Because I believe all people are creative but not everyone feels empowered to create, I approach teaching art as an open, inclusive and accessible process designed to draw out the potential in everyone.
My goal is to enable students to develop a love of creating, an appreciation for what others create and the material and conceptual competencies that facilitate their own artistic explorations. While I prioritize perceptual strategies, which I think are the best foundation for painting and drawing, I encourage students to develop their personal creative vision instead of teaching them my way or the “proper” way to make art. I meet students where they are and work to help them get to where they want to be.
The art classroom should be a positive community of creation built on curiosity, collegiality and trust. More than peers, students should be collaborators in their own growth. To that end, I encourage the exchange of ideas, positive feedback and mutual support—and I value the diversity of students’ identities, experiences and perspectives. Inclusion is fundamental to how I teach and to how I facilitate critiques and group discussions—an approach that has proven effective over 10 years of teaching with students of diverse backgrounds, ages and skill levels.
My goal is to enable students to develop a love of creating, an appreciation for what others create and the material and conceptual competencies that facilitate their own artistic explorations. While I prioritize perceptual strategies, which I think are the best foundation for painting and drawing, I encourage students to develop their personal creative vision instead of teaching them my way or the “proper” way to make art. I meet students where they are and work to help them get to where they want to be.
The art classroom should be a positive community of creation built on curiosity, collegiality and trust. More than peers, students should be collaborators in their own growth. To that end, I encourage the exchange of ideas, positive feedback and mutual support—and I value the diversity of students’ identities, experiences and perspectives. Inclusion is fundamental to how I teach and to how I facilitate critiques and group discussions—an approach that has proven effective over 10 years of teaching with students of diverse backgrounds, ages and skill levels.