The Guiding One
18" x 24"
Mixed Media
Untitled
7" x 17"
Graphite and ink on paper
Self-Portrait
18" x 24"
Acrylic, material, and wood
Constrained
4' x 5'
Oil on Canvas
The Female Figure
Installation
Acrylic, oil, watercolor, wood, wood burn, material, glass, wire, ink, plastic, photographs, string, and nails
Self-Portrait
18" x 24"
Acrylic, material, and wood
Sky
17" x 27"
Glass Mosaic
Kevin
30" x 50"
Oil on Canvas
Hold On To Holding On
12" x 9"
Mixed Media
Moments of Release Between Strands of Relief
36" x 42"
Charcoal and oil on paper
My Lesson for Tomorrow
7.5' x 7.5' x 7'
Haikus, Paper, Thread
Mirepoix
9" x 5" x 3"
Lowfire White Clay, Glaze
Pulled Apart with Tweezers
10" x 10" x 9"
Wood, Tweezers
Concrete
8" x 10"
Photograph
Serenity
8" x 12"
Charcoal
Collaborative Drawing Series, 2nd grade
4, 4' x 4'
Oil pastel, colored pencil, marker
Collaborative Drawing Series, 1st & 2nd grade
4' x 6'
Oil pastel, marker, colored pencil
Collaborative Weaving, 1st & 2nd grade
4' x 6'
Found fabric and thread
Shine
14" x 20"
Photography
Deena
20" x 30"
Photography
Sake
20" x 20"
Photography
College students often feel compelled to major in more than one discipline, but few get the chance to do so and must choose only one. In the School of Art + Design, interdisciplinary education is highly encouraged and widespread among undergraduates. A common dual degree is Art Education and Painting. I myself decided on this particular combination of curricula. I recently sat down with a fellow student from the Class of 2013, Carolina Ibarra, to talk about the benefits of being in these two programs and how each program provided a unique experience.
Art Education and Painting are the perfect complementary majors, for each informs the other. By having a deeper understanding of professional art practices, we, as teachers, can share our experiences and expertise with our students to create a more meaningful learning environment. As students in Art + Design, we have seen firsthand how valuable it is to study with practicing artists. Small classrooms offer the chance to interact closely with our professors and create professional relationships. Carolina and I agree that along with our specialized faculty and their endless resources, it is the early professional experience we have received in each major that makes us confident and prepared to enter the real world.
Within the Art Education program, students are given numerous opportunities to gain experience within their field and become comfortable with their teaching methods before embarking upon student teaching and a teaching career. Each practicum was designed toward earning our teaching certificate and developing skills in creative lesson planning, practical teaching methods, and collaboration with other students and professionals. Carolina and I also commented on the emphasis placed in our seminars on postmodern teaching methods, community-based art programs, and the evolution of art education. Combining all these experiences, we have started to branch out of the classroom and bring our skills into other areas. Carolina, for instance, has taught art classes at a juvenile detention center and I have been able to assist with art classes at a children’s museum. We feel comfortable using our skills and voicing our opinions to discuss issues in contemporary education. We have become advocates for art education.
Through the Painting and Sculpture Program, we learned how to practice being professional artists. Having studio spaces during our junior and senior years, we pursued personal interests, explored and researched concepts, and freely experimented with materials. From the start, we talked a lot together, both in the context of group critiques and contemporary art seminars as well as in the context of workshops and lectures offered by outside professional artists. We were able to create opportunities to put our names out there by organizing exhibitions and being part of the local art scene. Carolina and I brought up the importance of the Krannert Art Museum and Kinkead Pavilion. It is not a visual resource but also a place to meet visiting artists. One memorable occasion was the 2012 retrospective of the work of Carolee Schneemann. Over the past years, we have developed our work technically and conceptually, but we have also learned how to present ourselves working within larger artistic communities.
I feel as though I have repeated the same three words throughout this essay: experience, community, and resources. But that is truly the essence of the Art Education and Painting majors. Another exceptional point remains to be made--there was never a moment of disparity among topics, events, or anything else; it was always about receiving a deeper understanding of ideas and providing connections across disciplines.
Social Spaces/Places
20" x 16"
Oil on Canvas
Education
6" x 6" x 6"
Plaster
Thy Will Be Done
25" x 18"
Graphite, Charcoal and Ink on Paper
Gemini
9" x 12"
Handmade paper, mixed media, collage
The Hawk and the Mermaid
18" x 24"
Handmade paper, collage, mixed media
To catch a fish
1' x 3' x 1'
mixed media, hot glue
Shoo Fly
25" x 25"
Oil on canvas
Open Wide Butter Dish
6" x 4" x 5"
Ceramic
Family Nose
4" x 6"
Cement and Resin
Untitled
7" x 7"
Gelatin silver print
Untitled
40" x 20"
Digital photograph
Your Stuff, My Stuff
30" x 23"
Digital photograph
Lights
2.5' x 4.5'
Acrylic paint
Letters
3.5' x 2'
Acrylic and photography
Quad
2'8" x 2'8"
Oil paint
Untitled (Nuppe series #1)
9" x 2.5" x 4"
Mixed media