visiting her home state of Vermont or skiing. Hills also served on the Loveland Basin Ski Patrol for four years.
Octavia Betz

Middle & Upper School Digital Media
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At CA Since: 2022
Albright College - BA
Maryland Institute College of Art - MA

Octavia Betz, before joining CA in fall 2022 as Upper and Middle School digital media instructor, taught elementary and middle school studio and digital art for six years at Aspen Academy in Denver, where she was Visual Arts Chair. Previously, she taught lower school art at the Garrison Forest School in Maryland and at York Country Day School. Betz holds a BA in Art Education from Albright College and an MA in Art and Art Education from Maryland Institute College of Art. She enjoys helping students to find themselves in their work and to cultivate their creative voice. Betz also serves as advisor for students producing CA’s yearbook, Telesis.
Karen Donald

Upper & Middle School Digital Arts/Photography
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At CA Since: 2019
New South Wales University, Sydney, Australia - BAEd

Karen Donald came to CA in Fall 2019 from having taught visual arts, digital media, visual design and information, and software technology in New South Wales, Australia. She designed curriculum and taught in an upper school that offers an International Baccalaureate Diploma in the Visual Arts. She holds a Bachelor of Art Education in Fine Arts, and she studied abroad at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. As a high school student, she was honored with the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, the world’s leading youth achievement award.
Angela Hottinger

Lower School Visual Art
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At CA Since: 2007
University of Denver - BFA
University of Colorado - MA

Angela Hottinger graduated from the University of Denver with a BFA with a concentration in sculpture, and MA from the University of Colorado in Educational Psychology. She completed her teacher training as an intern at Stanley British Primary School. Hottinger has been active in the local Denver arts community since attending DU, through both volunteering on boards and committees of nonprofit groups and working as a professional artist.

Hottinger loves sharing her passion for the visual arts with her students! She began her arts educational career working with the nonprofit organization World Arts Explorers, teaching arts educational programs and running special events around Colorado for the Denver Arts Museum, Larimer Square Partners, Channel 7, Denver Public Libraries, AT&T, and the International Aspen Design Conference. Prior to joining the Colorado Academy Visual Arts Department, Hottinger taught at Bromwell Elementary. In addition, she has taught at Graland Country Day School, Eagle Ridge Elementary School, and the summer programs at Kent Denver.

In her free time, you will find Hottinger socializing, volunteering, creating art, exploring new ideas and places, and most of all valuing the time she is able to spend with friends and family. Her interests include volunteering in the community, traveling, listening to music, reading, making art, and exploring landscapes and cultures.
Alecia Maher

Middle & Upper School Ceramics & 3D Visual Art
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At CA Since: 2018
Brigham Young University - BA

Alecia Maher came to CA in 2018 with 12 years of experience as a ceramics teacher. Maher has taught in schools in the United States and internationally. While teaching at a private school in Nicaragua, she learned how to harvest and process clay and to use natural materials for surface decoration. Maher earned her BA in Fine Art from Brigham Young University and completed a teacher licensure program at Colorado College. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, cooking, and making things with clay.
Becci Marzonie

Middle School Ceramics
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At CA Since: 2019

Becci Marzonie is a professional ceramicist, outdoor educator, and lover of books. Becci began working with the CA Summer Camp Program in 2019. Later that year, she joined the Library Department at CA as Raether Library assistant. In 2020, she began teaching Middle School Ceramics. With more than 15 years experience in making ceramics, she is now able to share her joy and passion for all things clay with students. Becci’s personal ceramics work can be found in shops in Denver, across the country, and online. Outside of the pottery studio you will find her camping, snowboarding, scuba diving, and floating any river she can get a permit for.
Jorge Muñoz

Lower & Middle School Visual Art
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At CA Since: 2019
St. Edward's University - BFA

Jorge Antonio Muñoz-Bedore came to CA in Fall 2019 from the Lancaster School in Mexico City, where he was working as a Primary Visual Arts teacher and a Learning Support teacher since 2016. Prior to his work there, he taught at The American School of Pachuca in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico, and the El Buen Samaritano Episcopal Mission in Austin, Texas. Munoz has taught Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Photography, and Video Production. He is fluent in English and Spanish and has experience as well in French and Italian. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, and studied abroad in Florence. He holds licensure from the University of Buckingham, certification in International Baccalaureate, and Teaching English as a Foreign Language certification from TEFL International in Chiapas, Mexico. He is a graduate of St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin.
Stashia Taylor

Upper School Studio Art & Digital Art
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At CA Since: 2017
Michigan State University - BFA

Stashia Taylor joined Colorado Academy in 2017 as a Visual Arts Teacher with eight years of experience working in both public and private schools across the country. In addition to her work as an art teacher, Taylor has served with Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado & Avid4 Adventure, bringing together her passion for the arts and the outdoors. She has a background in graphic design and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art from Michigan State University in East Lansing. She earned her K-12 Art Education certification from Metropolitan State University in Denver.