“I have said for many years that problem solving is greatly overvalued in our society.  Problem creation is much more interesting.  The questions you ask yourself are the most interesting ones, because they put you in a jam.  Then your solutions are going to be more personal solutions, not art world solutions.  If you can ask yourself the right kind of questions the solutions will become self generating.” - Chuck Close

As an instructor, I am interested in teaching students to become “problem creators”, individuals who engage the creative process and develop their own motives and working parameters as artists.  I teach my students not only how to make art, but to explore the question of, why make art.  Students are encouraged to take necessary risks with their work, and to ask the necessary questions about art and art making.  My classes also emphasize the importance of becoming fluent in historical and contemporary art, and the understanding of professional practices.

For all intents and purposes, my classes are staging grounds.  The first portion of the semester is devoted to fundamental basics.  Lectures and demonstrations focus on needed technical and procedural information and the appropriate verbal and visual vocabulary.  Initially assignments are more regimented, but become more open-ended as the semester progresses, allowing for more personal exploration.  In my Drawing I class, for example, early assignments thoroughly detail how students should use a simple still-life to develop their perceptual and compositional skills, while the final assignment may ask the students to use those developed skills to create a drawing portraying something ugly in a beautiful manner.  The student is left to determine what is ugly and what is beautiful and what tools used in the class would work best to portray either.  This becomes a personal investigation where there is no correct or incorrect answer.  The understanding of media is then turned into an understanding of what media can do and represent for the artist, allowing students to develop their own ideas and concerns of concept, and how to match that to the material process.

Critique is a vital part of all my studio classes, and is incorporated in differing ways and various formats. At the beginning level, “cheat sheets” and hand-outs are used to stimulate and supplement conversation.  Asking students to answer a series of questions or take notes gives them the needed time to contemplate and form ideas about each piece. Group critiques are used to develop analysis, as well as, articulation of personal concept and opinion.  Using verbal language to describe and criticize each work allows for an expansion of ideas and understanding on behalf of the artist and the person giving the critique.  My role in the process varies according to the situation where I can be either the main voice directing the discussion or a smaller voice asking questions to further engage students.

Besides being exposed to a variety of art within my classes, students are also given opportunities for experiential learning.  Class activities often include visits to exhibitions and artists’ studios, as well as student exhibitions and the creation of accompanying documents.  Through these engagements and hands-on activities students expand their knowledge base and begin to place art within a greater cultural and societal context.  Students also learn that being a successful artist demands more of them than just making art.  This is also reflected in class discussions and assignments incorporating artistic opportunities for students such as call for entries, conferences, internships, and etcetera.  The goal is for students to be both aware of such opportunities and to know how to create a successful application for them.

As an instructor, I strive to self monitor, and be realistically aware of my progress in the classroom, using various assessment techniques throughout the semester, such as asking students to write a one sentence statement about what they have learned in a discussion.  I often wear many hats and complete many jobs in my appointment as an art instructor, and will continue to do so to making my classes a rich vital learning experience.  Most importantly I will continue to develop my own work and art career, since doing so allows me to present to my students the paradigm of the working artist, an irreplaceable component of their education.