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I do not see making art separate from my teaching. With a commitment to authentic creative experience, I bring my passion, knowledge, and experience as a practicing artist into the community I am engaged with—whether that is higher education, high school settings, or grant-funded projects. Each site has specific goals, populations, and community needs. The curriculum and community goals dictate specific creative decisions, often leading to highly collaborative engagement.

 

With over 30 years as an educator, I operate on a strong foundation of how learning is maximized. My teaching is deeply influenced by an extensive background as a fine artist in drawing, painting, printmaking, and ceramics, combined with international training and the fortune of encountering powerful educators like Jacob Needleman, who taught me to ask better questions as a foundation.

 

Teaching isn’t just about the how-tos. It’s about the whys:​

 

• Why are the arts important on an individual level, on a community level, and on a global level?

• How can one’s voice be deepened through the process of making?

• How does our individual work connect us to others across the present, the past, across our backgrounds, and our own biases?

 

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In teaching technique and form, I simultaneously engage in this why. I take the goals of the project, class, or client, and work backward—keeping the end in mind while creating highly scaffolded learning tailored specifically to each person and setting. From two-hour workshops to year-long courses connected to a four-year trajectory, I aim to infuse the joy of authentic studio practice with the deep learning that occurs when curiosity and individualized learning are at the forefront.