Interdisciplinary Artist • Painter
A native of South Africa, Clarabelle Van Niekerk received a B.A. in Early Childhood Education from Bloemfontein Teachers College in 1973 and a M.F.A. from the University of the Orange Free State in 1975. She had done additional coursework in Art Therapy at the Art Centre in Houghton, Johannesburg, and, most recently, completed Language, Movement, and Music in the Classroom, a graduate course at Edinboro University.
She has lectured on art and drama at Zwelitsha Art College in King Williamstown, South Africa, and at Lea’s Learning Lair in St. Petersburg Florida. Niekerk has toured Europe as a cellist with the Free State Orchestra, worked as the founder and director of the London Puppet Theatre, and has been featured in a variety of international exhibitions ranging from South Aftica to Switzerland, Australia, and the United States. She has been a state-rostered interdisciplinary teaching artist for over 10 years.
Van Niekerk is also the winner of multiple awards, including a Grammy for Best Pop Album in 1999 (Ek se Maar Net), the 2008 Perry Cumberland Excellence in Puppetry Award in Philadelphia, and the 2009 Educator of the Year Award from the ARC Center in Meadville, Pa. As the author/illustrator of such books as Understanding Sam and Asperger Syndrome, The Mermaid and the Terrible Urkles, The Revenge, and The Magic Pearl, Van Niekerk’s work has been recognized with the prestigious Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award and the National Parenting Center Seal of Approval.
678 Chestnut Street
Meadville, PA 16335
(814) 853-4167
clarabellev@gmail.com
Clarabelle Van Niekerk’s website
