uniting the roles of artist and teacher

National Art Education Association

Uniting the Roles of Artist and TeacherAuthor(s): George SzekelySource: Art Education, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Jan., 1978), pp. 17-20Published by: National Art Education AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3192299 .

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Uniting the Rles of Artist and Teacher

George Szekely

Introduction During the process of applying to

graduate school years ago, I requested program descriptions from several major universities. In one instance, I vividly recall an angry letter enclosed with the printed materials. "Before you apply to this department" the note stated, "make sure you understand what you really want to do; whether you want to be an artist or an art teacher. Do you want to paint or teach art?" This reply disturbed me then as it still does today since it implied that the two paths were totally incompatible.

Throughout my years of being an artist-teacher, I have continuously sought to clarify with students the meanings and significances of their creative talents and how they may be applied to art teaching. I've based my educational philosophy on having students recognize the relationships between artistic development and growth as a teacher of art. I have always felt students must recognize that practicing and teaching art have fundamen- tal similarities and that progress in one area generally leads to a heightened awareness of the other.

Since the initiation of Performance Based Teacher Education at the uni- versity, I have found it to be of great importance for the student to begin to self discover the relationship between artist-self and teacher-self. At various points throughout the continuum of the Performance Based Teacher Edu- cation program, students are asked to assess their own competencies as both artists and art teachers. The Artist-Teacher

Who is the competent art teacher?, and what knowledges, skills, and atti- tudes should the teacher possess? Before attempting a definition of specific competencies, we should determine academically who is to teach art to children. Who would objec- tively be best qualified to do so? A response to these questions will elicit specific performance competencies. As an art educator, I would suggest the following arguments.

The artist-teacher who is continuously growing both as an artist and as a pedagogue appears to be the best hope 1 e r ~ ~ for our schools. The creative individual who is able to combine his artist self with the concerns of teaching has a great deal to offer. With one's involvement in the arts comes the excitement in creation, the flourish of new ideas which may be translated into art making as well as teaching these skills. The artist-teacher who has per-

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formed or painted the previous even- ing, maintains a high level of interest and creative ideas which serve as read- ily available references for art teaching. The closer to the sources of inspiration, the nearer one feels to the art world, the deeper one's insightswill reach into the art process of others. Although in most cases the spark of creativity is transmitted instinctively to one's teaching, this process can be enhanced if receiving serious attention in teacher education. The trans- mission of one's artist self to a class should be both planned and intuitive.

During public school service, it becomes progressively difficult fo'r such a teacher to continue his own artistic pursuits. The demands of the job to which many art teachers "give themselves completely," in their creative personalities, often leave them physically and mentally exhausted to pursue a professional art career. While the young student plans with hope and determination a productive career which in art schools is encouraged, once he becomes an instructor in the public school system, he finds himself gradually removed from his ideal to practice his art. Determined to perform well in teaching, year by year he sees the hope fading of being a productive member of the art world, and he may resent this. Many art teachers dream of adventures in the careersthey may have had, the goals they could have reached. They come to view the teaching profession not as an other area of creativity and fulfillment, but as a hindrance to personal ambitions. This serious problem seldom receives attention in art teacher training or in- service education. How to maintain oneself as an artist while teaching, or, more importantly, how to combine art and teaching during one's life needs a great deal of discussion and support.

The school system seldom encour- ages the art teacher to pursue his creative tasks. The teacher's work outside of the school is assumed to be a private matter, not directly related to his tasks or responsibilities as instructor. What in fact has to be realized is that the teacher's artistic productivity outside of the school is one of his most important preparations for the performance in class. Without support from the school, the art teacher might believe that his own creativity has little to do with his teaching.

The teacher who inspires the creative formulation of an art lesson presents a great value. The teacher who supplies experiences from a catalog or from "recipes" of others lacks the understanding and enthusiasm to create meaningful art experiences for his students. An art teacher presents not only a reflection on the subject but shows his personal and public self as well. The practicing artist-teacher can best relate each lesson to the concerns

of his pupils with a view to their future careers. A person who is continuously involved in creative performances can draw on the specifics of his own work and explore the problems he may have in common with other artists as well as the issues on which he differs from them. These may include discussions of sources for artistic inspiration, their views of time, work space, means of planning, relationships to audience, personal qualities such as patience, determination, independence, and self-assurance.

