Values & Art Curriculum

In my opinion, the values that are crucial in structuring a K-12 art program are grounded in empowering students’ logical and emotional connections to themes that are relevant and broadly encompassing of arts’ cross-cultural and historical grasp. I think that ethically building themes and topics that can be personalized to the student experience, beliefs, and aesthetic is critical to authentic expression. Personally, providing students with foundations of skills and technical proficiencies throughout the curriculum is integral, but manipulating and expressing those skills in a multitude of means is the ultimate goal.

In an artistic sense, style and expression are largely reliant on the creative process and dimensions curated by the student's process. Aesthetics are critical foundations, however, building narrative and meaning either in literal or abstract means is integral to demonstrating understanding. I hope to provide students with art in and outside of the western canon to provide a holistic breadth of work to contextualize their making, and allow open-ended questions and discussions and research to drive their artistic decisions and voice, not my personal preferences. I hope to provide students with open studio spaces to create their creative process and expressive perspective on art as it applies within visual culture and in disciplines outside of art.

I think emphasizing process, iteration, and documentation are critical in creating artistic and research skills that will enrich their critical thinking in and outside of the studio space. Sketchbook keeping is something I value, but I think can be modified and applied to fit the means of each student’s circumstances and preferences to provide additional documentation.

Social-emotional learning is critical to creating safe learning environments, and I hope to create a curriculum that provides space for mindfulness and the messaging and intuitiveness that comes from authentic reflection. Voice and identity hold an integral space in art, and curating an identity-affirming curriculum and safe learning space is at the core of my goals for curriculum building.