“I try to reframe [lessons] for the students so that every aspect of their social and anti-social life can be territory for their practice. The things they complain about in the world on a daily basis can be reframed as a part of a creative impulse, the way they construct their identity or the places they move through can be their sites of inquiry.”
-Jon Rubin
In this ever-changing and shrinking world our individual lives, as well as the habits and actions that govern them, are becoming increasingly reliant on human collaboration and conversation. It is imperative that all educators, but especially art educators, help students synthesize the information and experiences presented to them in school, in their personal lives, and through the media, in order that they are able to utilize everything from their lives and also inform the production of their art.
As a teacher and an artist, it is important for me to enrich my students’ art lessons with evocative and distinctive experiences. I value the significance of challenges in art projects that encourage elegant problem solving and solutions, and I continually strive to create activities that allow students to produce unique works of art. I believe interdisciplinary teaching plays a crucial role in the development of young minds because formed connections between school and the personal domain encourage complex thinking strategies. Students can learn to apply information acquired in school to other facets of their life, therefore improving memory, encouraging a thorough understanding of concepts and facts, and making the lessons from school more meaningful for them. It is necessary for students to realize that art is everywhere, and that the potential for an art experience that touches upon personal interests is endless.
I have learned, by working with a diverse body of students, that personal experiences are a fundamental component of prosperous and successful art practices. Individual cultures and life experiences allow students to exist as their own entity within the student body, to have their own voice, and to express their ideas and emotions freely and without limitations. It is common for students to create similar artwork if an art assignment does not allow for individual interpretation of problems and resolutions. It is my belief that if students are confronted with mature and advanced tasks, they will, to the best of their abilities, respond with mature and advanced products. For many students, difficult techniques or concepts are not even acknowledged until high school, and for those who decide to pursue life paths other than art, some of these creative activities may never be attempted. For this reason, I have made it a priority to engage students in sophisticated art experiences at an early age and to offer them many opportunities to work with various materials and techniques.
Above all, art exists as a means of expressing oneself. There is no right or wrong, nor is there only one way or one solution to an artistic problem. Education in art provides an even playing field for all students, and gives everyone multiple opportunities to succeed where perhaps excellence for some is perceived as unattainable. My ultimate goal as an art educator is to instill confidence, curiosity, and excitement in all of my students in order that they may apply these characteristics to every part of their life, and become inquisitive and thriving adults.
-Emily McMahon
-Jon Rubin
In this ever-changing and shrinking world our individual lives, as well as the habits and actions that govern them, are becoming increasingly reliant on human collaboration and conversation. It is imperative that all educators, but especially art educators, help students synthesize the information and experiences presented to them in school, in their personal lives, and through the media, in order that they are able to utilize everything from their lives and also inform the production of their art.
As a teacher and an artist, it is important for me to enrich my students’ art lessons with evocative and distinctive experiences. I value the significance of challenges in art projects that encourage elegant problem solving and solutions, and I continually strive to create activities that allow students to produce unique works of art. I believe interdisciplinary teaching plays a crucial role in the development of young minds because formed connections between school and the personal domain encourage complex thinking strategies. Students can learn to apply information acquired in school to other facets of their life, therefore improving memory, encouraging a thorough understanding of concepts and facts, and making the lessons from school more meaningful for them. It is necessary for students to realize that art is everywhere, and that the potential for an art experience that touches upon personal interests is endless.
I have learned, by working with a diverse body of students, that personal experiences are a fundamental component of prosperous and successful art practices. Individual cultures and life experiences allow students to exist as their own entity within the student body, to have their own voice, and to express their ideas and emotions freely and without limitations. It is common for students to create similar artwork if an art assignment does not allow for individual interpretation of problems and resolutions. It is my belief that if students are confronted with mature and advanced tasks, they will, to the best of their abilities, respond with mature and advanced products. For many students, difficult techniques or concepts are not even acknowledged until high school, and for those who decide to pursue life paths other than art, some of these creative activities may never be attempted. For this reason, I have made it a priority to engage students in sophisticated art experiences at an early age and to offer them many opportunities to work with various materials and techniques.
Above all, art exists as a means of expressing oneself. There is no right or wrong, nor is there only one way or one solution to an artistic problem. Education in art provides an even playing field for all students, and gives everyone multiple opportunities to succeed where perhaps excellence for some is perceived as unattainable. My ultimate goal as an art educator is to instill confidence, curiosity, and excitement in all of my students in order that they may apply these characteristics to every part of their life, and become inquisitive and thriving adults.
-Emily McMahon