Teaching Philosophy
Teaching is a tremendous privilege – it allows me the opportunity to share my experiences with others. My pedagogical strategies center around teaching as a form of social and cultural activism. I want my students to learn the tools of critical thought, to learn to doubt, and to challenge their beliefs and ideologies. Teaching art is a way to stimulate change, to raise intellectual and aesthetic consciousness, and to visually empower individuals and communities. It is critical to the growth of our society that all members have access to a quality art education, and as funding for the arts deteriorates nationwide, the marginalized and disenfranchised continue to be the ones that bear the brunt of the blow.
The majority of my collaborative and pedagogical experiences have been with adolescents in underserved communities, often with teenagers who have had little or no prior art exposure. I see my role as that of facilitator, someone whose job it is to listen to ideas first, then introduce artists and art techniques, and finally provide the visual tools and skills needed for artistic communication. Teaching is not about creating good artists – it is about creating responsible, inquisitive thinkers and art practitioners.
I have seen firsthand how arts integration into a school’s curriculum can help improve students’ literacy skills, critical thinking, problem solving, and geometric spatial relationships. After teaching individuals how to compositionally and conceptually examine a work of art, I have witnessed youth who had previously never set foot in an art space confidently tour adults through museums, involving them in deep aesthetic and philosophical conversations about the works on display. Most significantly, I have seen young individuals find their voices through art, communicating profound thoughts about grief, violence, racism, economic injustice, bullying, hope, and love.
Public Speaking
Artist Lectures at Colleges and Universities
- Boston University, Boston, MA
- Alfred University, Alfred, NY
- Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO
- Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA
- University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
- Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
- DePauw University, Greencastle, IN
- Ohio University, Athens, OH
- Lawrence University, Appleton, WI
- Miami University, Oxford, OH
- University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
- University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME
- Drury University, Springfield, MO
- Ashland University, Ashland, OH
- University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande, OH
- Pratt College of Art, Manhattan, NY
- Clarion University, Clarion, PA
- University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI
- College of Western Idaho, Boise, ID
- Shepherd College, Shepherdstown, WV
- New Jersey City University, New Jersey City, NJ
Artist Lectures at Museums and Institutions
- The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
- The Newark Museum, Newark, NJ
- The Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk, CT
- The Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA
- Bronx Council on the Arts, Bronx, NY
- Lillian Jones Museum, Jackson, OH
- Human Spaces, St. Louis, MO
- NYSSSA (New York State Summer School for the Arts), Rochester, NY
Select Academic Lectures at Conferences and Institutions
- The Art of Healing: Children Traumatized by War, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
- Then Came Hope, National Art Therapy Association Conference, Washington D.C.
- The Complexity of Emergencies, The Center for Disease Control (CDC), Atlanta, GA
- Teaching Art Integration Practices, United Federation of Teachers/The Center for Arts Education Conference, New York, NY
- Literacy Response Through Art, No Teacher Left Behind II Conference, Brown University, Providence, RI
- The Junction of Collaboration and Social Activism, Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI), Atlanta, GA
- Experiences Involving Police Brutality and Institutional Racism, Bronx Art Space, Bronx, NY
- Alternative Approaches to Education, SERVE National Conference, Atlanta, GA
- Integrating Arts into the Humanities Curriculum, VSA arts Research Symposium, Baltimore, MD
- Using Art to Help Bridge the Educational, Social, and Emotional Gaps Caused by Trauma and Poverty, Bennington County Child Care Association (BCCCA), Bennington, VT
- When Push Comes to Shove…Then Guns, Taller Boricua, New York, NY
- Sexual Assault on Campus Against Women, Ashland University, Ashland, OH
- The Trauma of Poverty: How Arts Integration Can Help Transform Disenfranchised Youth, Shaftsbury Elementary School, Shaftsbury, VT
- Spanning Traditions of Printmaking and Social Activism, Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI), San Francisco, CA
- The Art of Humanity: Integrating Visual Arts into a Humanities Curriculum, Coalition of Essential Schools, Boston, MA
- Prints and the Revolution: A Conversation About Contemporary Art on Paper, College Art Association (CAA), New York, NY
- Artists as Citizens – Activating Communities, Keene State College, Keene, NH
- Mental Health Within the Refugee Communities and Alternative Approaches through the Arts, Youth Art Connection, Atlanta, GA
- It’s a Post, Post, Post World, Southern Graphics Council Conference, Kansas City, MO
- Community Projects, Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI), Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Partner Organizations
- Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY
- High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
- Center for Arts Education, New York, NY
- Center for Grieving Children, Portland, ME
- America’s Camp, Hinsdale and Lenox, MA
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
- Tuesday’s Children (Project Common Bond), Long Island, NY
- Tim Rollins + K.O.S., New York, NY
- Studio in a School, New York, NY
- Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, GA
- Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Atlanta, GA
- Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Yonkers, NY
- Community Works, New York, NY
- Ohio University, Athens, OH
- United Action for Youth, Iowa City, IA
- VSA arts for All, Atlanta, GA
- Youth Art Connection, Atlanta, GA
- Alpharetta Elementary School, Alpharetta, GA
- Athens High School, Athens, OH
- Discovery High School, Bronx, NY
- Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School, Bronx, NY
- Heritage High School, New York, NY
- I.S. 383, Brooklyn, NY
- M.S. 584, Brooklyn, NY
- Mount Anthony Union High School, Bennington, VT
- Shaftsbury Elementary School, Shaftsbury, VT
- Trimble High School, Glouster, OH
Outreach Programs
TAIP (Teaching Art Integration Practices)
TAIP (Teaching Art Integration Practices) is a collaboration between the Studio Museum in Harlem and Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School in the Bronx. The program is designed to further academic experiences for the high school students and teachers by utilizing artistic methodologies to enhance visual learning. Responsibilities include: design and implement art inclusive curricula for the humanities teachers, lead hands-on art workshops for the students, offer professional development workshops, assess and document the program, and provide tours/lectures at the Studio Museum in Harlem.
AEC (Art Explorers Club)
AEC (Art Explorers Club) is a collaboration between the High Museum of Art, the Youth Art Connection, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. The outreach program was designed to further art experiences of Metro Atlanta Boys & Girls Club youth utilizing the High Museum’s permanent collection as a tool for learning about and creating art. Responsibilities included: design and implement art curriculum, teach hands-on workshops, tour and lecture on the High Museum’s Permanent Collection, organize and install exhibitions, and hire visiting artists.
