September Teacher Feature: Mr. Malcore

Sep 28

Sep 28 September Teacher Feature: Mr. Malcore

Photo submitted by Mr. Malcore.

Evan Rosenau

If you’ve taken an art class, there’s a one in three chance you’ve had him, and if you haven’t, then you’ve probably heard the name. It’s only his third year at Hamilton, and he has already become a staple of Hamilton. He’s a photographer, painter, sculptor, art teacher, and September’s Teacher Feature! He’s loved art all his life, graduating with an art education degree from UW-Oshkosh. It's a passion he’s been sharing with students for 12 years. But art isn’t his only passion; any time not devoted to sketching a gorgeous piece is most likely spent with his family, exploring the outdoors. Whether it be fishing, catching frogs, camping, bike rides, building legos, or making art, Mr. Malcore loves spending time with his two kids, Gus and Penelope, whom he shares with his wife, Ashleigh. Read on to learn so much more about the amazing artist who calls Hamilton his home.

What song do you know all the lyrics to?

“American Pie” by Don McLean along with pretty much every Jack Johnson or O.A.R. song.

What superpower would you like to have?

I’m boring and would love to be able to fly, but I don’t like the idea of teleportation because it's too easy. All good things in life are earned, so I would want to be able to fly, not just teleport because it would be too easy to take for granted after a while.

If you won 100 million dollars, what would you buy first?

I would buy land! It's the only thing they aren’t making any more of. I would love to own a large acreage property with plenty of woods and wild places for my family to explore and play on. The house wouldn’t need to be anything huge or fancy—that's not important to me—but being able to walk outside and have wild experiences is something I want for my kids. And…a huge workshop for me. I always seem to have a lot of projects going, so I would love to have a large open area to work on anything and everything with all the amazing tools to create anything I want.

What would your perfect room/classroom look like?

Giant open studio space with access to the outdoors. It would have a “wet” area for creating splashes, messes, paint splatters, etc. We would have a peg board wall with all of the photo equipment neatly organized and hanging for students to use. High ceilings, lots of different types of lighting, plants, and just general “cool stuff.” I would love to have an AMAZING space for my students to explore and play while creating artwork!

What is the weirdest thing you have done to get your students’ attention?

Well, today my Advanced Photography class was practicing taking fast shutter speed photos to capture movement and action, and I let them throw water balloons at me for an hour.

What fictional character best represents you?

That's a tough one. I really wasn’t sure, so I took an online quiz and was an 83% match to Aragorn from Lord of the Rings in personality but a 100% match to Frodo for height.

What Crayola Crayon color are you? (The more specific the better!)

I would be “Screamin’ Green” because I love green. It's a great natural color that can be somewhat soothing but can also be bright and bring the energy! For those who know me, I tend to be a bit loud and excitable.

Are there more wheels or doors in the world?

There are more wheels in the world for sure. Doors last so long, as all they do is swing in and right back out. Wheels (which I’m replacing on my car this week) only last so long before you need new ones, so we go through them much faster than we go through doors. The longest-lasting wheels I know of are on Matchbox cars, but we use wheels for so many things.

What would you change about Hamilton and why?

I think that Hamilton is a pretty great place, to be honest. Many of the issues or concerns students have with Hamilton are concerns felt by students across the country. But if I could make a few changes, I would certainly want Hamilton to be a safe, fun, happy environment for every student that attends this school. Every student should have at least one person, teacher, or figure at school whom they feel comfortable being around, and I hope that all of our students have that here…I also desperately want the Art Department to get a revamp so all of our art teachers can be together.

If you could trade classrooms with any teacher at Hamilton, who would it be and why?

I would trade for Mrs. Farrell’s room because her room is just so fun and unconventional. Sometimes she lets my photography classes use her room, and it is just such a cool environment.

What is your favorite place you've ever visited?

This past summer Ms. Strelow organized an amazing Art Department trip to Europe, and I loved all the places we visited, but I especially enjoyed Florence, Italy and Barcelona, Spain. I highly recommend traveling abroad because it was so enjoyable to see how other countries operate and how different it can be from America.

Where is your dream vacation/place to live? Are they the same?

I think that my dream place to live would be in British Columbia because there are mountains, forests, rivers, and wild places EVERYWHERE there. My dream vacation would absolutely be in New Zealand.

Is the glass half full or half empty?

The glass is definitely half FULL, but it's about to be empty because I don’t drink slowly. I’m a definite believer that life is what you make of it. Each little choice, no matter how small it may seem, leads you down a course. If you ever find yourself unhappy with that course, start making SMALL changes and watch your direction change.

What’s a surprising fact about you that students don’t know?

I grew up playing soccer since I was five years old and still play! I have coached high school boys and girls soccer in the past, and our adult league outdoor team took 2nd place this past summer at Uihlein Soccer Complex. I am also on a hunting podcast with a few friends.

If you weren't teaching, what would you do?

I would really like to be a sculptor. I think that building things using all sorts of materials is really fun and interesting. I think that any job in which you can physically see your progress at the end of the day is satisfying, and building objects that other people desire is a good feeling.

What is your favorite form of art to create? (Photography, Drawing, Painting, etc.)

I really love it all. Using your own photography as a reference for drawing, painting, or sculpting is an excellent way to create really interesting and unique pieces of art.

Finally, what are some of the best art pieces you've created?