Instructor/Student Success Statement

Skills like developing a strong work ethic and understanding flexible

boundaries, are imperative to building a solid foundation for a successful career.

Students often come to a classroom with varied interests in mind having only just

opened the doors to their chosen path. A classroom is a place for students to test

these boundaries of the unknown, and have space to fail and learn, becoming a

master of their future craft. As the facilitator, I intentionally choose rigorous

projects enabling the students to test their limits and practice flexibility through

critical concepts and materials. When a student becomes overly challenged, I step in

to assist as needed, guiding them to the next step in the endeavor.

While engaging in a professional art practice outside of academia, I also

utilize the classroom as a studio space, often working side by side with students.

Maintaining my practice alongside students offers them an honest example of

making art. While trouble shooting ideas for my own practice, students can witness

alternative ways of problem-solving in areas such as production of work, writing

proposals, or building portfolios. Working within the same community studio also

allows students to see the excitement creating an object representing an idea that is

greater than the object itself.

When mentoring students with self-doubt, I frequently include stories from

my experience as a student in demonstrations. Making the topic more digestible for

students to grasp. I find it helpful for students to realize that their professor was

once in their shoes; and it is possible to obtain skills in small increments, if they are

consistently working towards a pivotal goal. Including light humor is essential to

guiding students through apprehensiveness when dealing with issues both in the

classroom and personal life. I encourage students to take those emotions and

channel it through their studio practice or projects, to transform it into something

positive. Explaining that using art can be an outlet for frustration or confusion and

has paved the road for many successful artists throughout art history.

Communication and public speaking skills are a key component to

professional success. Having long lasting relationships with peers invested in the art

community is beneficial for each student to grow beyond their academic career.

Using the classroom as a venue for discussion within their cohort, I encourage

students to help each other problem solve, and critique ideas, creating foundations

to meaningful friendships. When working with timid students, I cultivate a group

conversation that initiates dialog, shaping the student’s confidence with their peers.

By the end of their academic journey, students leave the classroom with an

extensive set of skills that will prepare them for professional situations and careers

outside academia. By building their work ethic, confidence, speaking skills,

friendships, and developing a set of conceptual tools each student will find their

own individual artistic language.