Teaching Artist Podcast
119 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 32 ratingsTeaching Artist Podcast is dedicated to discussions of teaching art, making art, and how those things overlap and feed each other. Rebecca Potts Aguirre, a visual arts teaching artist, interviews practicing artists who are also K-12 educators. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/teachingartistpodcast/support
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Episodes
#100: Embracing Community
March 26, 2023 05:46 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MBThis episode has been a long time coming! I envisioned this as a celebration of 100 episodes and a way to kick off the summer of 2022. Well, here we are in 2023 after a loooong hiatus. The theme feels even more fitting now - for this podcast, for art educators and artists, and for me personally. Blog Post with links and images: https://www.teachingartistpodcast.com/episode-100-embracing-community Lana Greinermiller (she/her): @ms_gs_studio on Instagram Renee Kuharchuk (she/her): @reneekuh...
#99: Brenda Presil: Pushing Forward
September 17, 2022 19:42 - 1 hour - 70.7 MBBrenda was inspired to become an art teacher from a young age, but was told not to pursue teaching by one of her art teachers whom she respected. She talked about freelancing as a creative and working across disciplines to make a living as an artist before coming back to teaching. It was inspiring to hear how she continues pushing forward and challenging herself as an artist while also becoming a better teacher. She shared how she connects with students and sometimes struggles to make those ...
#98: Kayla Louviere: Coming to Voice
August 07, 2022 22:12 - 45 minutes - 41.3 MBKayla Louviere talked about the juggle of parenting and making art while teaching. She shared how she approaches and structures her art practice and how that has shifted over the years. It was helpful to hear how that structure can move the dial little by little even when the amount of studio time available isn’t a lot. As she brings up topics of artistic voice with students, she also examines her own artistic voice and the themes of her work. Kayla shared how she’s working with students wh...
#97: Cbabi Bayoc: Trusting Yourself
July 10, 2022 17:33 - 49 minutes - 45 MBCbabi talked about his journey as an artist and how he continues to grow both his practice and his business. He shared his creative process and the ways he overcomes challenges while creating. He also talked about painting murals in schools and how he becomes a role model for students, making his thinking visible and encouraging the use of mistakes as learning opportunities. It was so helpful hearing how he adjusts pricing and also has to work to overcome money mindsets - that made me feel l...
#96: Emily McMullan: Practices in Art
June 21, 2022 20:28 - 1 hour - 60.9 MBEmily talked about her path as an artist from a young age, but also discovering her love for teaching and working especially in special education. She shared how all-consuming those first years of teaching were and how art had to take a back seat. I so related to that feeling of needing to re-discover the artist self, especially after becoming a mother. Emily aslo shared some great advice as a veteran special education teacher in not only encouraging students, but also encouraging yourself. ...
#95: Meera Ramanathan: Grounded in Collage
June 05, 2022 23:10 - 58 minutes - 53.3 MBMeera talked about coming back to art after a long hiatus while teaching and moving from one country to another. She shared beautiful advice for artists and educators around diving into art-making and giving yourself grace as you grow your art practice. Meera also shared her experience through this pandemic and how meaningful it has been coming back to in-person teaching with tactile art materials. I loved hearing about her work and the process of selecting colors, tearing paper, collaging,...
#94: The Grundlers: The Creativity Department
May 23, 2022 06:16 - 1 hour - 67.7 MBIt was such a pleasure talking with Laura & Matt Grundler, who host the #K12artchat on Twitter and The Creativity Department podcast. We talked about helping kids navigate a world that wasn’t built for them, as both parents and teachers. Laura and Matt both shared their paths as artists and educators, which included struggles with school and learning challenges, giving them empathy for students. I also loved hearing about how they weave visual journaling into not only their curricula, but al...
#93: Suzanne Joyal: Something From Nothing
May 09, 2022 05:37 - 52 minutes - 48.4 MBSuzanne Joyal had great advice about working with students with disabilities, which really applies to working with all students. I loved hearing about her path to teaching through motherhood and how she advocated for the arts in schools. It was also inspiring to hear about her art practice and how she overcomes artist block. Suzanne has exhibited her fine art at ArtWorks Downtown, Youth in Arts, O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Albany Center, the Mill Valley Library, and Thornton Thomasetti. A...
