mar Schneider

Mar (they/them) is an artist, art historian, educator, and community organizer born and raised in western Kansas. They received a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Art from the University of Kansas in 2014.

Since moving to Philadelphia in 2016, they split their time amongst a variety of interrelated interests. For the last four years, they have worked with children in a range of caregiving, mentoring and educational capacities for students of all ages, including as a PlayArts instructor for Toddler Art Lab and PlaySchool since 2019. In addition to teaching, Mar is also a community organizer in Kensington, dedicated to building solidarity and participating in mutual aid in the name of liberation for all oppressed people. These two seemingly distinct areas of interest are connected to the core idea that care as a practice can be transformative and that building meaningful relationships is essential to the work of shaping a better world. They believe that education is just one of many avenues through which we learn how to treat each other and that the classroom is one place where we can sow seeds of change.

Currently Mar is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Art History and Arts Management at Tyler School of Art with research focused on cultural policy and institutional ethics in art and culture. Their experience as a teacher and organizer informs all of their work by stressing the importance of curiosity, process, flexibility, and play as important elements of not only early childhood education, but also overall community enrichment.