Jill McLennan's Improbable Beautiful

1. How long have you been a teaching artist?

 I have been a teaching artist for 13 years.

2. What discipline(s) do you teach?

I teach the skills and techniques of art making and the context of art history and the current art world.  I teach Art as it relates to other subject matter, daily life, cultural and personal experience, nature, the environment and current events. 

3. Describe the setting(s) in which you teach.

I teach in K-5 public schools, special education centers for teens and adults, senior centers, community groups, and I lead field trips at the Fine Arts Museum. 

4. What funding source(s) support you as a teaching artist?

 My jobs are funded by grants, city funding, the school district, the PTA, and a variety of contracts from non-profit organizations. 

5. Who shaped your initial thinking about teaching art?

My parents taught me to think intelligently and creatively about the world and to be observant and inquisitive and to appreciate art and music.  Then my professors at college and grad school shaped my ideas about methods of teaching and learning about art.  Reading Howard Gardener’s theories about multiple intelligences, was an enlightening revelation about my own learning style, my trouble with traditional education and an eye opener for teaching a diverse body of students. 

6. Describe the relationship between your personal art practice and your art teaching?

I feel that my art making and my art teaching are equally important in my life and I am constantly trying to balance the time to do both.  This includes marketing, exhibiting, applying for jobs and shows and making and doing work.  Both disciplines inform each other in many ways.  I am always looking at the world and observing art in galleries and museums and on the street.  These observations inform both my own art and ideas about projects for the students.  Sometimes the students give me ideas that I pursue through my own art.  For example, a recent site visit to Maya Lin school to Emily’s 1^st Grade classroom inspired the direction of my new body of work.  The students were working on the gloomy city project and they had very insightful paintings and statements about what our world would be like if there were no plants left.  My own work depicts urban decay, construction sites and overlooked areas of the city.  Using the children’s ideas I figured out how to emphasize the contrast of urban decay and the beauty of nature. 

7. How do you sustain your art while teaching?

I need time to dive into my work in the studio.  Hopefully this happens on a day off or a weekend.  When I have started a few projects it is easier to go into the studio in the evenings after work.  Teaching is very draining and I am often discouraged by not having the motivation to focus more in the studio.  Although when I have too much time on my hands I find that teaching helps motivate me to work on art too.  I belong to a gallery have scheduled exhibitions ahead of time to work towards.  I am always following a new path or working towards a new show or idea for a body of work.  And I am always looking at the world as I commute and sit in traffic and ride the bart, there is inspiration everywhere. 

8. Where do you get your lessons or project ideas? 

Artists and Art works and art historical themes and techniques

Nature and Science

Culture and tradition in art around the world

9. What training in the arts and/or education have you had?

 I attended Hampshire College in Massachusetts, majoring in Painting and Drawing. I also studied science, nature, literature and art history in undergrad.  I received my Master’s Degree in Art Education from the School of Art Institute of Chicago in 1999.  There I studies printmaking and ceramics as well as art education and educational theory.  I wrote my thesis on The Environment as Art Education.  I also have my clear teaching credential for Art k-12 and adults. 

10. What are the biggest challenges you face as a teaching artist?

         The first challenge is finding consistent work that is sustaining and fulfilling both monetarily and motivationally.  I have spent years working several part time, short term gigs that are okay but disconnected and not necessarily work I can count on.  I enjoy doing a variety of jobs and projects and am happy to finally have a few jobs that are more secure and that have a fair wage for all of the work that is put in to planning and teaching.  Sometimes it seems like art is an after thought and the fact that you love it means you don’t need to get paid very much or it is not as essential as other subjects and therefor the budget for art is very limited. 

Other times the challenge is the particular job because of the extreme conditions of our youth in schools in Oakland.  Some schools where I have worked both the teachers and the students have limited resources and extreme frustration and behavior are evident in every layer of the school day.  It is difficult to come into this situation and teach an art class.  The students do not trust or listen to you and they do not respect the materials or have the patience to listen and understand the concepts you are trying to teach.  They may not have any art skills to speak of, they may not understand how to solve a problem on their own, etc.

