Educational Philosophy

My original curriculum is designed to enrich young minds with new conceptions of fine arts practices in all disciplines including design, drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, installation, and new media. The projects offer a comprehensive introduction to these modes of expression and provide a survey of new materials and techniques, but most importantly they demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach to the creative process that emphasizes conceptual rigor. In conjunction with each project, we reference modern and contemporary artists and artworks that inspire a fresh perspective on how visual art is conceived and created today.

Certain projects require extracurricular preparation such as bringing in a found object, researching ancestral history, or learning a new technological skill. The amount of work that is purely intuitive is balanced by a substantial amount of technical exercises geared towards developing mastery of fundamental fine arts skills such as drawing and design. Projects such as Imaginary Pet reveal the fluidity of medium in William Wegman’s artwork, as students make wearable art before designing a backdrop for their narrative photographs. In contrast, a brief self-portraiture exercise emphasizes both accuracy and multiplicity, while one design exercise teaches the value of visual communication within a team setting. Concurrent with the curriculum, learning to keep a sketchbook of perpetual ideas and images is essential to the development of an artistic ethic and encourages ease of self-expression. I believe in beginning each creative session with clarity of vision, and sometimes it is helpful to start the class with a guided meditation or deep visualization exercise.

My area of expertise lies in sculpture, installation, and new media, and I feel strongly about exposing all of my students to the history of modern art and contemporary art theory. Specifically, I enjoy examining artists and artworks featured in the PBS Art21 series in addition to studying significant figures in the modern art canon. The importance of viewing and discussing recent exhibitions as a group lies in the discovery of art appreciation and the initiation of critical dialogue. I would like for my students to become familiar with the various collections throughout the year during regular field trips. Collaboration with faculty in both the humanities and the sciences is imperative to understanding and expressing certain concepts in order to engage in a multi-disciplinary approach to learning and teaching.