Mission Statement

Collectively, as educators and as individuals, we must engage an interdisciplinary approach and embrace and integrate the arts into our classrooms and lives, in order to reach beyond educational standards and to encourage more effective, dynamic learning and living.

Learning to communicate and express oneself is critical to living a fulfilling life. It is in our human nature to communicate and relate to each other at various levels of intimacy. It is in our best interest as a fallible species to learn how to collaborate, cooperate, help each other and share our experiences. Creatively approaching these relationships is essential to the longevity, harmony and health of our relationships, our humanity, and our planet. As a result of my college experience and the satisfaction, growth and healing I have experienced through art making, I have committed myself to promoting this model of learning and knowledge through my artistic endeavors and graduate education. Integrating art into one's life has the capacity to transform and rejuvenate the learning process. As an artist, being critically engaged with my own work forces me to constantly challenge myself and my peers to find another way of looking at a medium, a process, an issue, an artist. Investigating the complexity of relationships and compatibility of historical and contemporary art and social, anthropological, environmental and psychological factors of our lived experience reveal opportunities and sites for cooperation and peaceful endeavors. Fostering creativity promotes sharing and cooperation, humility and a desire to learn from and seek the collaboration of differing perspectives. Creative thought supports holistic perspectives contributes to a well of resources and potential inspirations and facilitates alternative solutions and new ideas to confront our problems.

I view teaching as a form of activism towards achieving social justice. It offers a generous opportunity to contribute to our global society and I am eager to continue the journey. It has been the most satisfying experience in my education. I have much yet to learn, but my initial formative teaching experience has cultivated a healthy optimism: the true joys of teaching are not only in witnessing how the educative process contributes to the enduring edification of children, but also to the inevitable personal growth of cooperating teachers, artists, administrators, and parents when working towards the common goal of nurturing the creative and cognitive development of our students.

To be effective and to enable students to connect learning with living, teaching must be approached from a holistic point of view. Intentions may not always be achieved, but what is learned in the process may contribute to a more meaningful implementation later. Teaching has its challenges and those that engage in this most crucial of professions are not often rewarded with the respect and appreciation deserved. The teaching of art offers a great deal to learners. Broad themes offer ample space for reflection; students learn what is meaningful by examining their choices and how others respond to their efforts. The arts nurture an active eye and responsive mind and build a culture of study founded on meaningful learning. It is important to listen to students and reflect on what is significant in their lives, in their artwork and why. Art makes life more meaningful by placing value on exploration of minds, materials, processes and concepts over the final product and focusing on the infinite and imaginative rather than the finite and factual. Art doesn't always speak for itself, but it accomplishes what words and standards and rubrics cannot.

We, as individuals/educators/policymakers must recognize the latent and awe-inspiring potential of the educational space. The practice of education should be respected and protected and given the necessary resources and freedoms to explore effective and stimulating solutions. Art, actions, and rhetoric that serve to mollify the masses have no place in education. Thoughtful curricular design should actively respond to and counter the resurgence of mediocrity that defines the present moment in educational reform policy. Creating an environment that promotes learning rather than standard memorization will support and perpetuate learning success. Obviously, the past two decades in educational reform efforts are proof that there is no simple solution for public education. The complexity and diversity of America's schools, students, and teachers necessitates a comprehensive approach in the reform movement. An examination of the implications of current debated educational reform policy lends critical insight to the necessary conditions for new, thoughtfully considered approaches to inspired curricula.

There is no pure and simple solution to what art and education are, should be or what can be accomplished when viewed as powerful forces in our society. Art as part of a holistic, interdisciplinary education should reflect the relevant experiences of students. It should provide opportunities to interact with and experience new ideas and environments as well as to facilitate a greater understanding of the impact of their choices. Equipping students with the technical skills and metaphorical tools to address the significance of these issues will engender in them strength, confidence, enthusiasm, and motivation to create positive change in their world.