dave beck

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teaching

teaching

I believe in the importance of students grasping the fundamentals of aesthetics while also discovering their individual strengths concerning art practice.  In a contemporary art world that is constantly morphing, these foundational skills a student learns will improve their ability to self-process and participate with what is going on inside and outside of the classroom. 

I design my curriculum with the idea that classrooms should not be an environment for a small group of students to excel, but a situation that has potential success for nearly anyone that is willing to give their best effort.  With that in mind, I am dedicated to creating a classroom with a safe and comfortable atmosphere, through the implementation of critiques that are deferential, straightforward, and encouraging. In designing assignments, I create a delicate balance between the formal and the conceptual. I offer them an open path for their ideas to take flight as their skill levels improve.  I include incremental deadlines, sketches, and maquettes into each project, in order to instill a sense of process whilst they accomplish their goal.

In conclusion, my main goal is to help them build a strong foundation based on formal knowledge and understanding.  I accomplish this by helping the students to acquire the language to express themselves visually and verbally, through observing current practices and methods in contemporary art.  Most importantly, I make the strongest possible attempt to foster an environment that will best prepare them for their own professional practice.