Stephen Tornero
Emerging Artist: Individual artists whose work within their field has made a significant impact within the discipline over five years or more.
Stephen Tornero is an artist and teacher from Canton, Ohio. While working towards a Masters in Art Education at Kent State University, he had the chance to study weaving and fell in love with this practice. Working in textiles allowed for the combination of vibrant colors, texture, pattern, and transparency that was not successful in other media. Stephen currently teaches visual art and fashion design to 7th and 8th grade students at Plain Local Schools and is an adjunct instructor in Art Education at KSU. While these two practices don’t always intertwine, he believes that a strong art practice and a strong teaching practice enhance each other.
Stephen’s artwork has been shown at galleries and museums in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, winning several awards in the 9+ years creating textiles. For his teaching, Stephen was awarded the “Art Teacher of the Year” award for Stark County, and the “Outstanding Art Teacher” award from the Ohio Art Education Association. He also has curated group shows of textiles for multiple galleries in Northeast Ohio. His goal is to make textiles and crafts visible whenever possible. Stephen teaches Art to middle school students, and Art Education courses at Kent State University
