“Our students tell us, in their dress, in their actions, and in their words that they want to be taught.
But, if we listen carefully, they will also tell us what we can use to teach them.”
New York is where the entire world travels to immerse and experience art or advance as artists. Devotion towards my own education and life to visual arts was my reason for moving to New York in 2010.
My strength is that I am a visual artist concurrently as I am a visual arts educator in New York. I want to benefit this duality to parallel New York’s art education to what the world expects of the New York’s art world.
As an artist, I have experience in rigorous studio practice, skills in developing identity, and knowledge in connections to art history. I consistently produce art utilizing various materials through experimentation and multidisciplinary research, promote critical and divergent thinking and have the capacity to critique self and others. As an arts educator, I want to take advantage of these abilities and use it towards my pedagogy to the fullest.
Art education must be advocated and equivalent to any other core disciplines because our contemporary economy depends on innovation and higher order thinking. Art is no longer a luxury or a tenuous subject but a formula pertinent for adaptable tolerant citizens. Integration of the arts is imperative as it nurtures students to think divergently, generate new ideas, collaborate and communicate, take risks, see the world differently, and be comfortable with ambiguity and multiple solutions.
Art is what challenges us cognitively, physically, and creatively intellectualizing the world to be open ended and to be exposed to exploratory questions so that we can incorporate them into various content areas and life in general.
For me, the goal of teaching is to lead students to a greater awareness of what they are capable of achieving. We question and even give up our dreams when faced with realistic trials. My objective is to remind students that dreams are an entryway into the future rather than unachievable targets where creativity is what cultivates those potentials. Relatable sources of inspiration help bridge the present and the future. Fortunately, New York offers us opportunities to explore the full spectrum of art, from contemporary artists and architectural surroundings to Old Masters and historical art movements that remain influential to date.
My curriculum and classroom value interactions and encourage discussions around artists, possible career paths, and process-driven approach to art and design. Beyond the classroom, we take full advantage of New York’s resources such as exhibitions and events at museums, art fairs and workshops. A combination of in-class and onsite exposures is designed to provide fundamental building blocks for expressing self-identity and promoting growth. Remembering to always be culturally relevant and at the same time supporting and invigorating students to be grateful and proud to be educated in New York will widen their visions, cultures, and potentiality for their meaningful future endeavor.
This is built on a simple idea that students’ experiences and lessons are best learned rather than taught.