11. What are the unexpected rewards of being a teaching artist?

 You get to be the celebrity that visits the classroom and brings joy and paint to the kids!  You get to witness discovery and expression at its purest form through the art of children.  You have the ability to challenge the students to teach them to be thoughtful and precise and to express there own capacity to create. 

12. What advice do you have for other artists interested in teaching?

 It is rewarding but it is very hard and exhausting and it is not going to make you rich! 

Bonus*

What is your hope for the future of arts education?

 My hope for the future of art education is that it is valued as an essential part of human development and as important as math and reading in a child’s education.  Someone said to me art is a priviledge not a necessity in human society.  I answered Then why does every culture throughout history have there own art integrated into their society.  I believe it is a necessity not a priveledge for children to learn through the arts and make their own decisions about what is important to them for their future. 

Please share one anecdote of a memorable Teaching Artist experience.

 One of my jobs is in museum education at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco.  When giving the tours of the museum collection we use the VTS strategies to guide the students to talk about the work.  Recently leading a group of first graders I found them to be particularly insightful about the works of art. 

Please share any upcoming events or shows you are involved in so we can find out more about your personal art practice. Provide links to websites, event sites, etc.

I belong to Mercury 20 Gallery as an artist member.  My next solo show will be up on Sept. 26^th, 2013.  I am working towards it now. 

I am also hanging two exhibits this summer: The Urban Legends Wine Cellar in West Oakland in July and the 817 Café on Washington St. in downtown Oakland for July and August. 

I have my own website: www.jillmclennan.com

Mercury 20 website: www.mercurytwenty.com

I am also involved in projects in my own community of Jingletown in the fruitvale district of Oakland.  We just completed 2013 Open Studios tours last week. 

Our website is www.jingletown.org

Clara Layni's Improbable Beautiful

1. How long have you been a teaching artist?

I taught adjunct "PT" for 2 years and full time for 2 years. 

 

2. What discipline(s) do you teach?

 Beginning graphic design, ceramics and sculpture

3. Describe the setting(s) in which you teach.

Community College- classes with all ages from high school with early enrollment to senior citizens.

 

4. Who shaped your initial thinking about teaching art?

The many art teachers I have had have provided me with excellent examples of really inspiring teachers and terrible teachers. I tried to take the best things from my best teachers, and of course avoid the practices of the bad teachers.

 

5. Describe the relationship between your personal art practice and your art teaching?

I really tried to pass on the things which made art fun for me to the students- a love of learning and making, a chance to express oneself with out having to use words. I did not have advanced students, so I did not put a lot of emphasis on being critical. I think in turn this renewed my energy and helped me create with out being so critical of myself.

 

6. How do you sustain your art while teaching?

When I was teaching, I had a lot less time for creating my own art, but as I wrote in question 5, I got a lot of enthusiasm/energy back from my students. I was also reminded all the time of how lucky I am to have the knowledge and talents that I do have and not to take that for granted. So walking into my studio I felt more confident. I also had a salary coming in which freed me from worrying about selling my art and made me feel more carefree in the studio. This was a huge bonus for my creativity.

 

7. What training in the arts and/or education have you had?

BA, emphasis in Fine Arts from UCSC, BFA in Ceramics from Alfred University, MFA from CU Boulder in Ceramics. Also, 3 semesters in clay at Cabrillo college, 1 semester at CCAC. I had no background specifically in Fine Arts Education.

 

8. What are the biggest challenges you face as a teaching artist?

Having enough time for my own work. With ceramics, you often have to spend a lot of time dealing with the maintenance of your materials and facility and firing kilns on weekends, etc.

 

9. What are the unexpected rewards of being a teaching artist? 

I really enjoyed seeing people who had no previous experience gain confidence when they found out they too could be creative. Often my students would go on to take more classes in art or art history which might lead them back into going to college more seriously.

 

10. What advice do you have for other artists interested in teaching? 

Make sure you know what is expected of you by your administration and don't do a lot more than they expect of you. I worked very hard to build a large, popular, and successful program from scratch and the other instructors and administration did not like me. I was "let go". Never accept your student's FB requests, or other faculty. Don't love it so much that you forget it's a job.

