After being out of teaching for some time to work in the construction industry, and settle into his new Minnesota home with his family, BSM’s new art teacher, Mr. Charlie Zinn, decided that he wanted to get back into the profession this past summer. And when the opportunity to work at BSM came calling, he couldn’t help but take it. 

Mr. Zinn grew up in Colorado Springs and developed a passion for art at a young age.  “Growing up in Colorado, I had access to the mountains and art, and I always enjoyed art. When I was growing up and figuring out who I was, I was always attracted to the arts and identified with it,” Zinn said. 

Zinn attended the Bemis School of Art before studying art in college at Rhode Island School of Design. Zinn moved to Minnesota from Denver in June of 2017. He has been working in construction for a couple of years. “We moved to Minnesota because we have toddlers, and my wife is from Edina so we moved to be closer to her parents. I have been out of teaching for some time, but when I saw the opportunity to teach at BSM, I had to put my name in the hat because Benilde has a great reputation,” Zinn said. 

As of right now, Zinn is teaching Introductions to Drawing and Painting, as well as some 9th and 10th grade art classes. Zinn has experience in a lot of areas of design and art. “I am excited to challenge my students to use materials in unexpected ways, I am excited to work with students to their benefit, and to see them grow, and to have them make art that raises their expectations of themselves and encourages them. I welcome students to my room and to connect and I am happy to connect with the whole community and to be an active part of the extracurricular goings-on,” Zinn said.