WCS Fine Arts Department welcomes Resident Artist Duarte Brown.  This residency is made possible by the Ohio Arts Council’s Teach Arts Ohio grant.  Since 2016, Duarte has been sharing his expertise as an artist, mentor and Whitehall community member. 

Richard Duarte Brown, known as Duarte, is a master artist with the TRANSIT ARTS Youth Arts Program and the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education's Art in the House Program.  For more than 30 years, Duarte has dedicated his talents to helping young people in Columbus through countless programs including CAPACITY (CAPA's Youth Arts Program), the Short Stop Youth Center, the King Arts Complex, Ohio Alliance for Arts Education's (and formerly GCAC's) Artists-in-Schools program, GCAC's Children of the Future, Ebony Boys, Art Safe and VSA Ohio.  Duarte has also worked as a high school art instructor at the Arts and College Preparatory Academy in Columbus.  His murals can be seen throughout the city bringing comfort and inspiration to countless viewers.  Many of his students have gone on to college and careers in the creative industries and many others have simply become important contributors to the well-being of our community by embracing their responsibilities as parents, audience members, arts consumers and more.  Duarte has the special gift of engaging people from all backgrounds and bringing them together through his creative spirit.  

LEARNING TABLE: Learning from those we teach. 

“I found out right away that in order for me to establish a relationship with students it was very important to appeal to them with the culture of honor. I honored them as potential learners no matter where they appeared on the cultural, social, behavioral, or economic measurement curves.  I discovered that labels meant to identify and distinguish could become barriers for each student as well as the teacher. So I have found it necessary to look past the label and get to know the person.”  -- Richard Duarte Brown