#92: Aimee Sones: Mountain Movers
April 17, 2022 05:42 - 1 hour - 58.8 MBAimee talked about supporting her students through this pandemic and beyond in part through shifting mindsets and reframing negative thinking. I loved how she talked about our role as educators as focused around teaching students to care and to prioritize what it is they care about, ideally moving away from stress about homework towards empathy and care for each other. Aimee puts the same passion into supporting fellow educators and artists through coaching. She shared some great advice arou...
#91: Amir Whitaker: Free The Youth!
April 09, 2022 06:01 - 1 hour - 55.4 MBDr. Amir Whitaker Esq. weaves together his experience and knowledge as an educator, musician, and human rights lawyer and spoke about how those things have inspired each other throughout his life. I loved how he talked about following a question, which led to more questions, as he pursued degree after degree. He spoke about how his multiple titles and roles really come back to passion for justice and the arts and his mission to free the youth. He touched on his own personal background with t...
#90: mikewindy: Gratitude & Inspirations
April 03, 2022 05:06 - 1 hour - 78.6 MBMike talked about his winding path to art education and the myth of the art professor with abundant studio time. He shared how he fits in studio time in the gaps and how rich and fulfilling this winding path has been. Mike also shared a project he does with students that provides useful data for teachers in assessing student learning, being able to offer data to administrators, while also letting students see their own growth. He talked about thinking in similar ways within his studio pract...
#89: Lionel Cruet: Rhetorics of an Uncertain Future
March 27, 2022 01:50 - 1 hour - 63.2 MBLionel Cruet spoke about his teaching practice as well as his exhibit, Rhetorics of an Uncertain Future, which is in its third iteration at Play + Inspire Gallery. He talked about the process of developing the exhibition in all three iterations, from private viewing at Yi Gallery in NYC to exhibit at El Lobi in Puerto Rico to online at Play + Inspire. The title was chosen carefully to encompass the writing that accompanies the exhibition, while also exploring the visual arts as a mode of per...
#88: Eric Anthony Berdis: Imagining A Queer Space
March 13, 2022 08:27 - 59 minutes - 54.4 MBEric Anthony Berdis shared his story of finding refuge and courage in art. He talked about imagining a queer space and how he creates that imagined space. He also spoke about the idea of being a parallel player alongside his young students and his continual work to move away from facilitator or director in the classroom. I loved hearing about his process and all the research behind his work. I also loved how he is able to incorporate play and whimsy among all the references and context that ...
#87: Abhishek Panchal: Centering Students
February 27, 2022 05:26 - 46 minutes - 42.5 MBIt was so great to reconnect with Abishek and hear more about his art and teaching practices. He participated in one of our Artist Talk sessions through the Teaching Artists Lounge last summer and I was so inspired by the way he wove teaching and artmaking together in that brief talk that I wanted to hear more. He shared wonderful advice for working with students of all abilities and adjusting his own expectations as a teacher during constantly shifting situations as a result of the pandemic...
#86: Marianna Jimenez Edwards: Re-Emerging
February 06, 2022 18:31 - 1 hour - 62.8 MBMarianna talked about the support she felt from teachers and her parents as an artist, but also the challenge of learning to draw. She shared a method for teaching drawing that she longed for as a young person, working to improve her technique. The way she shifted from teaching full-time and feeling the burnout so many of us have felt was so inspiring. I loved hearing how she found a semblance of balance with part-time teaching and part-time art-making as she re-emerged as an artist. Marian...
#85: Valentine Svihalek: Embracing Your Creativity
January 30, 2022 18:45 - 1 hour - 59.3 MBValentine Svihalek talked about embracing her creativity and shifting in her career as she moved physically and emotionally through life. I love how she dove into being an artist and then working with fellow artists, especially mothers, to bring out their creative voices. Valentine Svihalek is a Belgian and American contemporary visual artist, international educator, and mother. Living and teaching in diverse communities around the world, she cultivated a desire for discovery and developmen...
