For me, teaching is like ballroom dancing. There is a lead dancer on whom the responsibility lies to think ahead and choreograph movements that highlight the grace and abilities of the follow dancer; and the follow dancer who must be attentive, observant, and willing to follow the lead dancer’s cues. The follow must learn to respond to the lead’s push with a pull, the lead’s step forward with the follow’s step back. When done well, the lead dancer almost disappears into the background as the audience oohs and ahhs at the fearlessness and beauty of the follow. In much the same way, I see my role as a teacher as that of a lead dancer. I must plan ahead, guiding my students as they progress through their academic pursuits. I teach them with gentle pushes to further their technical abilities and to pursue their conceptual ideas and passions. My goals in the dance are three fold: (1) to teach them the technical skills they need to create, (2) to develop in them the ability to think critically, and (3) to expand their understanding of the possibilities of art.
Just as a dancer must physically train with rigorous basic techniques before having the ability to perform complicated maneuvers, the first step in training visual artists is to teach basic skills. Therefore, beginning and intermediate classes emphasize technical development. For photography students, learning traditional darkroom techniques and working with manual cameras are key. Likewise, video students first learn to create videos with in-camera accuracy before relying on post-production tools. This ensures that the students learn how to use the equipment as a tool for their creations, as opposed to relying on the tools to make the work for them with little understanding of the medium. Once basic skills are established, expanding the students’ experiences with more complicated processes and equipment begins. For this reason I teach students a variety of sound and editing programs, studio set-ups and lighting, medium and large format cameras, advanced digital cameras, alternative processes, and experimentation. With advanced and graduate students, my methods become more individualized with the intention of guiding students’ conceptual ideas, highlighting their individual strengths and continuing to train them beyond any weaknesses.
Video and photography are kindred spirits, so the technical knowledge gained from one of these mediums will only benefit the other. For this reason, the video students are encouraged to take classes in photography and the photography students often also take classes in filmmaking. Through this combination, students have skills necessary to create a more diverse body of work. Works of visual artists in particular often include many various media and methods. Artists, whether commercially or conceptually driven, rarely rely on any singular medium and, in my opinion, create their most interesting work when collaborating with others. Interdisciplinary and collaborative instruction is essential in preparing students for professional work in any creative field.
Furthermore, art education develops students’ ability to think critically. Critical thinking skills enable students to direct their passions for their work, thereby forcing students to take their work seriously. This occurs naturally through the critique process and I hold critique sessions in class for each studio assignment. Dancers train in front of mirrors that constantly reflect for them what the audience will see. For visual artists, their mirrors are their critiques. It is through art discourse that students learn to read artwork, theirs and others. As they gain instruction on how to analyze a photograph or a video, they also develop the skills they need to think through the art they wish to create. Learning how art is interpreted aids students in finding their own unique way of expressing ideas, concepts, and emotions effectively; much like dancers watching themselves in mirrors allow them to understand how their movements appear to an audience, not just how the steps feel to them. The students then understand that the success or failure of a piece becomes dependent upon how well the intent of the piece is communicated.
With that in mind, it is imperative that students learn to understand that visual art is about artistic intention. Photographs and films are created with the purpose of being interpreted by a viewer. For this reason, the assignments I give to students are always two-fold; there is a technical component and a conceptual component in each. And for each critique, students are required to write a statement about their projects, teaching them to articulate their ideas in words as well as in visual imagery.
For students at the beginning and intermediate levels, I give very specific conceptual topics. For example, I ask beginning students to create a series of gelatin silver photographs depicting three versions of self: expressing how they believe they truly are, how they believe others see them, and how they would like to be perceived by the world. From this assignment, students learn how to properly develop gelatin silver prints. Simultaneously, students begin to understand that their personal experiences go beyond the self, that the personal is political, and that they can use themselves as props to express more universal concepts. As students progress through advancing levels of instruction, I begin encouraging students to drive the conceptual components based on their interpretations of the assignments. The conceptual components intentionally become more vague, allowing flexibility in interpretation. Advanced students then begin each semester with a proposal in which they detail out the project that they plan to create. Their proposals include the motivation behind their ideas, preliminary research for the topic with an annotated bibliography, a description of the technical process they plan to utilize, a time-line based on the critique schedule for the class, and a detailed description of the final project, including both the intended conceptual expression and the preconceived ideas for look of the work. This process moves students to a place of being capable of self-direction based on their own passions and interests.
