RED CLIFFS, GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

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May 31, 2026

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Notre Dame Prep educator selected for international artists symposium in Germany; experience at historic North Sea archipelago reflects commitment to global learning and faculty development.

When Val Perlleshi traveled to Helgoland, a small German archipelago in the North Sea known for its dramatic red sandstone cliffs, maritime history and longstanding artistic tradition, she was not simply attending an international artists symposium.

She also was gathering experiences and creative insight she plans to bring directly into the classroom at Notre Dame Prep.

Perlleshi, head of visual arts and makerspace for Notre Dame Prep’s middle school, recently was selected to participate in the internationally recognized Painters’ Symposium hosted by the Helgoland Museum in Helgoland, Germany. The symposium brings together artists from around the world to paint the island landscape in plein air while engaging in collaborative critique, workshops and cultural exchange.

The opportunity represents another example of Notre Dame Prep encouraging faculty members to pursue meaningful professional and creative development experiences that ultimately enhance student learning within the school’s International Baccalaureate framework.

“The students here are incredible and inspire me every day with their creativity and ambition,” Perlleshi said. “I am very grateful to be here and feel that my talents and ideas are not only accepted but encouraged.”

A place shaped by history and art

Located roughly 40 miles off Germany’s northern coastline, Helgoland has long occupied a unique place in European history and traditions. The archipelago, administratively part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, has changed hands between Denmark, Britain and Germany over centuries and endured significant destruction during World War II before being rebuilt.

Today, the island is known for its striking coastal landscape, maritime rituals and vibrant arts customs. The Helgoland Museum emphasizes such through exhibitions, historical preservation efforts and international artists symposia designed to connect contemporary painters with the island’s environment and cultural identity.

Perlleshi said the symposium’s emphasis on landscape, memory and shared artistic practice aligned naturally with themes that have influenced her own work for years.

“This originally was brought up to me by a successful artist and mentor I connected with years ago, Ben Kamili, who currently works and resides in Germany,” she said. “I followed the application process, which is standard for any residency program.”

According to Perlleshi, the Helgoland Museum administration reviewed artist submissions from around the world before selecting participants for the symposium.

“They reviewed my application, spoke with Ben Kamili, who was my recommendation, and then offered me the chance to join,” she said.

Perlleshi originally was scheduled to participate in the symposium’s fall session but later was moved into the May symposium.

Connections across countries and cultures

For Perlleshi, the experience extended beyond painting.

“It is an incredible experience being able to connect with artist from around the world,” she said. “The people of Helgoland are very friendly. Often times residents or even German tourists would stop and speak with us about our work.”

Artists participating in the symposium represented several countries, including the Netherlands, Italy and Canada. Days often began at sunrise and stretched late into the evening as participants painted throughout the island.

“We’d get up at seven in the morning, eat breakfast, paint until 5 p.m., eat dinner, and then paint again until 9:30,” she said. “The island, although fairly small. has so much energy and has two different levels, so we’d spend most of our days going from one level to another and somehow, we would never get tired. It was incredible.”

Perlleshi said the collaborative environment created opportunities for artists to learn from one another through constant observation and critique.

“All of us artists would paint together and give each other feedback,” she said. “So being able to see them work and also have them see me work was an experience I haven’t had before. In my own practice, it helped me to freely work with a new perspective.”

She also found herself increasingly drawn to the island’s historical significance and relationship to place.

“It was really about connecting with the land and what the island means not only to the people of Helgoland, but to the history of Europe,” she said.

That relationship between land, memory and artistic interpretation has been central to Perlleshi’s academic and artistic journey dating back to her undergraduate studies in art history.

During college, she received scholarship funding to travel to Albania to study archaeological sites and ancient ruins in Butrint and Apollonia.

“This is where my interest in land and memory really began to take place,” she said.

Building the next chapter of NDP’s middle school arts program

Perlleshi eventually returned to Michigan from New York before joining Notre Dame Prep for the 2025-26 school year.

At NDP, she is helping shape an evolving middle school arts and makerspace program designed to give students broader exposure to creativity, innovation and interdisciplinary problem-solving.

After a recent discussion about the future of the program with middle school principal Brandon Jezdimir, Perlleshi said the goal became clear: expand makerspace coursework beyond traditional art instruction and further integrate STEM-focused learning.

“We agreed that molding makerspace into a STEM-based class would allow a wider range of classes and programs for the students,” Perlleshi said.

“Rather than functioning solely as an art-centered environment, the makerspace program would also be structured around architecture, engineering and science, and how those concepts can relate back to art and design,” she added. “I think eighth graders being able to take a class like this really opens their minds to critically analyze problems and create solutions.”

The vision reflects the broader goals of an IB World School education, where inquiry, creativity, global awareness and interdisciplinary learning are central to the student experience.

For prospective families, programs such as these demonstrate the depth and breadth of opportunities available to middle school students at Notre Dame Prep, including some that may not always exist at similarly sized schools.

Perlleshi said she also hopes students come to view artistic skill not as something reserved for a select few, but as something that can be developed through instruction, practice and confidence.

“There is a common misconception that certain things can only be done with talent, and I want to show students that drawing and painting are also something that can be learned at all levels,” she said.

“It is an incredible feeling seeing a student light up when they draw something that they formerly believed they could not do. They simply needed the right tools and guidance.”

Preparing students for a global future

Experiences such as the Helgoland symposium ultimately strengthen the connection between classroom learning and the wider world students will encounter beyond NDP’s campus.

By engaging internationally with artists, historians and communities connected through art and culture, Perlleshi said she hopes to encourage students to think more broadly about their own futures and creative potential.

“Art, as fun and relaxing as it can be, is important for the soul,” she said. “It creates a connection with our creative side, boosts confidence, and allows for exploration.

“Experiencing each students’ artistic journey on a daily basis is such an honor and brings me immense fulfillment and joy.”

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.