This ideal teacher should be able to recognize essential personal traits he has as an artist and explore these fac- tors in the development of the student. The ability to refer to personal insights allows one to be a sympathetic observer and supporter of other artists. The teacher who is a working artist can address himself to his students as he would to other arts practitioners and be sympathetic to all problems of creativity. The artist-teacher provides great insights as the points where to assist students, how much help is required, and when to stop assisting. He may be familiar with the difficult issue of begin- ning a creative work, of going beyond obvious solutions, of trusting one's intuitions, or being able to take advan- tage of accidental occurrences.

Such a teacher considers his own artistic development as a life-long process. He may consequently view the teaching of art not as a series of art projects but as an inspiration to others to pursue a lifelong interest in their avo- cation. Performance-based education allows the art teacher to set the founda- tions for lifelong instructional abilities. This is done in three areas. (a) The artist teacher in a performance-based program learns to explore various aspects of the arts in realistic settings beyond the school. Experiences to meet performance criteria are sought in a variety of environmental re- sources. (b) the emphasis in performance-based education is on individualized learning through modules, and self study packets. These allow the art student to develop many of the independent work habits required by the practitioner.

The artist who faces the daily struggles of his own creative works learns those qualities which will be important in his teaching efforts, (e.g. inquisitive- ness, humility, patience). The artist- teacher does not begin with a project or exercise but with vision and inspiration which may stem from his own work or from visions of other artists. He can best understand that there are no uniform solutions or single answers, and that the role of the art teacher is to help students discover individual tasks and their own unique ways of working-to recognize the existence of problems and alternate paths in solving them.

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The artist-teacher is able to converse on significant issues about the fears, jobs, dedications, and sacrifices which accompany this career. The high standards that the artist must impose on himself, the struggles and possiblefail- ures can be openly discussed from the standpoint of personal experience. The teacher who is willing to reveal these chances may also be perceptive and sympathetic to the struggles of the student. It is in becoming an artist-teacher and inviting the student to become part of one's creative world that the most significant aspects of art teaching occurs. It is in this regard that students develop an understanding and respect for who the artist is and what he or she stands for-a feel for his work which by merely looking at pieces of an exhibi- tion would not evolve.

The competent artist-teacher has to be aware of the many Ways he presents himself to the class. Creative actions may be visible through the instructor's selection of materials, setting up of the art room space, displays, classroom management, personal dress, ges- tures, demonstrations, and practices in the class. The confidence with which an artist handles materials, uses tools, and solves problems, shows how great one is as a teacher as well as an artist. In brief, the abilities include one's per- sonality, emphasis, mannerisms in being able to bring the presence of the creative artist alive in the class. It is the teacher's inspiring presence which makes the art class a special place and constitutes a unique experience.

The artist-teacher should be able to formulate a personal philosophy relating his creative efforts to his instructional methods. Each individual has to discover these relationships for himself and apply them in a way to stimulate each other. The artist who brings total dedication to a task cannot consider his teaching and art making as sepa- rate activities or independent endea- vors. The artist is the central source of creative power, regardless of the media of expression. The displays, in fact, may materialize in a variety of media such as painting, photography, and teaching.

Art teaching, through the creation of art works, involves a catalyst which can elicit ideas and emotions from its maker as well as its viewer. When the art work has the response of an audience or the art lesson presented meets the involvement of the class, the artist's message is confirmed. Here the teacher represents an art world of fun- damental truths which transcends his own self, his own interests, and even his performing capabilities. Such mes- sages through teaching or art works are designed to involve and inspire. Both media have the ability to trans- cend the artist, step out of his ego, and draw attention away from the instructor to form a close connection between

media and student. It is by removal of attention from oneself, whether through teaching or other creative actions, that the artist recognizes the essence of his mission.

The task of the art teacher is the organization of a visual world, the aesthetic experience turned into a new universe for the involvement and com- prehension of others. The art teacher, just like the creative artist, produces communications through the structure of his lesson, the organization of ideas and visions into a unified whole. The message can be verbal in its thought or visual in its format. By learning to order one's experiences on a canvas, one receives the best training or insight into ordering the art experiences of others.

