Thoughts on Teaching

Albert Einstein said, “ It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” For me there is no greater satisfaction then watching a student discover his or her expressive ability. My responsibility, as an educator, is to help my students master the technical and aesthetic skills that will make their artistic goals possible. It is the most natural thing in the world for me to pass on the same knowledge that has given me joy as a working artist, so that students who work with me may also experience the deep gratification of creativity.

Using fundamental elements of design and construction as a springboard to spur creative growth, I assign students a series of challenging problems. I systematically introduce facts, ideas, skills, and techniques while encouraging them to experiment and explore ways to accomplish the parameters of any given assignment, and simultaneously go beyond these parameters to fulfill their own creative mission. This organically leads to the awareness that they can solve any aesthetic or technical problem in a variety of creative ways.

Critiques are a vital component to students’ growth. I’ve come to understand that a successful critique arises out of a safe environment where the students can point out effective solutions, discuss problems/challenges and consider new possibilities. When I provide clear guidelines, which respect each student’s intentions and abilities, the students feel safe enough to take the risks that help them learn the language of art in the context of critical discourse.

On the practical side, I have discovered two strategies that are essential to my teaching style. First, I show slides of previous student work, at the beginning of the semester, because it never fails to get the current students’ creative juices flowing. Second, I assign a research component that instructs them to find artists who fall within, yet also expand, the boundaries of the coarse curriculum.

Through this, I believe, they will come to ponder what Einstein really meant by “awakening joy in creative expression,” with an understanding that creating art happens through the infinite possibilities arising from any given material.