Teaching

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Ian at Penland

I’ve been told that I am a ‘natural’ teacher. I really don’t have a good perspective on that. What I do know is that I am passionate about ‘getting something across’ to my students by most any means necessary, and I love to try new ideas, assignments, approaches and techniques. I am sometimes rewarded with great surprises, but there is also always the frustration and disappointment of something not going as planned. I believe in making mistakes. I am a ‘yes’ and not a ‘no’ teacher. I always consent to a student’s attempt — often with many due warnings given — and have learned that many of my students’ best lessons have come from their failures. And even better: from proving me wrong.

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Ian at Univ of Arkansas

While my expertise in general lies in what it is that we collectively call ‘ceramics’ in the 21st century (see my articles on this topic linked below) I believe that my students must constantly evaluate the WHY of their efforts. Sometimes this leads them out of the studio that they would normally work in to instead focus on video or performance, and sometimes this leads them to so called “traditional firing techniques”. I’m happy with either, but I’m bored and irritated from not making a choice, or from lazily accepting the unquestioned assumptions that can sometimes still haunt the disciplines and departments in which we teach.

I am currently an Associate Dean of Academic & Student Affairs at the Maine College of Art (MECA) in Portland, Maine, with many great colleagues. Feel free to text me, IM, email, or google wave me at any time.

Assignments

Below is a list of assignments that I have found helpful in my own teaching. When I am teaching beginning or intermediate students, I work hard to wed a specific concept to gaining mastery/knowledge of a particular technique. You won’t find assignments for more advanced students here, as I tend to give those on a student needed basis: i.e. “make more cups”, “stop using clay”, “you should really dive into the history of cartography”, “have you ever thought about using color?” etc. etc. If you have suggestions for things I can add I welcome your input. If I like it (or if i try it and have success) I will add it in a new section below and certainly give you credit. If there are no links to the assignments, then I haven’t updated that section yet.

Ceramics

  1. Dualisms (Salt & Pepper) (via Kari Radasch)
  2. Archaeological future @ 10,000 degrees
  3. The Boxer
  4. Feast or Fancy
  5. Icons & Transformation (influenced by Eddie Dominguez)
  6. Architectura (via …)
  7. Alphabet Soup
  8. Mystorical Vessel
  9. Tiled Up
  10. Man vs. Nature

3D Design

  1. Heroes and Alter-Egos
  2. Contour
  3. Material Transformation (via Julie York)
  4. Portraits in Pieces (inspired by t.friedman)

Mold Making (Sculpture)

  1. Arms of Alginate
  2. Piles of Piles
  3. A Gang of Four
  4. Smother my Brother of Rubber