| Sue Hinkel grew up in Oklahoma where she lived in several different
towns until her family settled in Cushing. In 1962 she received a Bachelor
of Fine Arts from Oklahoma State University and a lifetime teaching certificate
in Art for Kindergarten through 12th grade. After getting married in 1962
Sue and her husband John moved to the St. Louis area where they still live
(First in Kirkwood then in Pacific). For several years she substituted and
taught summer classes for such places as the Kirkwood School District, Ladue
School District, The Lewis and Clark Summer Institute, and Forest Park Community
College. In 1980 she was selected to participate in Kirkwood School's Project
T.E.L.L. (Teaching English through Living Language), and her journey began.
Project T.E.L.L. basically involved teaching English through storytelling and
puppetry and here Sue got her start in storytelling. In 1981 she was selected
as the Art teacher for New City School in St. Louis. Where she produced several publications illustrated by
the schools students (Don't Throw the Peas, A Child's Eye View of Missouri
Botanical Garden and A Child's Eye View of Forest Park), was special events
coordinator, and rediscovered ceramics. In 1984 she received her Masters in
the Art of Teaching from Webster University. In 1986 she was hired
by the Mehlville School District and remains there at present. In 1990 she took
a class in Glass working and found that she could take her expertise in ceramics
and use with a new medium, the fusing and slumping of glass. In 1997 she received
her certification for teaching Gifted Children. Besides teaching in the Mehlville
School District, currently she teaches a course at St. Charles County Community
College: Art for Children. Is the Artistic Director of the entertainment stage
for Kirkwood's Folk Life Festival and Executive Director of MO-TELL the Missouri
Storytelling Organization.
Through out here artistic career Sue has done several different things, from
painting to ceramics to Jewelry making before finally settling on glass work.
She has participated in several group exhibitions and juroried shows. She had her first one-woman show of glass at the
Elliot Hall gallery in Jamaica Plain, MA. Since discovering glasswork she has
run several workshops on slumping and fusing glass.
Other accomplishments include receiving the St. Louis Distinguished Service Award in 2003.
Being the keynote speaker at the Missouri Art
Educators Association 2000 meeting, entitled "Storytelling in the Art Room".
In 1995 She was selected Elementary Art Teacher of the Year in 1995. She was
nominated for Teacher of the Year in 1992. She has two audio recordings of her
storing telling, Stories Drawn from Home and Stories of the Ancient World (with
Ron Adams). The latter of which was done for the St. Louis Art Museums' access
kit Art of the Ancient world. She is currently working on a third recording,
"Stories of Art and Artists". She also has several videotapes featuring her
storytelling, which include lesson plans.
For Sue, her Art Glass is a journey into the world of creativity. She goes there
to see dreams, discover, explore and met challenges. Each creation when it comes
out of the fire comes with a life and story of its own. Her goal is to have her
creations speak to all.
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