Teaching Philosophy
Julie Baugnet
“The real discovery is not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Proust
Beginnings
Twenty years ago I landed my first teaching assignment in Tok, Alaska. At that time I was young and undecided about a career. Tok was 3,000 miles away from my home in Wisconsin; I bought a 4-wheel drive Subaru, an Elliot Eisner text, and made the journey up the Alcan Highway toward a new life and destiny in a village of 550 people. The experiences of teaching art in Tok helped me develop a strong philosophy that has stayed with me through the years. I became interested in helping students develop creative abilities and unique visions. I continued to work in several bush villages and with many different native groups; I learned that art was a common ground and one that could unite me with a new culture and give me new insight into my own work.
Integrative Studies
I believe that variety is what has compelled me to stay in the field. My own work is in painting and design and I find it challenging and complementary to teach in both disciplines. My approach is to encourage the students to challenge themselves and open up their minds and visions to a larger world. I do this through demonstrating new techniques and encouraging them to read current art publications and theory such as the ideas of Weingart, Frutiger, and Paul Klee. I constantly reiterate the idea of Marcel Proust, and the importance of seeing something in a new way.
Learning
I teach to learn, and am constantly learning to teach. Students have taught me many things about how they learn and I work on assessing and improving my courses. Howard Gardner, an educator and prominent author, has written about the many types of intelligences and I am aware of the different learning styles of students. What I look for in a student is determination, diligence, honesty, and sincerity; these are traits I hope my students find in me as a teacher. I encourage good communication and dialogue with my students individually and as a group. Learning and creativity comes with trust and an open mind.
Pedagogical Inspirations
An inspiration for me has been a book entitled “Creativity” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. In it he outlines aspects of a creative personality and the determination needed in a creative person. He also acknowledges the two opposite ways of thinking–convergent and divergent. In classes, I stress the importance for students to understand thought process and analysis. Other inspirations have been The Bauhaus, Edmund Burke Feldman, and the readings of Paul Rand and text edited/written by Steve Heller.
Seeing
The visual studies of a young artist are intense and rigorous. My desire is to teach students how to see things closely, how to critically view an object, whether it is a letterform, or a small object in a still life study. My goal is to help students find their sensibility, aesthetic, and personal ideas that will help them create a strong portfolio of work that portrays their individualism.