Teaching Philosophy
A young artist who enters college enters a world of immanence. I am a teaching artist because I want students to be fluent in their own artistic voice. Students need a practicing artist who can provide the survival strategies that I have accumulated through my experience in the arts. A student will often times come to my class very talented in their craft but inexperienced on how to give their ideas a strong and lingering voice. Every artist communicates through their art practice. Visual artists may not directly communicate a message via text or language, but if they do, the language is but a portion of the whole. Developing a finesse with self-expression through art, writing and modeling ideas and learning how to justify a life in the arts are all instrumental in the metamorphosis of the student artist.
I integrate digital artists and social technologies into the classroom in order to metamorphose what I consider the traditional art practice. Utilizing ELLO.co and DISmagazine for example allows students to investigate new media and implement experimental technology into their practice. By witnessing the sole and collaborative work of artists such as Penelope Umbrico, Ryan Trecartin and Cory Archangel to name a few, my students are exposed to what I consider “bleeding edge” art practices. I also integrate critical theory into class discussion and art creation. Critical theory allows for students to familiarize themselves with the metaphysics of the world and the many systems that exist and affect the populations which they may be a part of. This combination ultimately allows for the student to utilize contemporary technology for the production of art and the enhancement of social exchange.
Discipline is fostered in my classes by first picturing the end result, such as the completion of a narrated video, along with understanding how not to panic. I deconstruct the phrase “You can only do what you can” in order to teach my students how to balance their workload when it comes to perfection and pleasing others. “You can only do what you can” means that students cannot please everyone (including parents) and fully immerse themselves in the process of becoming artists at the same time. Perfection at an undergraduate level often times consists of the absolute need for straight A’s. I derail this mentality, emphasizing value on the process of inner self growth. Inner growth is the key in becoming a great artist, and I teach my students how this cannot be learned in a day, by watching Youtube, or by searching Wikipedia. It involves a combination of electrate dialogue, endless experimentation, continued art production and realistic project schedules.
With these past statements said, I am not a pushover, nor an ultra-rigid professor. I treat my students as if they were younger versions of myself and my old colleagues. I help them as I was helped by my professors and mentors. The art making process by definition creates in itself a provenance, a trail of where one has come from and how far they have gone, providing a glimpse into the possibilities of where they are going. Working as a teaching artist lays the groundwork for others, helping morph new artists that will take on the future of the arts. By combining a students learned survival strategies, artistic voice and existing talent, I prepare the next generation of artists to incorporate critical theory and contemporary technology in order to be great communicators of the arts.