#84: Ana Guzmán: Reframing ELL
January 22, 2022 06:15 - 52 minutes - 47.7 MBAna Guzmán talked about her experience as an English Language Learner and reframing that term to Emergent Bilingual as she now works to help students who are learning a second language. I love that reframing, focusing on the impressive fact that these students already know at least one language and are learning an additional language! She shared some strategies art educators can use in reaching and teaching emergent bilingual students as well as advocating with administration and higher le...
#83: Amanda Gorman: Finding Your Village
January 16, 2022 17:38 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBAmanda is a childbirth educator who uses the Birthing From Within methodologies. She talked about incorporating art-making as part of the preparation for birth and shared her own experience of moving from a “not creative” person to wholeheartedly believing in the power of art. She shared her process for building trust and working with students who don’t have art experience as well as the reasons art-making is included in a birthing course. We also talked a bit about the racial inequities aro...
#82: Melissa Parke: Black Teaching Artist Lab
January 09, 2022 06:45 - 1 hour - 58.8 MBMelissa Parke shared her journey in bringing an idea to life through Black Teaching Artist Lab where she conducts research, offers workshops and professional development, and so much more. She shared so vulnerably about mental health and struggles with feeling confident despite being certain of the importance and value of her work. She has created the Afrocentric Social-Emotional Learning Framework, which centers social-emotional learning (SEL) for the Black learner through arts education. M...
#81: Stories from the Field
December 06, 2021 08:08 - 48 minutes - 45.3 MBStories from the Field: A curated selection of conversations around equity in the art classroom. This episode is a special one and will be the last one of 2021. This is a longer version of the presentation I gave at the California Art Education Association conference last month. I prefaced the presentation by saying that I am not an expert here, but have been learning and listening and working to share the advice of those who know more than I do, to share the experiences of those who experi...
#80: Isadora Stowe: Wearing All The Hats
November 14, 2021 07:15 - 1 hour - 62 MBIsadora Stowe shared her winding journey teaching in several settings before landing in community college where she embraces the student centered approach. She talked about learning on the job how to connect with students and truly listen to find their unmet needs. It was so helpful hearing about the mindset shift from thinking of behaviors as problematic to thinking of behaviors as expressing something that may be painful and is not being heard. I also loved hearing about Isadora’s work an...
#79: Cynthia Hauk: Mindfulness & Art
October 24, 2021 18:57 - 49 minutes - 45.4 MBCynthia Hauk shared her experience teaching mindful art workshops, including trainings for teachers and parents around bringing these practices into our teaching. I was so grateful that she also shared a specific exercise that can be done with no materials or extended to create incredible works of art. We talked about somatic work and what that means, as well as overcoming the shame story many of us have around creativity. Cynthia also shared some of her favorite books, which I’ll link to in...
#78: Mary Beth Flynn: Artfully Aging
October 17, 2021 04:54 - 1 hour - 56.2 MBMary Beth Flynn shared her experience growing both her house portrait business and her art education business. She talked about being a lifelong artist and a lifelong entrepreneur and it was amazing to hear how she really embodies both. I also loved hearing about the therapeutic aspects of the work she’s doing through her Artfully Aging programs. She ties in storytelling and song to add an oral component to her watercolor projects. We can probably all relate to the necessarily fast learning...
#77: Lizz Denneau: Guided By Ancestors
October 03, 2021 04:50 - 1 hour - 66 MBLizz Denneau is making incredible artwork while teaching with a focus on contemporary art in a rural Arizona high school. I loved getting to learn more about her work and the ideas and processes she pursues as an artist. She talked about leaning into her intuition and the incredible paths that leads her down. Her striking visuals have so much depth of form and texture as well as meaning and history. She talked about her childhood as a bi-racial person and how she’s been digging into the hist...
#76: Lorna Ritz: Drawing & Redrawing Mountains
September 27, 2021 04:43 - 44 minutes - 40.7 MBLorna Ritz talked about her process and the meditative work of creating space with paint. It was inspiring hearing her dedication to her work and how she shares that with students. We talked about modeling as a teacher and helping students learn how to see. Lorna also spoke about her beautiful large barn studio and the intensive process of renovating it - both when she first moved in back in 1986 and again more recently to abate a mold problem and save the barn. I loved hearing about her lif...
