Art(ist) Educator Philosophy:
I Teach, I Believe, I Offer
I teach because I was taught. I teach because of the impact that my former teachers, mentors, coaches and professors had on my life, both personal and professional.
A while ago, I found a quote from John Adams that says “There are two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live.” I believe this is very true. Even if you learn everything you can in school, you still have to know how to function in society. I believe that an effective teacher must have a great understanding of the subject matter being taught as well as underlying knowledge and experience in the field. A teacher's responsibility is to stay current in a field by engaging in research that can improve her knowledge.
I believe students should learn that art can be seen in uncommonly thought places and ways. I also believe that students should learn to find inter-disciplinary connections in and from works of art. Art is a deliberate recreation of a new and special reality that grows from your response to life. It cannot be copied; it must be created. I believe if a student has ideas and imagery, technique will follow.
I refer to my students as critical agents with the dynamic of the classroom structure. I provide information to them in the form of a “design/artist brief” (assignment) and the task they need to complete. This can be done in many ways, but I want to instill the ability to think critically by requiring them to make choices on their own. By thinking critically and applying semiotics to my classroom, I can explore these skills with my students. Having them see their environment and surroundings in a critical way can assist them in finding inter-disciplinary connections. I teach because I was taught and I want others to have the opportunity to be taught.
By looking at art as a science, we can see that in many cases creating art demands exact, specific mixtures as a variety of compounds such as: silica, wax, oils and pigments. Artists develop hypotheses of the results of these combinations and how they will act and react with one another to affect their art. When mixing glazes to fire in wood burning kilns, I have considered absorption rates, catalysts, temperature increasing and decreasing and duration and location in the kiln. Students are scientists and critical agents.
Considering art as mathematical, we can translate the reality of our three-dimensional world into a two-dimensional world. This requires a sense of awareness and subjectivity when considering geometry and shapes, curvilinear lines and linear lines, perspective, space, depth and angles. Many artworks require the artist to apply their skills of measurement and preciseness into their works. Students are mathematicians and critical agents.
When looking at art as a foreign language, both verbal and written, we notice that many of the terms that we use come from a variety of languages. Also, there are many uses of language in work as well as cultural references. Art is the universal language. Students speak a foreign language and art critical agents.
Discovering art as history can be insightful since art reflects the culture, environment, events and political stances for the time and location it was created. History can also be discussed by talking about the progression and advancements of art techniques, tools and technology used throughout time. Students are historians and critical agents.
Art as language arts and communication is evident through the use of stories and the development into fluid narratives. Artist research, brainstorm, formulate, draft, sketch, journal, and create works based upon a big idea or an essential theme. Students are communicators and critical agents.
What I can offer to students is the guidance through this process to find these inter-disciplinary rich connections. By presenting students with content and inquiring them to do the same with me, there can be a constant conversation, full of rich details and philosophical questioning. I encourage students to paint objects as they think them, not as they see them. I can offer students support, guidance and materials they need in their endeavors as critical agents.
A while ago, I found a quote from John Adams that says “There are two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live.” I believe this is very true. Even if you learn everything you can in school, you still have to know how to function in society. I believe that an effective teacher must have a great understanding of the subject matter being taught as well as underlying knowledge and experience in the field. A teacher's responsibility is to stay current in a field by engaging in research that can improve her knowledge.
I believe students should learn that art can be seen in uncommonly thought places and ways. I also believe that students should learn to find inter-disciplinary connections in and from works of art. Art is a deliberate recreation of a new and special reality that grows from your response to life. It cannot be copied; it must be created. I believe if a student has ideas and imagery, technique will follow.
I refer to my students as critical agents with the dynamic of the classroom structure. I provide information to them in the form of a “design/artist brief” (assignment) and the task they need to complete. This can be done in many ways, but I want to instill the ability to think critically by requiring them to make choices on their own. By thinking critically and applying semiotics to my classroom, I can explore these skills with my students. Having them see their environment and surroundings in a critical way can assist them in finding inter-disciplinary connections. I teach because I was taught and I want others to have the opportunity to be taught.
By looking at art as a science, we can see that in many cases creating art demands exact, specific mixtures as a variety of compounds such as: silica, wax, oils and pigments. Artists develop hypotheses of the results of these combinations and how they will act and react with one another to affect their art. When mixing glazes to fire in wood burning kilns, I have considered absorption rates, catalysts, temperature increasing and decreasing and duration and location in the kiln. Students are scientists and critical agents.
Considering art as mathematical, we can translate the reality of our three-dimensional world into a two-dimensional world. This requires a sense of awareness and subjectivity when considering geometry and shapes, curvilinear lines and linear lines, perspective, space, depth and angles. Many artworks require the artist to apply their skills of measurement and preciseness into their works. Students are mathematicians and critical agents.
When looking at art as a foreign language, both verbal and written, we notice that many of the terms that we use come from a variety of languages. Also, there are many uses of language in work as well as cultural references. Art is the universal language. Students speak a foreign language and art critical agents.
Discovering art as history can be insightful since art reflects the culture, environment, events and political stances for the time and location it was created. History can also be discussed by talking about the progression and advancements of art techniques, tools and technology used throughout time. Students are historians and critical agents.
Art as language arts and communication is evident through the use of stories and the development into fluid narratives. Artist research, brainstorm, formulate, draft, sketch, journal, and create works based upon a big idea or an essential theme. Students are communicators and critical agents.
What I can offer to students is the guidance through this process to find these inter-disciplinary rich connections. By presenting students with content and inquiring them to do the same with me, there can be a constant conversation, full of rich details and philosophical questioning. I encourage students to paint objects as they think them, not as they see them. I can offer students support, guidance and materials they need in their endeavors as critical agents.