Finding Your Passion At Westminster

Jay Hartmann saw firsthand the impact of his education at Westminster Schools of Augusta in 2017 while teaching high school AP art students as a part of his Master of Arts in Teaching degree at Pepperdine University.

“I saw many students find their passions, learn to better understand themselves and each other, and grow in ways they had not expected – all in a safe environment that valued their ideas, their perspectives, their struggles and their passions,” said Hartmann, Class of 2012.

Hartmann credits his ability to help his students discover their artistic drive through his experience as one of the first students to enroll in Westminster’s inaugural AP art class in 2011 as a junior. Vivian Hornsby, art teacher in the middle and upper schools, helped bring the course to Westminster.

“In Mrs. Hornsby’s AP class, I really found my passion for art,” Hartmann said of the course.

Hartmann says his interest in art started in middle school when he took up drawing in part as a way of managing his attention deficit disorder.

“It seemed like a natural next step for exploring my interest in art at the time,” Hartmann said of Westminster’s AP art class.

Today, Hartmann’s artistic drive is thriving. He recently started the MFA in Painting program at Tyler School of Art and Architecture. His art has appeared in exhibitions at the Weisman Art Museum and New York Studio School, where he was recognized for his work.

To view, his work visit jayhartmann.squarespace.com.