Scroll down to see examples of in-class activities that I use to enhance my lectures.
2011-Present: Thomas University
I am currently Assistant Professor of Art in the Humanities Division at Thomas University. The school is a small, private university with a large population of non-traditional students. My goal is to raise the profile of studio-based visual arts at Thomas University and in the community. I have partnered with many organizations in the community, and I am constantly looking for new avenues for collaboration and partnership. The following is a sample of some of my efforts to introduce studio-based art techniques to the students at Thomas University. I primarily teach Studio (Drawing, Painting and Ceramics), Humanities Survey, Art Appreciation and Art History.
The following are examples of in-class activities I have used to enhance my lecture and seminar courses, such as Art History and Art Appreciation. They are roughly arrange in art historical order.
The following are examples of in-class activities I have used to enhance my lecture and seminar courses, such as Art History and Art Appreciation. They are roughly arrange in art historical order.
Video Introduction
For my online and face-to-face classes I have developed a series of short Youtube videos. They are meant to introduce basic art concepts and historical periods. I use them in conjunction with pre-existing art history videos to enhance my lectures. Below is one example of more than 60 video pieces I have made.
Many Women of Willendorf
At the beginning of the semester, my Art Appreciation class studied Paleolithic art. As an in-class exercise I asked each of them to sculpt a small figurine inspired by the Woman of Willendorf. We used plasticine clay rather than stone.
Paleolithic Cave Painting
I led my Art History class through an exercise of "cave painting". I hung canvas on the wall of the studio and asked them to create their own imagery. I demonstrated the spitting technique used to spray charcoal water on the cave walls. (I should have turned out all the lights in the room and asked them to paint by flashlight!)
"Microlithic" Monumental Structure
As a fun, hands-on exercise, I asked my Art History class to create a tiny version of a Neolithic structure (inspired by Stonehenge).
Funerary Masks
After studying the cultures of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt I asked my Art Appreciation class to make funerary masks out of paper. Babylonian, Akkadian and Egyptian motifs were used for inspiration.
Greek Craters
This was a contemporary spin on the Ancient Greek red figure and black figure vases. I asked them to write a short mythological story. Using crayon on styrofoam cups, I asked them to pick one visual image from their story and depict it on the surface of the cup.
Building a Trojan "Shetland Pony"
I found an old wooden table and a pile of scrap wood. After reading some passages from Virgil's Aeneid, I asked the students to work as a group to build their version of the Trojan Horse. I said, "Someone has to step up and become Odysseus. Take charge."
I stood back and let them work experientially.
I stood back and let them work experientially.
Sugar Cube Roman Arches
After studying Roman architecture I split the class into small groups. I gave each group sugar cubes, glue, an emory board and a pair of scissors. I asked them to construct a Roman Arch using only these materials. The results were rather amusing.
Byzantine Mosaics
I asked the class to work in small groups to create a mosaic-style collage using construction paper. I presented several examples to inspire them.
Gothic Tapestries
I let the class use textile samples to create small narrative cloth pieces.
The squares were collected and arranged into a kind of tapestry.
The squares were collected and arranged into a kind of tapestry.
Comparing Last Suppers
This was an in-class exercise for a Humanities lecture. We re-enacted two versions of The Last Supper. The first (left) was inspried by Da Vinci's early Renaissance fresco. The second (right) was inspired by Tintoretto's Mannerist-style painting. You can see the projection of each painting on the screen in the background.
Repurposed Book Sculptures
The school library was getting rid of a large stack of old books. I hated to see the books get thrown away, so I took them to the studio. In my Art Appreciation class we were covering material on sculptural forms. As an in-class exercise, I split the students into small groups and asked each of them to collaborate on a sculpture using the books as raw material. For inspiration, the class researched examples of book sculptures. I made glue, glitter, spray paint and cutting tools available. These are three examples of the results. The library was happy to let us exhibit the finished pieces.
Flash Mob
At The Big Oak historic site in Thomasville there is a webcam set up to take photos of visitors. I took my Art Appreciation class to the site to get inspired for a creative project. One of the activities we did was a series of "flash mob" photos.
2007: University of North Alabama, Art Appreciation Class
Classroom Activity: Human Sculpture
This activity followed a discussion on the nature of sculpture and an introduction to Gilbert and George. I asked for volunteers from the class to cover each other with aluminum foil.
Classroom Activity: Studio Photography
I worked with the professor who was teaching studio photography. Her class needed a large group of subjects to photograph and I wanted to introduce my students to studio art photography. Both classes had a great time and learned something.