Art making and art teaching both deal with a performance. The differ- ence between the artist and his audience or between the art teacher and the audience is the rehearsal and preparation. The artist, like the teacher, has to be able to view creativity as a continuous preparation or rehearsal, tuning one's self and sharpening one's skills. If well done, both spheres require the same ingredients of con- centration, discipline, and persev- erence.

A great "performer" or a great artist- teacher is sensitive to life cycles of repetition, indicative of typical human actions. He sees art teaching or art making as a means to break this repetition to involve oneself and others in a movement towards change. This is the essential value of the artist, be it as a teacher or as a productive creator.

Producing true art is a process of sharing; being part of a community where the audience is an essential part. All creative acts are performed in a spirit of giving part of oneself to another person, to a group of people, or to society at large. The artist-teacher recognizes that he is not merely relay- ing subject matter in class, but is sharing as well as giving his creative self as a model to others. It is only by absorb- ing others into one's creative performance that the essential communal experience called "art" occurs.

Through his work the artist can control visual and emotional distances between his creation and the audience. People can be drawn near or pushed far away in experiencing an object. These distances are created through visual order, scale, subject or meaning set up in the art work. Art teaching per- mits similar possibilities of building distances or close relationships. The teacher is able to control his actions; his time, space, and materials are some of the elements through which he creates and influences audiences in a classroom.

Maintaining one's artistic self while teaching should be a principal goal of art education. The ability to harmonize one's creative powers in teaching and

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art making should be the foremost competence of each art teacher.

Having had instruction and field experience in relating and unifying one's philosophy of art teaching and producing, the following short term and long range competencies should be demonstrated:

Each candidate is expected to (a) Synthesize personal philosophy

of art teaching and art making (b) Continue creative growth in an

arts specialty area while engaged in teaching

(c) Maintain contact with other artists and events in the art world

(d) Perform as an artist in the school and in the community

It has been stated by art educators that the business of "producing works of art for sale in galleries is a vastly different business than teaching young- sters" (Wright, 1975). Let us note that the two interests do not necessarily conflict with the author's description of the artist-teacher. His qualifications as described by us are within the potential of all art-trained individuals who continue to work on a regular basis and maintain their interest in the art world. It is not restricted to the minute per- centage who actually sell and exhibit their works regularly. I fully agree with Conant (1973), that "It is time to put back the art into art education." The ability to value the creative performer

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in every arts teacher and to insure con- tinued active performance while teaching is the essential means to accomp- lish our goal.

The artist-teacher has to be able to relate the following important qualities to his creative teaching. He must be able to challenge himself and create a high level intensity of experience for himself and his work to translate this ability in challenging others.

The artist does not begin his work or even pursue the creative process with known answers and solutions. He must have the ability to project new solutions, ideas. The artist-teacher has to share with students the process of dis- covering possible ideas and solutions.

The artist pursues major problems closely related to the art world in his own work. While at school, art themes are often trivial and have little to do with creative concerns. The artist-teacher must be able to resolve these conflicts and work out his concerns through and with his students.

The.artist's distinguishing trait is his ability to question life through the process of his creativity. The artist-teacher should be a continuous questioner and examiner in front of the class rather than the authority or the one who presents "the truth" to the class.

Being an artist is almost identical with being a critic; a critic of oneself, of the works of others, and of the art world

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in general. The artist-teacher should be able to bring this critical examining attitude to the class.

The artist is one who is never satis- fied with himself and his accomplishments. In the class, he should be able to convey these qualities to the student and cultivatethem in each member of his audience. "The teacher in the arts is more a model than he is in any other discipline." (Hob- good, 1971).

Each of the foregoing statements amplifies what has been reiterated in these pages, viewing these concepts from a different angle while trying to keep the same objective in mind: it is impossible to be a truly competent art teacher without continuing to practice one's artistic vocation.

George Szekely is assistant professor of art education, College of Staten Island, Staten Island, New York.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

H. Conant, "Graduate Study in Art: A Prognosis," Art Education, 1970, 23, 6.

T. Hopgood, Towards an Aesthetic Education, Chicago: Music Educators Association, 1971, 89.

J. Wright, "Who Should Teach Art," Art Education, February, 1975, 28, 2.

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uniting the roles of artist and teacher

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