As curious students walk by the art hallway, they catch a glimpse of a vibrant classroom full of innovative students. We’ve all seen the work of the art students, but what about the man who fosters their creativity? It’s Mr. Graziano. Rather than sticking to traditional art styles, Graziano embraces creativity. He inspires students with his extensive teaching experience and engaging class. Some may consider him a “Renaissance man” by the way he seamlessly transitions between being a teacher, an artist, and a musician.
Graziano can’t remember a time when he wasn’t passionate about art. His mother fostered his love for art, since her job included designing children’s clothes; therefore, their household was always innovative and creative. His appreciation for art flourished, and each time he went to a museum with his mother, he would find something else to love about art. To most kids, museums would be boring, but art and design were almost innate interests to Graziano.
While in high school, Mr. Graziano interned at an animation studio. There, he gained exposure to designs, animation styles, and filmmaking methods. Throughout his life, he has also created silk-screen prints for galleries and museums and spent nine years creating corporate websites. He’s worked for Manhattan Cable Television and at the Queens Museum doing restoration. Now, Mr. Graziano is thinking about the near future and what he will do after he retires from teaching. “Joining a band is one of the things I’d like to do when I stop teaching.”
He bought his first guitar when he was 13. Although playing hurt his fingers, it was his first calling to his love of music. Even when he made mistakes, he didn’t lose hope; instead, his enthusiasm only grew. Although practice doesn’t usually mean perfect, he kept practicing because of his devotion to music. Throughout the years, he began playing the banjo, bass, and tried to play the drums. Playing the drums wasn’t his forte, “I could not use my hands and feet together”.His son took up drumming in the fourth grade, and Graziano appreciates his son’s artistry and enthusiasm whenever he plays. Currently, Graziano loves to practice multiple instruments.
While living in Manhattan years ago, Graziano played with a few bands. He enjoyed performing with his band members at different clubs and small venues in Manhattan and Connecticut. He performed in bands for three or four years before he met his wife. He hopes to join a band again in the future. “That’s one of the things I’d like to do when I stop teaching,”
Graziano has been teaching at Tenafly High School for eleven years. He previously taught at Smith Elementary School after receiving his BA in illustration from The School of Visual Arts, his teaching certificate from William Paterson University, and his master’s in educational technology from Ramapo University. He taught at Smith for 11 years. At THS, he teaches Photography, Digital Art, and Animation.
Graziano found a sharp contrast between teaching elementary school and high school students. At Smith School, it was easier for him to immediately understand the students’ emotions. He could almost read their expressions like a book. On the contrary, it’s harder for him to comprehend what high school students are feeling. Teenagers tend to conceal their feelings better, which makes it harder to help them. “Little kids have lots of little problems, but bigger kids have fewer, yet bigger problems,” he explained. He appreciates the chance to have serious conversations with high school students, rather than listening to elementary students bicker about trivial problems. Mr. Graziano was initially interested in painting and illustrating, which is why he studied at an illustration school. But once he started teaching at an elementary school, he realized that he needed to learn how to create abstract drawings to demonstrate to his students. His joy for abstract drawings led him to create abstract paintings and sculpture, which he found more fun than the paintings he created prior to learning about abstract art.
His art has been displayed in various galleries and museums. Currently, abstract paintings remain among his favorite art pieces to create. Mr. Graziano continues to experiment with different art styles in order to evolve his skills. He loves to “keep learning and trying new things” in order to keep from being bored.
Graziano has persevered through several challenges, but one obstacle for him was finding his own career path and trying not to be somebody else. To him, success didn’t only mean selling tons of paintings. It meant meeting “really interesting people” and having an interesting life due to committing his time to artistic activities.
Graziano’s biggest piece of advice is to “do the best you can in the time you have. Don’t try to follow anybody, because you’ll be second best.” When Graziano expressed his stress about deadlines to one of his teachers, the teacher said, “In two weeks, none of this will matter.” This relaxed Graziano. He learned about the importance of living in the moment. He also encourages his students to pursue their dreams for the love of it, not for fame or for riches.
Mr. Graziano’s entertaining personality is cherished by most of his art students. Teachers have a genuine interest in what they’re teaching. Therefore, it’s important to learn about their background in order to appreciate the efforts they make for their students. Despite the fact that Graziano has enjoyed his 22 years of teaching at Tenafly, he is eager to see what the future holds, specifically for his passion for music.
