Teaching
I foster course communities where peculiarity is celebrated and nuance is explored. In a world saturated with pictures and things, fundamental questions regarding the agencies of culture are tempting to avoid. To balance these limitations, I help students savor and digest the multiple dimensions of their daily experience. My students delight in imagery and objects critically, rather than passively consuming media. Intentionally complicating students’ understanding of studio practices, I introduce my classes to a wide range of contemporary and historical culture-makers. I hope to obfuscate their assumptions regarding their programs (and future careers) in order to further challenge them towards their own particular vocational interests and abilities. Many art programs have recently endured friction between emergent digital technologies and more traditional processes. There need not be such a distinction; young artists should be offered a variety of skills. As students’ technical facilities improve, they discover how unique aspects of processes strengthen ideas and forms. As a multi-disciplinary artist, I balance my classroom between standardized measures for the whole class and individual learning plans for each student. I enjoy guiding students throughout the duration of a term. I strive to offer each student challenges tailored to her/his particular goals by accessing needs and tracking progress. Students bring a wide range of perspectives, interests and interpretations to the studio. While this diversity creates rich discussions of our globalizing world, the means of expression for idiosyncratic voices offered by the Arts is increasingly important as cultures grow more homogeneous. Within my classroom, students pursue their own passions, mine their experiences and develop their own perspectives on the world. Successful students utilise art methods and content learned across life experiences, providing deep individual investment and supporting trans-disciplinary learning. This results in stronger thinkers, more involved artworks and a classroom full of distinct descriptions. |
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