Throughout my career, I’ve partnered with visual arts agencies like the College for Creative Studies, Signal Return, and Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center. I’ve connected non-profits to major arts institutions like the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Matrix Theatre, and Detroit Opera. I’ve even partnered with individual artists to provide classes to both adults and youth throughout Metro Detroit. It’s because of that experience that I feel confident in saying I understand arts education. I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t, and I think the best teachers are the ones who consider their student’s needs first. Unmet needs lead to unfocused students and ultimately, poor results. In those instances, education is moot and a classroom is no longer a place of learning. Until a student’s needs are met, progress remains difficult, and neither the teacher nor the student can succeed.

In college, I had remarkable mentors; Robert Schefman and Gilda Snowden. They both took the time to ensure that my needs were met before presenting their lessons. I also taught me how to make art and how to be an artist. It wasn’t until later that I learned how to teach and how to understand my students from Mikel Bresee and Larry Lunsford, the former Director and current Co-Director of Community Arts Partnership at CCS. They introduced me to social/emotional learning and provided me with solid guidance and direction that kept my students happy and engaged throughout their lessons. Everything I learned during those times has stuck with me, and II still use many of their lessons in my classrooms today.

As a professor of art, I don’t believe myself to be the arbiter of what is right and wrong. I reserve my judgements and replace them with guidance and support. I want my students to learn how to make hard decisions for themselves, and I want them to succeed, not struggle, while doing so. One of the things I’ve learned over 20 years of being an artist and just over seven years of teaching, is that everyone wants to be treated with respect and dignity, and that all students want to learn. Some just have a harder time getting there.

It's with that attitude, that I try to develop a welcoming environment for my students, a space where experimentation, discovery, and individuality are embraced. I don’t focus on whether something is good or bad. That’s not my decision to make. Instead, I prefer to give every student’s academic efforts the benefit of the doubt, because even the most misplaced attempts at following directions or completing an assignment can prove to be a ripe environment for fruitful education.

When it comes to art, I believe that every goal, no matter how abstract, is likely to start with the fundamentals. Pablo Picasso is attributed with saying “Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist,” and I think that’s a solid adage for a fine artist like myself, but it doesn’t necessarily apply to other disciplines. Fine artists tend to have the luxury of picking and choosing which rules they follow, whereas designers and some crafters require the rules in order to effectively produce their products.

Illustrators and animators for instance, need to understand line, value, and contrast in order to adequately juxtapose story elements. Industrial designers need to understand form and shading in order to render a sellable concept. Interior designers need perspective for obvious reasons, and fashion designers can benefit from knowing anatomy. Even my K-12 students benefit from slightly altered versions of these same lessons.

In my experience, they too want to illustrate a story or animate a scene. Some are capable of designing the most imaginative automotive concepts and product presentations. They are often active participants when it comes to designing their own personal spaces and public communities, and I’ve yet to meet a young person who wasn’t acutely aware of their personal fashion sense. So, while enrichment and experience is paramount for them, I think they enjoy learning the same complex concepts that adults do, just in a more fun and engaging environment.

It's because of that that I’m not against my students experimenting with any materials, tools, or media on their personal road to success. So long as those materials, tools, and media are used responsibly and they fall within the parameters of the lesson plan, assignment, and school policy, then I believe they are all fair game. Even AI is potentially on the table under certain circumstances, because I understand that there is no going back in time. The future is very likely to belong to those who leverage AI, and I would rather walk that road with my students than deprive them of the opportunity and have them fall behind.

All that being said, my philosophy starts with me as an observant guide. I’m not doing the work for them. I don’t want to hold their hand or make their art. I’m happy to lead them from waypoint to waypoint and teach them from one class to the next, ensuring that they progress through their chosen pedagogy safely and confidently, but in the end, they need to do the work. I want them to feel empowered to do so. That, for me, is sacred ground, and if I can get them to that point, then I will have succeeded as their teacher.