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AADL Talks To: Gregory Sipp, Retired Ann Arbor Public School Teacher and Mosaic Artist

Sun, 06/15/2025 - 1:44pm

Gregory Sipp is a retired Ann Arbor Public School teacher with a 35-year career teaching at both the elementary and middle school levels, first at Bryant Elementary, then Allen Elementary, and finally Tappan Junior High (now Tappan Middle School). In his 50s, Greg discovered a passion for mosaic art and dedicated himself to studying the medium and creating portraits, which he still does today. In this episode, Greg chronicles his early years as a teacher in the Ann Arbor Public Schools, highlighting encounters with mentors and colleagues, and the impact of school desegregation. He also takes us on his journey as an artist, discussing several of his mosaic works, the influence of jazz music on his creative process, and a memorable encounter with trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard.

Forsythe Junior High School Art Teacher Joan Montour And Her Clay Mural, May 1966 Photographer: Doug Fulton

Forsythe Junior High School Art Teacher Joan Montour And Her Clay Mural, May 1966 image

Year:
1966

Published In:
Ann Arbor News, May 14, 1966
Caption:
Teacher Makes Clay Mural. Mrs. Joan Montour, an art teacher at Forsythe Junior High, examines a clay mural she complete this week after several months of work. She brought the mural, a street scene of a circus bazaar, to school this week for classroom use.

Read more about Forsythe Junior High School Art Teacher Joan Montour And Her Clay Mural, May 1966
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Annual Ann Arbor Schools Art Show, April 1965 Photographer: Eck Stanger

Annual Ann Arbor Schools Art Show, April 1965 image

Year:
1965

Published In:
Ann Arbor News, April 21, 1965
Caption:
Student Art To Be Displayed. Mrs. Joan Montour (left) and Mrs. Bette Szonyi, Forsythe Junior High School art teachers, examine one of several hundred student art works to be displayed at the Ann Arbor Schools Art Show which opens at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the University's Rackham Building. The show, sponsored annually by the Ann Arbor Art Association, features works by local students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The show will run through May 7 with showings daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.