Ulli Kampelmann

I was born and raised in Halle an der Saale in East Germany; a city steeped in culture and a center for education reform and innovation for centuries.

I grew up surrounded by highly educated and well-cultured individuals and developed a drive and a passion for a swift and effective application in life of all I learned. I had little patience for pure academics nor for following the well-beaten path. I began teaching and mentoring other kids when I was ten. From my classroom at school, I built groups of kids where I arranged that the more advanced students helped those who were struggling in their studies. Starting when I was twelve and for the next few years, I created and led groups of kids where I taught craft-works and took them on field trips much like you find in the Boy scouts and Girl scouts in the USA.

Because my father was one of the very few who owned his own business within the East German society, and because we attended church (also frowned upon) everyone in my family was considered seditious. (And in fact, we were.)

As a result, my siblings and I were forbidden to attend university. Nevertheless, my father finagled an audition for me at the renowned Saxon-Anhalt Teaching University in Halle. All of the successful methods, systems and philosophies developed by the most renowned educationists over the last many hundreds of years are taught and applied during one's education there. Even though 95% of that school's applicants are turned away, I won a position as well as a partial scholarship to attend. Four years later I graduated as a Master of Education.

I received a teaching position at a local school and taught Language, Math and Art. My students uniformly loved my teaching but the school administrators had a strict (and to me-ludicrous) education system they chose to follow. Due to my antipathy for communism, I could no longer tolerate the restrictive and irrational environment so I escaped to West Berlin. I took up teaching again but to my dismay, I discovered that the system of education in West Berlin was also full of arbitraries so I quit, studied philosophy for one year and then moved to Muenster, returned to university there and continued my education in Graphic Art and Sculpture.

A few years later I moved to Stuttgart, opened my first art studio and began building my reputation as a professional artist. Based on my unique art style I received great commissions right from the start such.