To my future students:
If there's something I'm more passionate about than making art, it would have to be talking about it. I absolutely love the prospect of sharing my knowledge and excitement about art, in all its many different forms. I very well know I could talk about it until I'm blue in the face, but none of that is going to reach you unless I teach you how to speak about art as well. The art world has its own language, where different styles and periods have their own names. We describe works based on different criteria. We evaluate visual messages and discern meaning from depictions. It's really not that much different than talking about the rhyme or meter in a piece of poetry, or explaining a math problem, disciplines that also have their own vocabulary. The only way to learn how to appreciate art is to become artistically literate. More importantly, I want to give you the language to be able to speak about your own creative endeavors. I want to give you the ability to articulate your inspirations, describe your processes, and visually convey your messages. Art is not about a pretty picture. It is about communication.
Sincerely,
Erica, a future art educator.
I hope that you will consider giving this to your future students. Artists need to know how to talk about their art and the art around them. What are the stories behind the art? How does context shape the messages?
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