Teaching Philosophy
When creating courses and new syllabi, I keep in mind accessibility for students outside of the studio art program; showing students methods to use appropriate materials and think creatively in their own fields of study. With this approach, I have developed a course at Sweet Briar College, called “The Brick; Ceramic Art and Science. This course has a historical component of studying brick making and the historic academic brick structures on campus. Also, engineering and design components are present when the class sources local clay to make bricks, and constructs a pizza oven. I aim to create courses interweaving different disciplines to create dynamic and interdisciplinary approaches to the ceramic subject matter. My teaching philosophy also highlights the importance of communicating the value of risk taking and craftsmanship.
Before projects are assigned, I present in-class exercises that focus on pushing the limits of a technique or material. For example, in ceramics wheel throwing when handled are being introduced, the class has a competition of who can pull the thinnest handle, who can pull the roundest handle, and who and pull the longest handle. I expect many of these handle attempts will fail, especially in the inexperienced hand. As a class we debrief these types of exercises by evaluating what was successful and what failed and we end by discussing the potential of the failures and what can be learned or taken away from them. These exercises give students permission to fail and allow them to see that even when things do not end up looking like they think that they should, there is something still to be learned.
Lastly, craftsmanship is a key component to mastering a skill. Craftsmanship plays a large role in the high quality utilitarian vessels I create. I model this approach of making for my students by being in the studio and making work alongside them. I also incorporate ideas of craftsmanship, and readings into class discussions. Outside of class assignments will often consist of reflecting and writing on word prompts such as persistence, patience, and mastery. In the classroom the next day students pair up and share what each has written, and eventually discuss as a whole class. The intent for these exercises is to help students understand, appreciate, and ideally want to strive for the highest level of technical skill when approaching physical making with material.
I am driven to build a curriculum that prepares students to think creatively and approach tasks with a desire for craftsmanship, but also question the boundaries of material and process. Building students confidence in risk taking, craftsmanship, and creativity through physical making prepares them for a future as artists, or in other fields of work. By providing a safe place to learn, passing on my knowledge, and challenging my students, I hope to create an environment that fosters growth and independent, and critical thought.