Patti Anne Battaglia, nationally known artist, teacher, 56
By Kevin Dayhoff March 14, 2010 http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2010/03/patti-anne-battaglia-nationally-known.html http://tinyurl.com/y9pdsla http://twitpic.com/19hn4a Labels: Art Artists, Art Artists Battaglia Patti Anne, Art Artists Van Hart Linda, People Tributes http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/310613.html
Patricia Anne “Patti” Battaglia, 56, of Catonsville, a nationally known artist and teacher, died March 13 at home after an extended illness. Battaglia was born October 17, 1953.
She was well known in the Maryland – and Carroll County art community for her unique jewelry, collages, drawing, mixed media, and printmaking.
She participated in McDaniel College’s annual Common Ground on the Hill as an instructor since 1998.
According to the 2009 program for Common Ground, a traditional music and arts festival held at McDaniel College since 1994, in Westminster, Battaglia “recently retired from teaching art in public schools for 30 years in Howard County, Patti has had plenty of opportunity to learn and teach various forms of printmaking…
“She is honored to have one of her original collagraph prints included in the Maryland Printmakers book housed in the Baltimore Museum of Art.”
Walt Michael, executive director and Founder of Common Ground, said “Patti was a stellar member of the art faculty at Common Ground on the Hill from 1998 until just last year.
“Patti's innate talents and artistic flare will be sorely missed by the hundreds of students of all races and ages who spent their summers with her. We will all miss Patti's warm countenance and unforgettable smile, which nurtured everyone she encountered.”
Sara Murphy, friend, and co-owner of “Patrinkets Jewelry,” with Battaglia said, “Our beautiful, incredible, passionate, artist and friend has lost her fight with cancer… She will be missed by many friends, family, students, artists, teachers, and countless others whom she loved during her life.
“Her impact in this world is immeasurable; the ripples in a pond effect. Her teachings and love reach beyond her through those she inspired.
“Patti began making Patrinkets Jewelry out of her desire to adorn herself with original, creative, fun, colorful, magical artistic expressions.
“As an artist, she pushed the limits, continued to explore new possibilities. People were captivated by her presence…”
Murphy and Battaglia began their “collaboration with strengths-in July 2004 (after) we shared a table at Common Ground Music and Arts Festival…
“We were sisters in spirit,” said Murphy, “following instincts from a greater source that told us we were doing the right thing. We never made two pieces exactly the same. We did custom work to suit the individual’s needs; often designing pieces to go with a special outfit or occasion.”
Battaglia attended the Community College of Baltimore County in Catonsville, before earning a Masters degree in Art Education from Towson University.
She was awarded Teacher of the Year, by the Maryland Art Education Association in 1994. She retired from teaching art in Howard County public schools 30 years, in October 2008. She taught elementary art for 16 of those years and middle school art for 14 years.
In addition to Murphy, Battaglia was ‘family’ to so many people, especially her close friends, including Linda Van Hart and Mary Opasik.
Battaglia was also especially fond of her two dogs, which she referred to as her “boyz,” Aussie Sidney, an 11-year-old super sized Australian Shepherd and Berner Frankie, a 7-year-old Bernese mountain dog.
In addition to her handcrafted jewelry and clothing, Battaglia was known affectionately as the “accessory queen.”
In an extensive interview with Stephanie Shapiro for the Baltimore Sun “This teacher of art is a work of art,” on October 3, 1996, Battaglia, whom Shapiro referred to as “A multimedia artist and confessed ‘clothesaholic,” said, “They don't call me the accessory queen for nothing. I collect everything from antique clothes and coats…”
“I designed and made my own clothes in high school. I had a great big carpetbag. My mother never let me wear wild clothes for school. I had one look I went out the door with and another look [in the carpetbag] that showed up at school.”
“Do you remember in particular any outfit that you made?” asked Shapiro.
“I made a really wonderful, sort of salmon-colored satin mini-dress that doubled as a tunic,” responded Battaglia.
“It had bands of piping around the neckline. I wore it to see Jimi Hendrix in concert. I [also] wore that in school with purple elephant leg denim pants. My grandmother showed me how to do rag curls, so my hair bounced up and down while I walked through school. Platform shoes topped off the outfit.”
Van Hart, an art professor at McDaniel College, fellow participant in instructor at Common Ground and lifelong friend of Battaglia’s, said “she was beautiful and kind… I had not planned to spend the rest of my life without my best friend.”
Van Hart and Battaglia met at “a rather dull art education class room at Towson University in the late 1970s.” Battaglia entered the room like “a glowing vision of exotic cinnabar and silk…”
For the next four decades they worked together in the Maryland Art Education Association, Youth Art Month and Program Committee, and National Art Education Association.
In the pursuit of their common-interests in art and art education they traveled all over the United States and the world. They visited places such as Egypt, along with fellow McDaniel art professor Wasyl Palijczuk, Portugal, Jamaica, and “with Spanish oriented trips to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico City, San Miguel de 'Allende and Taxco on the Frida (Kahlo) trail.”
In between teaching in Howard County public schools, Common Ground and the Maryland Institute College of Art; Van Hart says, “We sandwiched art "happenings" at Howard County Arts Center and installation's for Maryland Art Places' Hair Ball sponsored by John Waters with the United Art Workers: John Sosnowsky, Kevin Dayhoff, Cathy Leaycraft, Dan Shapiro and Bobby Waddell…”
According to Van Hart, Battaglia’s “favorite subjects to teach were Japanese fish printing, collagraph printmaking, collage, assemblage, and funky junque jewelry.
“Many of the best art teachers in Maryland polished their passion for teaching art in her classroom (as student teachers.)
“She has been my best friend for over half my life. Patti is an awesome artist and an unforgettable woman.”
Battaglia was the beloved daughter of Lucy Battaglia-Witherspoon (nee Levasseur) and the late Salvatore Battaglia, loving companion and soul mate of Bill Murphy, and dear sister of Timothy, his wife Maureen, and their daughter Jessica; Michael and his wife Allison; and Gregory and his wife, Tracy and their sons Michael and Alex.
Viewing will be held at Weber's Funeral Home, 5311 Edmondson Ave, Baltimore, on Thursday and Friday March 18 & 19 from 2-5pm and 7-9pm.
A funeral service will be Saturday March 20 at 10am at Our Lady of Victory Church, 4414 Wilkens Ave, Catonsville, followed by burial at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, 200 East Padonia Rd, Timonium 21093.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Defenders of Animal Rights, 14412 Old York Rd, Phoenix, MD 21131
Note, the writer was one of Battaglia’s art partners in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
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