Teaching Philosophy

 I aspire to provide my students with wide range of ideas about art, design and art history framing concepts within a social, cultural, and historical context. I engage students in a discourse about the relationship of form and content, expect critical thinking, and build upon students' understanding of a broad variety of methodologies and practices including contemporary and new technology. Contemporary art students need exposure and access to training in other disciplines such as photography, video, painting, drawing, ceramics and sculpture along with new technologies such as 3d modeling and printing. 

 

My courses and curriculums are designed to be mindful of diverse learning styles, including oral presentations, readings, hands-on demonstrations, video screenings, field trips, writing assignments, visiting artists, and collaboration. I work to create a climate where my students feel safe and comfortable sharing their work, while the entire class benefits and learns from that process. I believe that an effective teacher is not an authority figure but a facilitator, a filter and a guide following a flipped classroom methodology. 

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The goals for my students are to learn ways to closely observe the world, accurately interpret details, and integrate their ideas into the materials introduced in each assignment. The process of researching, brainstorming, and creative and technical problem-solving are actively accomplished through learning the elements and principles of art and design, developing critical thinking, and exploring a variety of materials and processes. I always emphasize classroom safety through practice of the proper use of materials and equipment in the studio.

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For each course, students create preparatory drawings and use a blog to discuss the work they are planning on producing, and show supporting imagery of other artists and artworks. The class gets to discuss the merits of the idea in process, emphasizing experimentation and iteration. For critiques, I encourage preparation and professionalism. Moving beyond the classroom is an interesting challenge when possible relationships between artwork and site are explored. I account for different conceptual and technical skill levels in my students. Work is often graded more on individual advancement than in comparison between students. 

 

My goal is for students leaving my classes is to have extended their theoretical and practical knowledge of the material covered, and to develop confidence and insight into their own creative practice.