Mary Rutkowski

Mary grew up in Wisconsin where she spent much of her time in the woods, on the lake, and making art from found materials. She brings her love of the outdoors to her art teaching through materials, processes, and subjects.

Her first experience with charter schools was student teaching at Alliance Community school in Milwaukee, which was founded to create a safe space for students of all backgrounds and identities. During that time period she also curated youth art shows and hosted free art classes at the local community center. She has been helping to build FernLeaf’s art and outdoor ed programs since the school’s opening.

Mary is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, where she majored in Art Education through a Social Justice lens. When she is not busy with teaching, she can be found making art, tracking the bloom dates in her home garden, looking for moths and butterflies, and doting on her beloved cat and dog.