Artist in Residence for a Day

By Renata Cioth Mulder

Thank you to artist Leah Tinari who inspired us with her visit on April 27, 2022. She shared from her extensive experience in fine art, commercial art and fashion.

Ms. Tinari spoke to students about her love of painting at an early age, the years of study, and long hours on projects. She echoed our growth mindset messages as she candidly told students, “To be good at something, you really have to work at it. “ She described the creative process of first painting portraits in gouache, adding splashes of luminescence and then hand stenciling words around the portrait. The portraits have been published in two books, Presidents and Limitless: 24 Remarkable American Women of Vision, Grit, and Guts.”

The inspiration for Limitless came after Ms. Tinari realized that in her first book there were no females; she felt it important for children to have women role models from a variety of backgrounds and fields. Limitless honors the groundbreaking achievements and incredible impact of 24 extraordinary women and the impact they have had on society, with courage, perseverance, brilliance and passion being at the core of each woman’s success. The book aligns with the Ursuline mission of encouraging students to see their potential as limitless and the ability they possess to be change makers. Ms. Tinari also spent time with the AP Art & Design class, answering questions as well as providing invaluable feedback on student art works.

Ms. Tinari and her work have been featured in many notable publications such as The New Yorker, The Fashion of the Times, Manhattan Magazine, and Elle. Her commercial work includes campaigns with Nike and American Express as well as collaborations with Bergdorf Goodman and Uniqlo. She and her work have also been featured on the Rachael Ray Show, CBS This Morning and Inside Edition.