Teaching Philosophy
Summary
As an instructor, I seek to engage students, help them develop creative process, and teach them to see medium not as artistic identity, but as a vehicle for content.
My instruction and assignments reinforce foundations material, encourage experimentation, and develop students’ creative process. In the classroom, I focus on formal elements of art, techniques and craftsmanship, as well as communication skills. I also teach students to find inspiration beyond the classroom.
At the end of the semester, I want students to both obtain greater mastery of the formal elements of art, and to be more confident in themselves as artists.
Classroom Instruction
In the classroom, instruction includes demonstrations, individual meetings to discuss in-progress work, critiques, and structured discussions. I often break down my course work into shorter, more frequent demonstrations to help students assimilate new material. I require note taking and ask questions to reinforce their comprehension. I provide structured prompts that both reinforce formal elements and promote experimentation and cross-disciplinary work. I use interim deadlines to help students manage their projects and as an opportunity to meet individually with students. During these meetings, I reinforce formal elements, discuss how they inform content, and help students develop their individual creative process.
I believe public-speaking and writing skills, often neglected in artistic curriculum, are integral to professional development. To strengthen these skills, I ask students to write and present research and reflection papers and encourage students to research artists they are interested in. I emphasize class discussion of completed projects and ask students to run critique. To produce more meaningful comments, I forbid students to use “I like.” Instead, students must say why an image is successful and what elements of are being utilized effectively. Because I want students to have an opportunity to perceive how their work is initially interpreted, I do not allow the artist to present their work before discussion.
Beyond the Classroom
I want my students to develop artistic practices that will continue to inspire them throughout their career. Hearing about other artists’ experiences has been integral to my development, and I believe students need to hear from artists other than myself. I take students to see visiting artist lectures and to galleries on campus. I also want students to learn to look for the many sources for inspiration that surround them, so I organize field trips to non-traditional venues. For example, my most popular field trip is to the Natural Sciences Museum in Baton Rouge, where my students draw from taxidermy specimens to create initial sketches to develop into a finished project.
Summary
As an instructor, I seek to engage students, help them develop creative process, and teach them to see medium not as artistic identity, but as a vehicle for content.
My instruction and assignments reinforce foundations material, encourage experimentation, and develop students’ creative process. In the classroom, I focus on formal elements of art, techniques and craftsmanship, as well as communication skills. I also teach students to find inspiration beyond the classroom.
At the end of the semester, I want students to both obtain greater mastery of the formal elements of art, and to be more confident in themselves as artists.
Classroom Instruction
In the classroom, instruction includes demonstrations, individual meetings to discuss in-progress work, critiques, and structured discussions. I often break down my course work into shorter, more frequent demonstrations to help students assimilate new material. I require note taking and ask questions to reinforce their comprehension. I provide structured prompts that both reinforce formal elements and promote experimentation and cross-disciplinary work. I use interim deadlines to help students manage their projects and as an opportunity to meet individually with students. During these meetings, I reinforce formal elements, discuss how they inform content, and help students develop their individual creative process.
I believe public-speaking and writing skills, often neglected in artistic curriculum, are integral to professional development. To strengthen these skills, I ask students to write and present research and reflection papers and encourage students to research artists they are interested in. I emphasize class discussion of completed projects and ask students to run critique. To produce more meaningful comments, I forbid students to use “I like.” Instead, students must say why an image is successful and what elements of are being utilized effectively. Because I want students to have an opportunity to perceive how their work is initially interpreted, I do not allow the artist to present their work before discussion.
Beyond the Classroom
I want my students to develop artistic practices that will continue to inspire them throughout their career. Hearing about other artists’ experiences has been integral to my development, and I believe students need to hear from artists other than myself. I take students to see visiting artist lectures and to galleries on campus. I also want students to learn to look for the many sources for inspiration that surround them, so I organize field trips to non-traditional venues. For example, my most popular field trip is to the Natural Sciences Museum in Baton Rouge, where my students draw from taxidermy specimens to create initial sketches to develop into a finished project.