Teaching Philosophy
My Teaching Philosophy is a classroom mission statement.
I accept, connect with, and then challenge all of the students that I work with. Learning to listen is always the primary goal in the classroom. Listening is the primary exercise.
Everything is changeable and flexible, except deadlines.
Multiple interpretations are always valued in the classroom. Changing perspectives and diverging viewpoints are welcomed. Students are greatly encouraged and ultimately required to revise and revamp work until it is complete.
I enter the classroom with an open mind, ready to learn. This is a form of behavioral learning I demonstrate in all circumstances. In-class discussion is the foundation for in-class critiques. Students are individually encouraged to participate in class discussions and critiques.
Everyone in the classroom is an equal.
Discussions on any subject related to art are acceptable as long as they exist in the realm of mutual respect. Looking at artists for inspiration and ideas is good; looking to the world at large is better. Re-evaluating the art process is emphasized. Students will always reevaluate their work’s visual and auditory subtext in considering the use of Space and the character of Time as elements.
Art is a language of identity, and as such identities are considered in a creative context.
Evaluation of trends in culture, new media practice, alternative spaces and the gallery/museum are essential elements of classroom modality. Dialogues in media and visual language (the intonation, text and narrative of work) are core content areas for considering new media practice and presentation.
When students engage with technology there is a process of correspondence that colors the result - a loss in translation. This will constantly be considered and questioned throughout the process in relation to the artist’s intent. Technology is one (albeit primary) element in the process of consummating an idea. This systematic cataloging of voices operates to describe the artist’s work and to ultimately encapsulate the artist’s vision.
Cognition, the audience’s process of awareness, and the work’s inclusion within contemporary, personal, sublingual, cultural, and social constructs is essential in transforming work and evaluating its successfulness. Visual language emphasizes these subtle elements over the didactic and utilizes them to obtain transformative power.