#75: Lauren Scott Corwin: Uncovering Histories
September 19, 2021 04:46 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBI love how Lauren’s work talks about the history of the land through the history of her paintings. Her process of layering, covering up what’s underneath while leaving hints of the past, is so meaningful. She talked about making quilts as well as paintings and where the 2 inform each other. Lauren also spoke about meeting students where they are and truly getting to know students as humans while also sharing yourself as a human. Lauren Scott Corwin is a semi-abstract artist who works with o...
#74: Judy DeSimone: Abstraction Breakout
September 12, 2021 05:23 - 51 minutes - 47.4 MBJudy DeSimone shared her experience of over 30 years teaching and had some great tips for teachers. She also talked about her ceramic work and inspirations. I loved hearing about how careful she is about the finishes, keeping areas matte while allowing some bits of gloss. Her transformation from realism to abstraction was also inspiring to hear. Judy DeSimone is a ceramic artist living and creating art in West Chester, Pennsylvania. She earned a bachelor of science degree in art education a...
#73: Nicole McAfoose: Big Ideas & Choice-Based Art
September 05, 2021 15:00 - 50 minutes - 46 MBNicole McAfoose shared fantastic and really practical tips for teachers interested in moving towards choice-based teaching or TAB. She talked about the transition phase and the power of giving students more autonomy in the classroom. She also spoke about assessment in a TAB classroom and how she documents learning. Her passion and care for her students was so clear. Nicole also vulnerably shared how she lost the artist side of herself and is coming back to being an artist now. She talked ab...
#72: Andy Harris: Super Powers, Scissors, & Glue
August 29, 2021 06:26 - 1 hour - 72.2 MBAndy Harris talked about teaching with a focus on bringing out the super powers within his students. He shared some amazing projects that use art to consider identity and build relationships within the classroom. He also shared some great advice for artists around seeking opportunities and being ready when doors open. I loved hearing about his process - from collecting images to painting, cutting, and glueing paper, drawing on his experience hanging wallpaper. Andy Harris graduated from VC...
#71: Erin McCluskey Wheeler: It's Just Paper!
August 22, 2021 06:35 - 1 hour - 70.2 MBI loved how Erin talked about being an art cheerleader for her students! Her mantra of “It’s just paper” and encouragement to play and explore without getting stuck on unattainable ideas of perfection were so helpful. She shared such great advice around piecing together a career as an artist, which feels connected to piecing together her gorgeous collage work. A game changer for me was her goal of 50 rejections per year. What an incredible mindset shift that creates - going from mourning a r...
#70: Kate Moynihan: Tenacity & Resilience
August 15, 2021 05:52 - 55 minutes - 50.8 MBKate was so uplifting and encouraging of artists. She shared her experience as an artist, writer, gallery owner, as well as a nurse and teaching artist. It was inspiring hearing how she took initiative to move from her career as a nurse that wasn’t fulfilling her into a career as an artist. She had some wonderful tips for artists around mindset, overcoming creative block, and working with a gallery. A few of the tips she shared: Realize your time and then respect that time. (When do you wor...
#69: Tim Needles: STEAM Power
August 08, 2021 06:12 - 1 hour - 61.1 MBTim spoke about infusing new technologies into his artwork as well as his teaching. He talked about how he’s always worked in a variety of media and how teaching really contributes to this tendency as he teaches everything from painting to photography to design, weaving in Augmented Reality (AR). He also shared a bit about writing STEAM Power and speaking with scientists who affirmed the need for art to be included when talking about STEM in education - art is not simply an addition, tacked ...
#68: Jess Rogawski: Portals
August 01, 2021 04:49 - 1 hour - 72.7 MBSpeaking with Jess was so inspiring and educational for me! I learned from her and tried to soak up her way of being with her students, with her body, within liminal space. She talked about her experiences at the intersection of many identities and how that has shaped her as a teacher, as an artist, and as a human. She shared some incredible dialogical investigations she’s facilitated with students, digging into deep questions about time, fear, and love. We got into the systems of oppression...
