Noel Newquist
(Mr. New)
Noel is a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) in the area of Early to Middle Childhood Visual Arts. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Art Education from Flagler College (St. Augustine, FL) in 2006. He has been teaching elementary school art in Madison City, AL, since 2008. He earned a master’s degree in Educational Theory and Practice from Arkansas State University – Jonesboro in 2011, and attained NBCT status in 2018. As a teacher, Noel is known by kids across Madison as Mr. New.
Noel believes that the success of any community is directly related to the intellectual and spiritual growth of its children. Hence, Noel is passionate about working for schools and churches because of their impact on the future of the community. Also, he works tirelessly to improve community awareness of the arts.
Mr. New also has a YouTube channel called Mr. New’s Art Class. As the name suggests, this channel features videos about all things art-related. Through this YouTube channel, Mr. New hopes to teach and entertain viewers from across the globe.
Laura Newquist
Laura has defined herself as an artist from an early age. She started to develop her artistic abilities by the time she attended elementary schools. At that age, she practiced cursive on her parent’s walls, and she learned texture by indenting her father’s newly refinished kitchen table with forks. Laura has received awards from both Panoply Arts Festival and the Madison AL Rotary Club for pieces in crayon and oil pastel.
Laura graduated from the University of Montevallo with a BS in Art, and has since co-founded an art business with her husband, Noel. She enjoys working with a variety of mediums, but most of all she is happiest when creating objects for her husband, children, friends, and family. Therefore, Laura’s art reflects the celebration of familial love, the joy of making something to be used, cherished, or simply enjoyed, and the value of giving of one’s abilities to serve and honor others.