Finally, as technical skills are solidified, students are taught to be brave, courageous, and even fearless in art making. Risk taking is vital to creating visually interesting and conceptually compelling art. Learning to take risks keeps students reaching for the next level of technical abilities, as well as developing a willingness to make themselves vulnerable to the public with their conceptual ideas. To achieve this, I challenge students, specifically students at advanced levels, to go beyond their “comfort zones” and experiment with new techniques and topics they have not considered before. Art then becomes serious play. Serious, due to the validity of the research for the work and the importance of the topics chosen, and play, due to the experimental nature of trying different things. All the while, students are being exposed to film screenings, galleries, regional artists, museums, and contemporary art and film lectures to offer inspiration for their risky ventures. The goal is for students to develop a fearless approach to art and filmmaking and a willingness to try many things in order to find the best approach for communicating their ideas. Graduating students then leave with solid technical skills, historical knowledge, awareness of contemporary trends, and critical thinking abilities; all of which are building blocks for making challenging and meaningful work.
In conclusion, as an instructor, it is my intent to acknowledge the uniqueness of each student and to help students develop their own voice. It has been said, “the personal is political.” For art instructors, this quote can be re-contextualized to mean that one should work with the strengths and weaknesses of individual personalities as well as the materials unique to the artistic medium. The students’ personal desires can then be directed to become conceptually interesting bodies of work. It is in this that my greatest strength lies. I believe in learning about who my students are and what drives them. At least once a year I take the students on a daylong field trip exploring galleries and hearing artist talks. I have also actively supported and participated in faculty-led study abroad classes. To me, getting to know the students away from the classroom aids in developing a greater understanding of their individual needs and their motivations in creating art. I enjoy working with students, encouraging students, and driving students to become more than they realized they could be. In combining individual, informal engagement with the methodologies described above, students succeed in learning to create successful art and films without losing their joy for making work. My hope is that students learn to see themselves as participants in a world much bigger than academia while continuing to be passionate about the world of art as they leave the university to become professional artists.
~ Tonia Indigo Hughes
Just as a dancer must physically train with rigorous basic techniques before having the ability to perform complicated maneuvers, the first step in training visual artists is to teach basic skills. Therefore, beginning and intermediate classes emphasize technical development. For photography students, learning traditional darkroom techniques and working with manual cameras are key. Likewise, video students first learn to create videos with in-camera accuracy before relying on post-production tools. This ensures that the students learn how to use the equipment as a tool for their creations, as opposed to relying on the tools to make the work for them with little understanding of the medium. Once basic skills are established, expanding the students’ experiences with more complicated processes and equipment begins. For this reason I teach students a variety of sound and editing programs, studio set-ups and lighting, medium and large format cameras, advanced digital cameras, alternative processes, and experimentation. With advanced and graduate students, my methods become more individualized with the intention of guiding students’ conceptual ideas, highlighting their individual strengths and continuing to train them beyond any weaknesses.
Video and photography are kindred spirits, so the technical knowledge gained from one of these mediums will only benefit the other. For this reason, the video students are encouraged to take classes in photography and the photography students often also take classes in filmmaking. Through this combination, students have skills necessary to create a more diverse body of work. Works of visual artists in particular often include many various media and methods. Artists, whether commercially or conceptually driven, rarely rely on any singular medium and, in my opinion, create their most interesting work when collaborating with others. Interdisciplinary and collaborative instruction is essential in preparing students for professional work in any creative field.
