I just finished one blissful week at the SAER (Summer Artist/Educator Residency) at Moore College where I was reminded of how interwoven making art and teaching art really are. I approach both with the spirit of play, experimentation, and collaboration. One of the highlights of the week was when I learned about the art of…
Art in Philly
13 Days of Art in Philly: 3 museums +2 mural tours +1 immigrant alphabet +1 Japanese house and garden= inspiration for 11 original hand-bound books filled with our artwork and one collaborative PC Alphabet. I was lucky enough to teach a summer course at my school for the past few weeks and got to tap…
Advice for Artists (from my students)
A piece of advice I’d give to artists is to keep on trying and cranking out art because practicing drawing and painting makes you better. I would tell them that their bravery and creativity is amazing! To be able to tell stories through pieces and leave room for so much interpretation is a really…
Comics and Graphic Novels as Primary Sources
I was lucky enough to spend a week this summer learning more about comics and graphic novels through a course offered by the University of the Arts in collaboration with The Library of Congress: Teaching with Primary Sources. The course cost me a whopping $50! A steal, if you ask me! I would highly recommend…
Arte Útil: Art as a Social Tool
I just spent the last two days at MoMA as a participant in La escuela de Arte Útil conceived by the Cuban artist Tania Bruguera. There were close to thirty participants and for two days we learned under the guidance of Tania, more about the lexicon of Arte Útil, of what it is/isn’t, of it’s shortcomings and…
teaching philosophy
Imagine coming into an open art studio and seeing young artists in various states of absorption and focus. In one corner you see a student with headphones on working meticulously on the details of her painting, never even acknowledging your presence. Opposite her are a group of students debating passionately about how to combine their…
Green Tara Mandala
For the fourth year in a row, Lama Tenzin is visiting us from Geneva, NY to construct a sand mandala. This year it is the Green Tara Mandala, which helps one overcome obstacles, to become fearless like Tara. Tara, the “mother of all Buddhas” is considered one of the first emancipated women. It is said…
becoming the teacher I longed for
At At the art reception, one of my student’s mother asks me in Chinese, “So how is T in your class, is she shy? Does she raise her hand?” I tell her that T is indeed quiet in the class but that it’s not an issue. “I am also shy…she is doing amazing work and is…
Teacher as Learner
For the past several years I’ve requested that my department be able to leave campus in order to take workshops together during the mid year Parent Conference Day. Since we usually have very few visitors during that day, what better way to spend the time than to learn something new as a group. This year…
“bad drawings”
I’ve been thinking a lot about observational drawing lately since my 9th graders just started the drawing unit. Drawing from still-life is an age-old skill that frustrates and delights, depending on who you ask. Before we started the unit I asked my students to categorize their relationship with drawing: “enjoys it”, “finds it challenging”,…
Linocut Project Redux
Every year I rethink Studio Art 1 for the 9th graders. How can I make sure that it’s a positive experience for all students especially given the fact that for many, it may be their only visual art class in their high school career? We try to start out with something that easily builds…
Artist Talk: Luz Del Dia: Copyrighting the Light of Day by Stephanie Mercedes
A few weeks ago I met Mercedes at the opening for Moving Walls 24 at the Open Society Foundation. We had a brief chat about Richard Prince and lamented the fact that he seemed to dominate the discussion around appropriation art. She was tickled by the fact that my students hated him. I had just…
Joy Lai 