ADAM LOVITZ
Meet our upper school arts faculty, Adam Lovitz.
Adam Lovitz
- Role at Shipley
Upper School Art Teacher
Studio Art I, II, III; Senior Seminar; Foundations - Education
BFA, University of Delaware
MFA, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts - Prior Professional Experience
Adjunct Art Professor, Tyler School of Art and Rowan University
Art Handler/Preparator, Institute of Contemporary Art
Historic Architectural Restoration
Admissions Counselor, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
| Are you an exhibiting artist? If so, tell us more about that. |
| Yes. Most recently (June 2025), I exhibited at The Ruffed Grouse Gallery in Narrowsburg, NY. I have shown nationwide, but most extensively in Philadelphia, with more recent exhibitions at Commonweal Art Gallery, Fjord, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Fleisher Ollman Gallery, Space 1026, and Automat Collective. |
| Why did you become an art teacher? |
| Immediately after earning my MFA, I began working as an admissions counselor for an art college. It seemed like a decent way to balance my own studio practice and have a steady job, but I soon realized that mentoring students as they developed their art felt much more purposeful than promoting the school they were interested in. So I set out for my first teaching experiences, and found I had a strong ability to get students excited about making art that they connected to their own values and life experiences, while giving them a new lens to see and experience the world around them. It’s a privilege to support my students’ creative motivations through the encouragement of exploration, play, and self-reflection, as well as helping them find artists they might resonate with to nurture their own direction. |
| What is your teaching philosophy or style? |
| I’ll take playful curiosity and exploratory process over natural talent and outcome-driven work any day. Technical development will grow through sincere engagement with process and working outside of comfort zones. I encourage students to shake away habits that have set in so early, and develop an intuition rooted in creative risk-taking, work ethic, and questioning not only the “hows” but the “whys” when they make creative choices. |
| How would your students describe you? |
| Compassionate, playful, a bit eccentric, and supportive. |
| Do you have any favorite artists, genres, or works of art? Why? |
| Kids’ art — specifically before ego takes complete control and unfettered imagination is the primary motivation. Artists who have dedicated their lives to making art outside of the traditional academic path also tend to interest me; there is a deep quality of urgency, innocence, and profound curiosity found in self-taught artists’ work. Horace Pippin and Forrest Bess are among my favorites within this genre. Hilma af Klint, Tantric art, Anne Minich, Robert Rauschenberg, Jack Whitten, 90s Nickelodeon cartoons, sculptor David Altmejd, and Paul Klee stand out as influences in my own studio at this moment. |
| Fun fact about you: |
| I married my high school sweetheart. |