Benjamin Sandness

Statement of Teaching Philosophy

A studio arts course can bring students to an understanding of how to explore their individual interests visually. It should emphasize the analytical evaluation of images, objects, and processes, while simultaneously providing students with the technical knowledge necessary to make things well.

Central to my teaching are individualized communication with students and projects that are designed to be open enough for students to make their own discoveries. I meet with students as they plan and develop their ideas for a project. I use these meetings as an opportunity to help students identify their goals for a project and what they hope for the viewer to experience, while focusing on originality, creativity, and effectiveness.

I emphasize critical dialogue throughout the process of learning and making. Students in all levels of fine art courses must constantly be challenged to look objectively. I accomplish this through both casual discussions in class as well as honest peer critiques that address formal, conceptual, and practical concerns. Although no critique can be purely objective, my role in this dialogue is to prompt students with challenging questions about the artwork presented. By bringing up unconsidered questions and concerns, I can direct the group discussion to address issues that may have been overlooked. As a group, we all can learn from the differing points of view that come about in our collective, dynamic dialogue.

Printmaking

I teach printmaking techniques by breaking processes down to their most basic components. From these simplified concepts, I introduce alternative and additional approaches that build progressively throughout the semester. This gives students an understanding of print processes in a way that is interconnected and open to experimentation.

Students are exposed to processes in an experiential way. Printmaking facilitates a hands-on approach to learning that allows me to work closely with students. Students learn from each other’s achievements and mistakes as they work alongside one another.

Printmaking courses naturally encourage a community-oriented atmosphere. I hold different events during the semester to allow students to come together in a way that is informal and social, such as relief tee shirt printing days, competitive “print-offs”, and guest lecturers. This gives students an environment that is conducive to sharing ideas and learning from one another.

Foundations

Foundations courses are a gateway to contemporary visual concepts. I teach these courses in a very conversational and interactive manner. Students are asked to begin every class by presenting a contemporary artist. We follow by discussing what impression is made by the artist’s work, how the work is read, and by recognizing any associations made with the work. These discussions both familiarize students with sensibilities of contemporary visual art and allow for a natural integration of course concepts.

Traditional design elements and principles are applied via daily projects to familiarize students with these components and how they interpret them. As students begin to gain fluency in the concepts of design, long term projects are assigned with a focus on both composition and content. As a class, we discuss student work with the same critical dialogue as is used when talking about contemporary artwork. Creativity, originality, and process are a focus of discussion as students formulate plans for projects that integrate their personal interests.