 

*Bonus*

Please share one anecdote of a memorable Teaching Artist experience or your favorite resources for lessons.

I had a several vets for students who had PTSD and it was obvious that ceramics class was very good for them. One in particular with very severe PTSD entered one of his assignments from beginning ceramics class in an art contest for Veterans and won 5th place in the whole country. 

 

Please share any upcoming events or shows you are involved in so we can find out more about your personal art practice. Provide links to websites, event sites, etc.

http://ClaraLanyi.com/

Here's a video of Clara's student's work

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqiDzbCYN_4

Constance Moore's Improbable Beautiful

1st grade student painting at New Highland Elementary, Oakland CA, 2008

1)    How long have you been a teaching artist?

I have been teaching art for a little over 20 years since about 1992.

2)     What discipline(s) do you teach?

I teach visual art.

3)    Describe the setting(s) in which you teach.

Currently I teach in a public K-5 school. I also provide professional development for elementary through High School teachers , as well as teach a course on art and creativity for undergraduates at Holy Names University.

4)    What funding source(s) support you as a teaching artist?

At this time I am paid through the Museum of Children's Art (MOCHA) a non-profit that is paid by the school.

5)    Who shaped your initial thinking about teaching art?

Miriam de Uriarte at the Child Art Studio in Berkeley www.miraarte.org 

6)    Describe the relationship between your personal art practice and your art teaching?

I find that now that I am paying attention the two influence each other. I take my interest into the class but also what the students are working on in art or their general classroom impacts my thinking and what images I’m attracted to. I also notice my choice of color is very child-like. I like the bright basics with a good dose of black or mud colors. I see that kids tend to make work that has a lot of contrast, whether they do it on purpose or not. This aesthetic is very appealing to me.

On the other hand, teaching tends to suck all of my energy and it can be difficult to work on my own work after work. I have to be very organized and mark out the specific times I will work or else nothing will get done.

7)    Where do you get your lessons or project ideas?

Please share your top 3 resources.

Recently I get ideas online. There are now so many websites full of creative projects or great suggestions on new ways to use specific materials.

I also get a lot of ideas from the classroom teacher and their curriculum. Also websites like Spark and Art 21

 http://www.kqed.org/arts/programs/spark/

http://www.pbs.org/art21/

Best resource - ask other art teachers.

8)    What training in the arts and/or education have you had?

I have a MA in American Civilization from Brown University. Although this is essentially a history degree my focus was on art and culture. I have used my MA as a Museum Studies/Arts Education degree primarily. I have an almost AA in Studio Art from Peralta Colleges. I have a few courses left. Peralta is where I got the best hands on studio art training.  I am now in the MFA-IA program at Goddard.

9)    How has your training and/or other life experiences benefited your teaching?

Most of my important training has come on the job. Learning how to teach is a hands on experience for me. I’ve learned so much from other teachers and teaching artists. My Goddard experience is helping me to look more closely at teaching art as an influence on my art and a part of my personal art practice.

10) What are the biggest challenges you face as a teaching artist?

The biggest challenges are staying employed (funding, funding, funding!), when I don’t have my own class it’s dealing with all the stuff. For example you have to figure out where to keep materials and how to schlep them from class to class, dealing with classroom teachers and classrooms that are set up in strange ways.

11) What are the unexpected rewards of being a teaching artist?

That some how I have managed to stay employed more or less consistently for over 20 years. The other reward is the deep thinking that goes into teaching. There’s always more to learn and art is a great way to process and uncover new ideas. Its not unexpected but I’m still thrilled by the depth of creativity and commitment students of all ages put into their art. Of course there’s a huge return of love and appreciation from the kids. It’s like being a rock star!

12) What advice do you have for other artists interested in teaching?

Plan, plan, plan and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Make as many connections with other teaching artists as you can. Take advantage of all new learning opportunities. If you do you can really grow as a person. NEVER underestimate what kids can do!

13) What is your hope for the future of arts education?