#67: Carly Terreson: The Body in Community
July 25, 2021 04:22 - 50 minutes - 46 MBHearing about Carly's process of creation with her whole body in consideration of her community was inspiring. She spoke about growing up with an artist father and how that shaped her. I so often hear from artists whose parents had trepidations about a career in the arts or thought of it more as a hobby. It was interesting hearing how an artist parent can normalize the arts as a valid career path while also bringing awareness to the challenges of this path. Carly also shared how the pandemi...
#66: Peter Atsu Adaletey: What If?
July 18, 2021 08:34 - 1 hour - 58.2 MBPeter Atsu shared how he went from creating shadow theatre in his home for the children and families he grew up with to working on international theater productions and with ITAC (International Teaching Artist Collaborative). It was so inspiring hearing how he’s spread his passion for the arts not only into schools, churches, and communities throughout Ghana, but also through mentorship of younger teaching artists. He talked about his teaching approach splitting from the school system’s top-...
#65: Ondrea Levey: Symbols & Self Love
July 11, 2021 05:36 - 1 hour - 60.8 MBOndrea talked about the “wild juggling game” of teaching and making art and staying active in her communities. She shared some wonderful books and resources, especially around a topic she’s been focusing on lately: self love. We talked about assessment in the art classroom and questioned how to encourage students rather than add pressure to their lives. I loved hearing how the pandemic has helped her shift more away from medium-specific work both in her own work and in teaching. She talked a...
#64: Abby Birhanu: Stepping Stones
June 27, 2021 05:52 - 1 hour - 86.6 MBIt was such a pleasure to talk with Abby Birhanu and hear more about her teaching and art-making! Her passion and compassion comes through in all that she does. I loved her advice about antiracist teaching within communities that aren’t ready to embrace it. She talked about being a wordsmith, sharing artists’ words and encouraging students to question institutions, and showing students love. The way she spoke about helping students grow as compassionate humans was so inspiring. Abby scaffold...
#63: Jeannie Siegler: Generosity of Spirit
June 20, 2021 05:46 - 1 hour - 68.4 MBJeannie Siegler was my high school art teacher!! We reconnected a few years ago and she’s shown the same generosity she always embodied. She was one of those teachers that made me want to teach and now remains a mentor full of encouragement. I loved getting to know more about her background in this episode! Jeannie began her teaching career through the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone, then taught in Washington D.C. public schools including Western High School, which later became Duke Ellington S...
#62: Kathryn Rodrigues: Reflections, Refractions, and Shadows
June 13, 2021 05:14 - 1 hour - 60.9 MBKathryn Rodrigues talked about being a 3rd culture kid, growing up in many countries and returning to the U.S. as a teenager, but not feeling at home. I loved how she talked about the space of transition, that time in motion and trying to capture that feeling in her work. She also shone a light on the world of freelance teaching artists, balancing teaching with art-making and parenting. Kathryn talked about the structure of her teaching time before the pandemic and how she brought the city o...
#61: Nisa Floyd: Come Back As A Flower
June 06, 2021 06:23 - 1 hour - 75 MBNisa Floyd talked about honoring her feelings through her internal and personal art practice and how that also allows her to honor her students’ feelings in the classroom. Her gardening and plant metaphors are so beautiful and meaningful and woven throughout our conversation. She shared her experiences feeling the need to be a savior and then checking that need and asking how she could turn that urge to something truly helpful. She talks about art as a solution, as a way to create space for ...
#60: Sarah Pimenta: Conducting Creativity
May 30, 2021 05:48 - 59 minutes - 54.8 MBSarah talked about her participatory work with a wide variety of groups, from children in schools to community groups to corporate groups. She thinks of herself as a sort of conductor, using questions to pull out imagery and marks reflecting a story or theme. I loved hearing how she’s worked with a psychologist to publish books, but also develop programming, with the power of the arts for reflection and healing in mind. It was also interesting to hear about her own personal work with mosaic...
#59: Jill Forie: Sink or Swim
May 23, 2021 06:34 - 1 hour - 62.2 MBJill Forie talked about how she started and runs her custom sneaker business, Sink or Swim Kicks, alongside teaching. She shared tips and encouragement for teaching on a cart and really advocating for yourself. Jill also talked about anti-racist pedagogy and the importance of acknowledging her whiteness and both recognizing and celebrating the cultural differences present in her classroom. I loved the idea of realizing how many micro-decisions we make as artists during the creative process, ...
