Teaching Portfolio

Teaching Philosophy

Academia provides me with an opportunity to inspire and empower individuals, enhancing student learning while simultaneously offering the tools they need to
succeed in their field of study.

For twelve years, I taught a variety of subjects – including fine and commercial art courses. As an educator in both communities, I have observed a great disconnect
between commercial and fine art methodologies within the academic culture. A student cannot create art in a vacuum. Yet, within the academic landscape, many programs have
isolated commercial and fine art from one another, hindering the growth of young artists by limiting their exposure to vastly different and creative techniques.

Working within the academic culture offers a unique opportunity to bridge this disconnect. Twentieth century mixed media fine artists such as Raoul Hausmann or Richard Hamilton offer important evidence of dynamic works of art and movements that rely heavily on fine and commercial art methodologies – including montage, illustration, photography and typographic elements. It is my goal to expand the students’ development through a multi-facet artistic approach, dissolving the boundaries between fine art and design.

Lastly, the trending notion that skill-based and conceptual learning are conflicting modes of curriculum development is flawed. Amongst contemporary design programs, there is a shift to conceptual learning, focusing on idea creation without a technical or skill-based foundation. This forces the students into role of teacher. My philosophy is that it is the responsibility of educators to facilitate foundational design curricula emphasizing a breadth of processes within the context of idea creation and execution.

Courses Taught

Visual Arts Degree

ARTS-101, Two-Dimensional Art and Design
ARTS-104, Digital Fundamentals
ARTS-125, Introduction to Digital Art
ARTS-250, Digital Methods: Illustration and Compositing
ARTS-251, Digital Methods: Structure & Message

Student Work

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Graphic Design Examples
Illustration Examples
Digital Art Examples
General Education Digital Art Examples