Furthermore, art education develops students’ ability to think critically. Critical thinking skills enable students to direct their passions for their work, thereby forcing students to take their work seriously. This occurs naturally through the critique process and I hold critique sessions in class for each studio assignment. Dancers train in front of mirrors that constantly reflect for them what the audience will see. For visual artists, their mirrors are their critiques. It is through art discourse that students learn to read artwork, theirs and others. As they gain instruction on how to analyze a photograph or a video, they also develop the skills they need to think through the art they wish to create. Learning how art is interpreted aids students in finding their own unique way of expressing ideas, concepts, and emotions effectively; much like dancers watching themselves in mirrors allow them to understand how their movements appear to an audience, not just how the steps feel to them. The students then understand that the success or failure of a piece becomes dependent upon how well the intent of the piece is communicated.
With that in mind, it is imperative that students learn to understand that visual art is about artistic intention. Photographs and films are created with the purpose of being interpreted by a viewer. For this reason, the assignments I give to students are always two-fold; there is a technical component and a conceptual component in each. And for each critique, students are required to write a statement about their projects, teaching them to articulate their ideas in words as well as in visual imagery.
For students at the beginning and intermediate levels, I give very specific conceptual topics. For example, I ask beginning students to create a series of gelatin silver photographs depicting three versions of self: expressing how they believe they truly are, how they believe others see them, and how they would like to be perceived by the world. From this assignment, students learn how to properly develop gelatin silver prints. Simultaneously, students begin to understand that their personal experiences go beyond the self, that the personal is political, and that they can use themselves as props to express more universal concepts. As students progress through advancing levels of instruction, I begin encouraging students to drive the conceptual components based on their interpretations of the assignments. The conceptual components intentionally become more vague, allowing flexibility in interpretation. Advanced students then begin each semester with a proposal in which they detail out the project that they plan to create. Their proposals include the motivation behind their ideas, preliminary research for the topic with an annotated bibliography, a description of the technical process they plan to utilize, a time-line based on the critique schedule for the class, and a detailed description of the final project, including both the intended conceptual expression and the preconceived ideas for look of the work. This process moves students to a place of being capable of self-direction based on their own passions and interests.
Finally, as technical skills are solidified, students are taught to be brave, courageous, and even fearless in art making. Risk taking is vital to creating visually interesting and conceptually compelling art. Learning to take risks keeps students reaching for the next level of technical abilities, as well as developing a willingness to make themselves vulnerable to the public with their conceptual ideas. To achieve this, I challenge students, specifically students at advanced levels, to go beyond their “comfort zones” and experiment with new techniques and topics they have not considered before. Art then becomes serious play. Serious, due to the validity of the research for the work and the importance of the topics chosen, and play, due to the experimental nature of trying different things. All the while, students are being exposed to film screenings, galleries, regional artists, museums, and contemporary art and film lectures to offer inspiration for their risky ventures. The goal is for students to develop a fearless approach to art and filmmaking and a willingness to try many things in order to find the best approach for communicating their ideas. Graduating students then leave with solid technical skills, historical knowledge, awareness of contemporary trends, and critical thinking abilities; all of which are building blocks for making challenging and meaningful work.
In conclusion, as an instructor, it is my intent to acknowledge the uniqueness of each student and to help students develop their own voice. It has been said, “the personal is political.” For art instructors, this quote can be re-contextualized to mean that one should work with the strengths and weaknesses of individual personalities as well as the materials unique to the artistic medium. The students’ personal desires can then be directed to become conceptually interesting bodies of work. It is in this that my greatest strength lies. I believe in learning about who my students are and what drives them. At least once a year I take the students on a daylong field trip exploring galleries and hearing artist talks. I have also actively supported and participated in faculty-led study abroad classes. To me, getting to know the students away from the classroom aids in developing a greater understanding of their individual needs and their motivations in creating art. I enjoy working with students, encouraging students, and driving students to become more than they realized they could be. In combining individual, informal engagement with the methodologies described above, students succeed in learning to create successful art and films without losing their joy for making work. My hope is that students learn to see themselves as participants in a world much bigger than academia while continuing to be passionate about the world of art as they leave the university to become professional artists.
~ Tonia Indigo Hughes