#58: Beth Welch: So What? You Can Draw...
May 16, 2021 07:19 - 1 hour - 68.2 MBBeth Welch talked about finding her voice and discovering what she wanted to say with her artwork. She shared so many valuable tips for artists about working with museums and improving your chances when submitting to open calls or sending proposals to curators. Be organized! As hard as that may be, it makes such a big difference when you make the curator’s life easier. Her perspective as a museum professional offered insight into not only working as an artist with museums, but also connectin...
#57: Kelly Marshall: Invisible Labor
May 02, 2021 04:49 - 1 hour - 72.4 MBKelly Marshall shared such helpful tips drawing on her experience as a special education teacher. She also offered advice about starting her own business and working with galleries. I loved hearing about how her work has evolved and the ideas behind her work. Her series of portraits of physician mothers during the pandemic is so moving. What an incredible project to illuminate the collective purpose and sacrifices of these doctors. Kelly Marshall followed her BA in Applied Art and Design wi...
#56: Tracy Brown: Being Seen
April 25, 2021 06:00 - 1 hour - 61.4 MBTracy shared so vulnerably about body image and the importance of being seen and valued for who you are. She talked about struggling in school, but feeling power as an artist, and how her experiences shape her teaching. She shared so many wonderful resources for teaching and art-making, which I’ve also linked in the blog post, so don’t miss that! Tracy Brown was born and raised outside of Detroit, Michigan, and obtained a BFA with a major in art education from Michigan State University in 2...
#55: Judy Richardson: Transformation
April 18, 2021 04:56 - 1 hour - 55.9 MBJudy Richardson is a sculptor living and working in the high desert mountains of Magdalena, New Mexico, recently transplanted from Brooklyn, NY. Her work is assembled and cobbled together with many dissimilar materials, and inspired by many different sources, from the political to the personal. She is a former scenic artist for the San Francisco Opera, which had an enormous effect on her work. Judy’s work was included in the Spring Break Art Fair in New York this past spring. For many years...
#54: Pat Cruz: Teaching Teaching Artists
April 11, 2021 03:35 - 1 hour - 68.3 MBPat Cruz speaks about her art form being teaching Teaching Artists and translating between artists and teachers. She has worked in arts integration for over 25 years and recently started TEACH, an organization that strives to address the urgent issues of both climate change and education reform through arts integration. Through TEACH, she offers professional development for teachers, artists, and teaching artists as well as providing a platform for teaching artists to share their own worksho...
#53: Justin Bursk: Making Time for Looking
April 04, 2021 06:34 - 1 hour - 58.9 MBJustin Bursk talked about embracing imperfections and wrestling with the work. He shared how his time has shifted over the years from pushing through an MFA program while parenting 2 small children to seeing that time open up as his children become adults. I loved hearing about the metaphors in his work and the idea of “moving mountains” in his small sculptures build precariously onto wind-up toys. He uses shapes, line, and color so intentionally along with his signature 2 circles representi...
#52: Jeremy Blair: Education is Rhizomatic
March 28, 2021 05:09 - 1 hour - 74.2 MBJeremy Blair had such helpful advice and encouragement from his perspective as an art education professor, educating future teachers. We kept coming back to the connections and rhizomatic nature of education - how these seeds we’re planting can grow and drop new seeds years down the road. Jeremy shared some exciting projects and ideas he’s exploring both in his own artwork and with his students. I loved hearing about his mobile darkroom, recreating Sol Lewitt’s instructional wall drawings in...
#51: Mallory Muya: Rooting In Place
March 21, 2021 06:09 - 55 minutes - 50.4 MBMallory Muya has such a thoughtful way of being and made some beautiful connections as we talked about land and place, engaging students and families, and claiming your space as an artist. I loved hearing about Bahar Behbahani’s project investigating water at Wave Hill. It connected to so many topics and sounded incredibly rich and meaningful. I’ve also been thinking a lot about water in my own work. Mallory drew connections between decentering ourselves as educators in the classroom and th...