My Teaching Philosophy for the Art Studio
Cathy G. Johnson
As an art educator since 2012, I have written many iterations of my teaching philosophy. Spread throughout this website are my teaching philosophies when it comes to bringing comic book creation into the art classroom. Below I am happy to share a more generalized art education philosophy from me. This mindset is applicable to any classroom that I enter. It contains references to many important mentors that I’ve had, and has also been inspired by the many thousands of students that I’ve taught.
-Cathy G. Johnson
Art education is a liberatory practice. When I teach, I want my students to discover. Through their art materials, students are observing, deeply engaging with the world around them. My students are documenting every detail of their subject, to ultimately know the world on an intimate level. Creating is a living memory, chronicling our past with breathing images. Art making is also storytelling, images propelling us forward with bravery and sincerity. In my studio, students are developing new processes for their artistic voices that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. I believe art is a labor for community and oneself, to retrieve and discover new. Something magical happens in the art studio that is irreplicable in any other setting.
In my “Starting a Sketchbook: Techniques and Practice” course, we explore these various dimensions of drawing. I begin every meeting with a series of sketchbooking exercises, which are, as Whitney Sherman puts it: “calisthenics for your hands and mind, to help you break away from your norm to create a new way of thinking and mark making, and to give you permission to explore and make mistakes." Every week we explore different realms of drawing, including observation, memory, and storytelling. Students learn about new drawing materials through demonstrations with graphite, charcoal, ink, watercolor, and more. I provide examples by sharing other artists’ work as well as my own, to show how a dedication to drawing can evolve into a lifetime of artistic pursuit. We end our time together by developing new artistic processes for ourselves and sharing them with each other in our beloved community.
The studio is an equitable space. My teaching style uses the depths of process to produce the product. I teach through demonstration and exploration, introducing students to new concepts regularly, and asking them to build upon the previous day’s work. Students make discoveries for themselves through personal iteration. I am the concierge of their learning, guiding them on a personal artistic journey, one that will ultimately end in places no one could predict. Students are the center of my studio, and I believe in being a reliable conduit for their learning. My ultimate goal is for my students to leave my courses not only with a portfolio of work, but a clear direction to continue their practice forward.
I advance my field by sharing new scholarship in many different settings. Publishing articles is an important part of my practice, both through academic publication as well as my own blog and podcast. Attending conferences regularly throughout North America keeps me knowledgeable in my field and engaged with my students. I also continue to teach, not only at institutions like Boston University and the Center for Cartooning Studies, but throughout my community in public libraries and K-12 schools. I believe in making my research as community engaged as possible.
Reflecting upon my teaching career, the guiding principle has always been student empowerment and self-actualization. My CV reflects my eclectic background and dedication to principles. Artmaking is valuable no matter what age we are. What art teaches us is the value of letting go, of being brave, of being sincere with ourselves. The studio leads us to the discovery of our truest selves.