Teaching PhilosophyArt is the highest form of expression and the result of hard work combined with critical thinking. This involves questioning, exploration, trial and error, revision, and discovery. I wish to impart to my students that art requires patience and diligence. Not every piece will be a success, but one must keep making! For this reason, everything should be considered an experiment; not a mistake or failure, but part of a process. Every work of art brings an artist one step closer, leading somewhere new. My mission is to encourage and empower my students at all levels of study. An inclusive environment creates a positive peer culture, which is essential to the studio. In creating a studio environment that fosters support, respect, and community, I hope that students feel inspired to ask questions and be more confident in their art practice. In the studio, it is important that students learn about a wide array of art making methods and materials. Methods and materials signify specific ideas and can either enhance or diminish what an artist intends to communicate. I introduce different approaches and media to my students so they may find meaning in the properties of their materials or how they are manipulating them, and in turn effectively convey their ideas. It is extremely important to me to be conscientious and acknowledge that certain methods and materials in the visual arts can be toxic and pose significant risks to ourselves, and our surrounding world. Students will learn about the risks of working with certain materials as it pertains to their health and the environment, and will practice proper procedures for handling such substances and equipment. Critiques are valuable to individuals at all stages of their career, whether they are a student or professional artist. These interactions teach students how to expand their visual vocabulary and how to evaluate works of art. As an instructor, I guide discussion and provide feedback, but ultimately expect verbal participation from all students in order to make critique a meaningful and engaging experience. Students will encounter a variety of critique methods in my classroom. As an educator of the arts, my ultimate goal is to ensure that students leave my classroom with greater visual and conceptual capabilities. This includes the ability to truly see and analyze the world around them. I seek to help my students become confident in their problem solving and critical thinking skills. My hope is that students come to understand that there may be more than one solution to a problem, but not view it in terms of "right" or "wrong". Rather, they contemplate what will provide the most interesting and powerful answer. |
Student Work |