My teaching philosophy centers that all students are capable of interacting with art deeply and thoughtfully. Art is a subject where students can develop deep critical thinking skills and make connections from their lives to the broader world, but this can only happen when the classroom is culturally relevant and responds to students’ lives. I aim to make the art classroom a place where students can explore their own artistic voice through a variety of materials and media while centering on how concept and deeper thinking around art can strengthen students’ personal voice. Students are encouraged to build community through structured critique and sharing their own interests by infusing them into their art pieces. Below are some lessons  from classes I have taught.











Visualizing Through Music

Students were tasked with creating illustrations based on how they interpreted different songs, paying attention to color theory relationships and developing illustrations that visualized music through different techniques. Learners were first led through an exercise where they visualized two songs with different vibes through use of color and texture. Through this lesson, students learned color theory skills and developed how they associate different emotions with different colors. During their critique, students had to explain the song they used, what colors they associated with it, and what textures and methods they used.











Three Signature Bound Sketchbooks

Across two lessons, students created their very own sketchbooks. Within the first lesson, students developed the covers and spines of their sketchbooks using different methods. Learners were able to personalize their sketchbooks through the use of painting, collaging, drawing, and more. In the second lesson, learners bound their sketchbooks by using the kettle stitch and the long stitch. Through this lesson, students were able to develop a stronger, more personal connection to their sketchbook, solidifying that the sketchbook is an important tool that every artist uses to develop foundational skills.  Students continued to use their sketchbooks  in subsequent lessons.











Making your Mark

Within this lesson, students created rubber relief carvings based on ordinary parts of their lives. Students thought about how negative and positive space interact on the page and how relief carvings can be printed multiple times. Pictured to the left, are a series of relief carvings that the student ended up printing multiple times to arrange a swarm of bugs.