○ Share your Qualifying Review question and plans you have for your final year at Moore in thesis writing and thesis exhibition/project.
What does it mean when teaching is a process-based dematerialized art practice? How can teaching as an art practice manifest in the traditional school art classroom? Here are some questions I have that relate to teaching as artistic practice: What does a classroom look like when it is a space specifically for making by others? How are issues of power addressed? What does documentation of work look-like? How is authorship addressed? How, or indeed can, a classroom where these ideals are in play exist in a traditional school setting? During the next few months, I will be working to find answers to those questions. Specifically I plan to explore both the physical and the theoretical aspect of the classroom as a space for the production of other’s work. I will be looking at models of classrooms where students are recognized as experts on their own experiences. I will also be looking at pedagogical methods in which the teacher’s role is coach and organizer. In my experience as an educator, I am familiar with a number of physical classroom structures and their advantages and disadvantages. This year I will be creating a plan for my ideal democratic classroom environment and my pedagogical ideals. I plan to develop a manifesto/promise of how I can live those ideals within the limits of my environment. ○ How do you plan to use your MFA in Progress exhibition as an opportunity to work towards those goals of the final work, or to explore other concerns? My MFA in progress exhibit will focus on my role as coordinator of the art making of others, especially during a time when we cannot be together physically. Over the summer I worked with a small group of students, through Zoom, to create collaborative art works. I sent out a call on social media to gather students of middle school age, 4 parents responded that their students were interested. Our group met twice a week for about an hour. Each session we met we talked about the work we had done previously and what to do in the future. We used web-based, computer and mobile technology to create collaborative works. Each week I would scale back my leadership of the conversations and my input to allow for student leadership. The student’s collectively made 16 pieces of art which are on display in a virtual gallery on my website. Some of it will also be on display during my MFA in progress show. I will also be displaying a work in which I solicited knit and crochet pieces via social media. My role is the action of joining together these pieces using gold yarn in reverence to the Japanese art of Kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired using gold, silver or platinum in order to recognize the healing of the object. Here I act as artist-curator using my skills to draw attention to the connections of individual artists. I am currently exploring ideas of authorship in collaborative work and issues of power. What is “mine” in the work I am showing? How do I draw maximum attention to the work of others while still recognizing my own labor? How do I ethically display the work of others? ○ Share some of the themes/Doctrines/Values that inform your work and creative process. What are some of the ethical considerations, audience engagements or social impact goals that your work has or will be confronting? There are several common themes and thoughts emerging from my research. One is that a classroom is a learning community and communities must be built. A classroom community must have a foundation of trust, safety and mutual respect in order to be most effective. These elements must be worked for and are every bit, if not more, important than lesson objectives. Another theme, the classroom is a space for making by others and the teacher’s job is to create that space. The teacher provides the space, the materials, the resources, the connections and the questions, the student does the work. I have also noted that the classroom requires a multidisciplinary approach to learning. No subject should be approached without connection to others and the world. The teacher in this classroom makes the connections to other teachers, subjects, community resources and beyond. And finally, the process of critical reflection is a recurring theme in my reading. Reflection, critique and refinement are necessary in every artist’s practice and in every teacher’s practice. The classroom is not a vacuum. The world is always changing and the classroom must as well. My explorations and research are leading me toward the idea of a declaration of pedagogical independence and teaching philosophy that manifests itself as a manifesto or pledge. By necessity it will contain discussions of ethics, of accessibility, authorship, ownership, and power. It will also contain hard won experience, successes and failures, and guidelines for my practice as I go forward. Most importantly, the manifesto must address reflection and critique as an essential part of teaching as an artistic practice. Teaching is by it’s very nature a format for social engagement. The relationships and influence that teachers and students have on one another cannot be measured in a year. An art teacher often has the opportunity to work with students for several years and the teacher and student can experience growth together. I have been a great teacher and I have been a terrible teacher and I have learned and grown because of both. In my research and my creative pursuits going forward I hope to refine my approaches, and continue to try new things in pursuit of being a better teacher, a better artist and a better human being.
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AuthorEmily Elliott is a driven art educator with twenty years of experience. She has taught all levels, from infant to adult, in subjects ranging from rock climbing to health to fiber art. She considers herself a teacher first and an art specialist second. Emily holds a B.S. in Art Education from Kutztown University. She is in the MFA in Socially Engaged Art program, where she is focusing on teaching as an artistic practice. Archives
October 2020
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