Exclusive Interview with Mrs. Nogay

This is Mrs. Nogay, New Castle Senior High’s art teacher.  Mrs. Nogay was born and raised in West Pittsburgh. She attended New Castle School District from elementary through High School.  After high school, she decided to further her educated by attending Edinboro  University and there she received a degree in Art Education with a concentration in Art History and child psychology.  After graduating from college she decided to come back home and apply here at New Castle High School for the art teacher position. She’s been working here and ever since, for the past 17 years. Mrs. Nogay was married in 2006, and has two children.  During Mrs. Nogay ‘s free time she enjoys gardening, drawing portraits, and cooking, but not baking! Here are few questions I had to chance to chance to ask Mrs. Nogay.

Question #1: When did you first realize you had a talent in art?

Answer: I’m not sure I ever had an AH-HA moment regarding a talent in art, I just knew at a very young age that I loved creating art, listening to music, and dancing.  I remember being right-brain oriented (focuses on aesthetics, feeling, and creativity) from a very young age.

Question #2: What’s your favorite type of art to create?

Answer: My favorite type of art to create is dependent on my mood.  If I’m feeling energetic and full of motivation I might start an abstract painting.  If I’m feeling focused and relaxed I might do a pencil portrait.  Overall my favorite medium to use is charcoal and/or traditional photography, but both of those take large amounts of time, which tends to limited nowadays.

Question #3: Did you always want to be an art teacher or did it change? If so, what did you want to be originally?

Answer: I always wanted to be an art teacher.  There was a time for a year or so, I was considering art restoration hinting the reason my degree has art history attached.

Question #4: Where there any teachers who inspire you art wise?  If so, explain. What did they do?

Answer: Of course! My high school art teachers, Mrs. Zona and Mrs. Anderson. I wouldn’t be here without them. Literally.  They were the ones to inform and support me when interviewing for the New Castle art teacher position.  They gave me freedom to express myself in a safe environment along with teaching technically sound drawing and painting techniques.

Question#5: What school did you go to when studying to become an art teacher?  Do you wish you could’ve went somewhere else?

Answer: I originally wanted to attend Kent State, but couldn’t for financial reasons. However my second choice was Edinboro University which wasn’t just a school for highly trained art teachers, but it also had a strong art department at an affordable price.

Question#6: Are there any aspects about art that you don’t particularly like and why?

Answer: I don’t like how people expect art to be whipped up real quick, everyone wants instant gratification nowadays.  Art is the complete opposite, it is a problem-solving process.  Creating requires patience, brainstorming and self-critiquing. Then you are able to create the piece.

Question#7: If you could go back and do it all over again would you still be an art teacher and why?

Answer: Yes, I’m not sure what else I would have done, I’ve never really considered anything else outside of visual arts.

I’ve had the pleasure of having Mrs. Nogay as my art teacher for the past two years and shes’s taught me many new things about art. I hope you enjoyed this interview, learning more about Mrs. Nogay.