TEACHING INTERESTS
My teaching is dedicated to developing and delivering interdisciplinary art courses in Studio Art and AI in the Arts curriculum. These courses, taught at all levels of the undergraduate and graduate programs and the University's Quest Program, have an impact on students' learning and development, inspiring them to explore the intersections of art and other disciplines. The transformative effect of these courses on students' learning is a testament to the power of interdisciplinary education.
My Quest Course, "Visual Meaning & Representation," exemplifies art's contribution to a well-rounded education at UF. It doesn't just provide knowledge through reading and writing. In addition, it opens pathways to learning and research through doing and making with empathic visual communication. It sets up first-year students with an understanding of how working across disciplines is a pathway to innovation and leadership in their respective fields.
An interdisciplinary teaching approach mirrors our multifaceted world rather than a compartmentalised one of neatly packaged subject matter and disciplines. This pedagogy increases innovative thinking and production because testing and solutions can be unconstrained by the limits of any material, media, history, tradition, or thought system.
I teach in the existing Studio Art curriculum and have revamped and taught classes I have developed over a decade and a half in academia. My teaching is interdisciplinary in its approach to techniques, media, concepts and subject matter. I also mentor graduate students in art and serve on graduate committees in art and other fields of study.
I analyse methodologies to ensure excellent delivery. My student-centred approach focuses on advancement and overall development, which is best suited to experimental and experiential artistic processes.
In teaching with digital technology, I ensure ongoing improvements and incorporation of new findings. Recent advancements in deep learning and neural networks like GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) make reassessments of new lessons and practicums necessary.
The challenge in art is aligning materials, facilities, and equipment with the avant-garde. The curriculum must remain fluid, with workarounds toward future knowledge. I work to create courses that build confidence and foundational skills, allowing students to become self-sufficient when technologies become available or accessible.
While topics and media are essential to art curriculum, attuning to students' individual creative pursuits steers our discipline. I help students develop specific skills that foster self-motivation and productivity by encouraging criticality and decrypting.
Recognising that not every student becomes an artist, the goal is to teach how to apply artistic knowledge to other inquiries. At their best, my students become cultural producers and technologists; some have successfully pursued various careers, including Google Ideas Person, Music Video Producer, and Community Organiser.
My interdisciplinary artistic research and art production are where my teaching ideas are tested through experimentation with various combinations of mediums, building environments, interaction through multiple types of sensors and extended realities. These studies have successfully generated a body of artwork on social, economic, environmental, and technological justice.
Specialisation within Studio Art & AI in the Arts are:
Aesthetics & Craft • Digital Media • Photo/Video • Sound Art • Performance Art • Sculpture & Installation • Traditional & Expanded Drawing
Conceptual & Theoretical • Art & Culture Theories • Women & Gender Studies • African & African American Studies • International Studies & Post-Colonial Dialectics