I hope that the Arts – all disciplines – return to the public schools not just as add ons but as the heart of the curriculum. I believe that art should drive the curriculum.

*Bonus*

Please share one anecdote of a memorable Teaching Artist experience.

It’s hard to pick out one moment…I recently had a kindergarten student tell me in a rush of excitement “Miss Moore you are the artist best teacher I never had!”

Please share any upcoming events or shows you are involved in so we can find out more about your personal art practice. Provide links to websites, event sites, etc.

I currently have a solo show: Inner and Outer Spaces at Dish Boutique in SF www.dishboutique.com

You can see my portfolio here www.constancemoore.crevado.com

The Teaching Artist Questionnaire

“Improbable Beautiful”  

 The Teaching Artist Questionnaire

1)    How long have you been a teaching artist?

2)     What discipline(s) do you teach?

3)    Describe the setting(s) in which you teach.

(K-5, after school, university, community center, etc…)

4)    Who shaped your initial thinking about teaching art?

5)    Describe the relationship between your personal art practice and your art teaching?

6)  How do you sustain your art while teaching?

7)    What training in the arts and/or education have you had?

8) What are the biggest challenges you face as a teaching artist?

9) What are the unexpected rewards of being a teaching artist?

10) What advice do you have for other artists interested in teaching?

*Bonus*

Please share one anecdote of a memorable Teaching Artist experience.

Please share any upcoming events or shows you are involved in so we can find out more about your personal art practice. Provide links to websites, event sites, etc.

Please provide at least one image in the following area: your art, student art (no photos of students), or an image that represents you.

SEND completed responses to Constance Moore cmoorearte@gmail.com. You may type your answers into the body of the email or send Word docs.  Images should be no larger than 5 x 7 (500KB and 72DPI) PLEASE do not send large images. 

Dear Teaching Artist,

You are invited to participate in “Improbable Beautiful” The Teaching Artist Questionnaire my MFA project. I am interested in exploring how teaching art and making art connect. What are the common struggles as well as rewards? I am asking teaching artists to respond to a set of questions and provide a small amount of additional information. My goal is to collect your responses and post them on my blog. I will feature an artist for 2 – 3 weeks depending on the level of response. When your response is posted I will send you an email letting you know. I’m not certain what I will learn from this experiment but I am excited to hear from other teaching artists and find out more about both your teaching and your personal art practice.

A bit about me: I am a teaching artist in my second semester of the MFA-IA program at Goddard College (Port Townsend, WA). Being a teaching artist comes easily to me. It is a role I can play quite effortlessly. On the other hand, being an Artist has not been a strong part of my public persona. Pursuing my MFA is my sky dive into claiming more of my artist identity. Improbable Beautiful is my attempt to understand and merge these two realms.

THANK YOU for taking the time to participate in this project. I look forward to reading your responses and getting to know you all a bit better.

Sincerely,

Constance

TO PARTICIPATE

Click on Teaching Artist Questionnaire link on the right. 

You can choose the long or updated short version.

The project and blog title comes from this poem:

Starlings in Winter

by Mary Oliver

Chunky and noisy,
but with stars in their black feathers,
they spring from the telephone wire
and instantly

they are acrobats
in the freezing wind.
And now, in the theater of air,
they swing over buildings,

dipping and rising;
they float like one stippled star
that opens,
becomes for a moment fragmented,

then closes again;
and you watch
and you try
but you simply can't imagine

how they do it
with no articulated instruction, no pause,
only the silent confirmation
that they are this notable thing,

this wheel of many parts, that can rise and spin
over and over again,
full of gorgeous life.
Ah, world, what lessons you prepare for us,

even in the leafless winter,
even in the ashy city.
I am thinking now
of grief, and of getting past it;

I feel my boots
trying to leave the ground,
I feel my heart
pumping hard, I want

to think again of dangerous and noble things.
I want to be light and frolicsome.
I want to be improbable beautiful and afraid of nothing,
as though I had wings.

"Starlings in Winter" by Mary Oliver, from Owls and Other Fantasies: Poems and Essays. © Beacon Press, 2003.