Ambassador

Denise Webb is a visual art teacher, artist, and designer who is passionate about elevating student voices through the medium of visual art. She gets most excited about introducing students to new artists and techniques and opening the door to new opportunities to grow as visual artists and storytellers. As a working artist, experimentation with materials drives Webb’s artistic journey, and she includes a focus on process and "play" in her teaching. She provides a safe classroom environment where students have the freedom to make mistakes, experiment, express their ideas, and gain confidence as they learn to express their ideas in a visual format. Webb believes in the power of art—to communicate in ways words cannot, to impact social change, to teach empathy, and to connect students with the world around them. She is a National Board-Certified teacher who has taught Visual Art and Graphic Design at Pleasure Ridge Park High School for 15 years. Webb earned her MAT/Art P-12 and Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) at the University of Louisville. Before teaching, she was co-founder of the graphic design firm Montage Creative, where she designed marketing and print materials for museums, universities, and corporate clients. In 2016, a visit to the National Portrait Gallery during the NGA Teacher Institute reignited her passion for creating portraits. She has since produced over 200 portraits, including a series of 10 artworks for the project WOC Frontlines, featuring women of color on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Webb continues to use the art of portraiture to make connections and promote unity among people from diverse experiences and backgrounds, and this carries forth into her classroom.