Art Ed Geek Teaching for Artistic Behavior at Plymouth State University and Beyond

Education is often a vital pathway for social mobility and economic opportunity in the United States and beyond. As a first generation college graduate, daughter of a schizophrenic mother, and someone who grew up below the poverty line – this is something I truly understand. In 8th grade, we did a project that was aimed at helping us identify our strengths and possible career paths. As an extrovert, oldest of 6, and someone who lived, breathed, and processed through art, I scored well in the categories of Teaching and Art & Design. This was the moment I knew I wanted to devote my life to art education, and my first glimpse at a path out of Section 8 Housing. 

The foundation of my pedagogy was set during my student teaching placement at the McKinley Preparatory High School. McKinley Prep is a Boston Public High School offering a therapeutic alternative education for students with emotional, behavioral, and other learning exceptionalities. Many students at McKinley have been marginalized by systemic inequalities based on race, ethnicity, class, and language. It was my own lived and shared experiences concerning poverty, mental health, and substance use, paired with my interest in alternative education that guided me in choosing McKinley as my placement. These experiences have led me to place and hold inclusion, diversity, and equity at the forefront of my teaching practice. 

Cultural competency is a lifelong endeavor, and one that I actively pursue. When designing curriculum I think about how I can use culturally-responsive and antiracist pedagogy to meet the needs of my students and further their cultural understanding. At all levels, K-12 and Higher Education, we discuss implicit biases and how we can own that, and work towards cultural competency. One example of this kind of work is the Narrative Series done in my Digital Photography I course. Before we start this series, we watch the film Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People, as well as a pre-screening video and discussion on implicit bias. Students then do several mindmaps on social issues that connect with their personal identity and choose one to explore as their concept. 

In each position held, the studio classroom has been a place where students gain new perspectives, breakdown stereotypes, implicit biases, misconceptions, and leave as more culturally competent and socially engaged artists/citizens. Through art-making students learn about high expectations, discipline, craftsmanship, goal setting, and how to cultivate a positive work ethic. Through prompts, mentoring, demonstrations, and the sharing of ideas, students discover their unique voice, and gain the skills necessary to express their interests, views, and concerns through artmaking. In all of classes and programs, all activities and projects are opportunities to prepare students for success as proponents of social justice in an increasingly diverse and interconnected world.   

For the past 12+ years I have used Teaching for Artistic Behavior and Studio Thinking methodologies to create learning environments where students’ needs, artistic goals, strengths,  and various forms of intelligence are the driving force behind instruction. Students are encouraged to experiment, make mistakes, play, take risks, cultivate open-mindedness, and recognize problems both formal and conceptual. The importance of process and its relationship to product is emphasized while still honoring traditional practices, craft, and technique. Creative choice, coupled with responsive teaching naturally promotes differentiation of the curriculum and culturally-responsive pedagogy, resulting in an authentic studio practice. I meet each student where they are and guide them toward growth and individual success. 

In each K-12, community education, and art teacher education placement, I strive to ignite a creative spark in each of my students.  Emphasis is put on strengthening one’s visual literacy, and the development of a personal visual language as a means of communication.  Students gain insight and hands-on experience with art’s effects on cognitive, personal, and social development within the individual and throughout humanity.  Through the use of sketchbooks and other various media, I aim to foster a lifelong appreciation for the arts, as well as the skills and confidence to solve problems creatively, both in and out of the studio.  

Pedagogy, like this document, is not static or fixed. Through the consistent seeking of opportunities, as well as questioning and revising my own pedagogy, I further my understanding. Through research and a steady studio practice I hone my art-making expertise and widen my breadth of media knowledge. With that knowledge and deep understanding, I am able to expose my students to a broad spectrum of theory, pedagogy, and contemporary teaching and studio practices. 

Through first hand and shared experiences I know the struggles and obstacles balancing education and life can present. In each of my teaching placements, as well as my work in residence life, I have served as a liaison between students and a variety of student support services. These programs improve student outcomes and success by helping to identify strategies to overcome both academic and “real-life” barriers: housing insecurity, hunger, transportation, and material costs. 

In teaching, making, and community building, I aspire to create strong, lasting relationships and a community where people feel safe, challenged, and cared for.  In my studio classroom I reinforce behaviors that embrace compassion, civility, justice, social responsibility, and mutual respect. I guide students towards self-awareness, cultural competency, civic engagement, and a greater capacity for critical thinking.  As an artist educator, my goal is to build a community of artists and educators who take risks, action, and embrace growth.