Mission Statement
"Without emotion, art is lifeless; without intellect, art is shapeless."
- Charles Johnson
My mission in teaching art is to challenge young minds to looks at things critically from multiple perspectives. Encouraging students to think creatively allows them to expand what they thought was possible. Art is an academic pursuit as much as it is a respite from the other rigors of day-to-day school life. My goal is to support each student from their present level of art proficiency and guide them towards attainable milestones in their development. I intend to provide a safe and inclusive classroom environment that supports social-emotional learning and respects the diversity of all students' backgrounds and life experiences.
Teaching Philosophy
"If you think good work is somehow synonymous with perfect work, you are headed for big trouble. Art is human; error is human; ergo, art is error."
Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland
No matter the age level of my students, I have seen many of them fall into the trap of harsh self criticism. If we aim for perfection we will never be satisfied. I intend for my students to be satisfied in the process of artmaking and the experience of growth. Each day we try to be a little better than the day before. However, sometimes things do need to get a little worse before they get a little better. Everyone sets the bar in slightly different places. It is natural part of life to compare ourselves others. I would like for my students to learn from their differences rather than to compare and despair.
The Transitive Property of Equality states that if A=B and B=C then A=C. In the case of this Bayles and Orland quote Art = Error. I would like to use this quote to motivate my students to be more tolerant of their own mistakes and more accepting of the unexpected places their work might go. Rather than beginning with a rigid preconceived idea of what their artwork must be, they might allow themselves to embrace the imperfection.