June 1, 2023
This month I'm assisting an undergrad Drawing Intensive class twice weekly.
June 1, 2023
This month I'm assisting an undergrad Drawing Intensive class twice weekly.
END OF YEAR ONE REFLECTION
I have just finished the last assignment of my last class of my second semester. This brings my first year (out of three) of my MFA in Studio Arts and Emerging Media at UCF to an end. Yay!
It has been a challenging and frustrating year, mainly because I felt I had to prove myself and my skills, as this year I am the "outsider" and only student who is not a recent graduate of UCF. My classmates in the incoming cohort are less than half my age, giving me a new appreciation for the trials and tribulations that I have lived, while inspiring me with their lust for life, optimism and focus. Everyday, I tried my best while kicking myself for being so rusty, seeing only a shadow of what I could be, if only I had not been distracted and had not distanced myself from my personal artistic practice for so long. It was a painful experience and one that I had to face and move through regardless of how I felt about it.
First Semester
At this time I was also still working as a full time substitute teacher in my (former) classroom at the middle school located an hour + away from UCF, so time was (and contiues to be) my most precious commodity. At the benginning of this semester I also decided to get tested for ADHD, which turned out to be a very real thing for me. Finally, after 53 years of torturous self deprication and confusion at my inability to be "normal", I was forced to show myself some compassion and to look for resources to help me suceed on this new endeavor. For this, I am grateful.
Midterm came in extraordinarily quick! Midterm at the graduate level at UCF consists of each student setting up their work in their studio and inviting professors to view and give feedback on it. Although it is an informal review, I found it to be extremely helpful and a great opportunity to talk to professors whose expertise was new to me due to scheduling. Attending professors are there by inviation only and drop by anytime from 9:00am to 4:00 pm, while the event takes place. As this was the first time I encountered the large majority of professors, I incorporated some of my previous work into my set up, to familiarize my visitors with my ideas and aproach. Food is provided throughout the day.
Here is the video of my first midterm review.
The final critique came equally fast eight weeks later. Final critique is a formal event, attended by invited professors, program administrators, upper division students or/and family members. Students choose specific times and locations in which to hang their chosen works in the studio's common area walls and are given a 20 minute time frame in which to rpesent their work and respond to the audience. The audience moves from one location to another, asking questions and/or providing feedback as they see fit. This is also an all-day event and food is provided for all attendees. I'm not going to lie, I was nervous when I saw the number of people who showed up. It was well attended by many new faces, including former professors and notorious allumni from out of state. Students support each other by taking notes during each other's presentations. Midterm and final critique days are exciting and exhausting but also, greatly appreciated!
Here is a quick tour of my first final set up.
Second Semester
With the exception of Studio Concentration class, graduate studio classes at UCF are blended (made of upper level undergrads and grad students) and not instructional. Graduate students are expected to "know their stuff" (skills) and create work that demonstrates mastery of a chosen medium while developing a cohesive body of work. This was an intimidating notion to me, because I am the kind of person who thinks I know nothing most of the time.
In the spring, I took Advanced Drawing with Associate Professor Theresa Lucey and Advanced Painting with Professor Carla Poindexter. In both classes, the upper level undergrads were inspirational and created superb work. The professors are admirable in their own disciplines and their expertise and love of teaching were present in every interaction I observed.
Left: Base Drawing. Charcoal on newsprint, 24"x30".Right: Final Drawing. Polychromos pencil and conte chalk on Arches paper, 16"x 20" |
First portrait after my first instruction of the "descending line inspection" technique as taught at UCF. |
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From left to right #1. MM235.7 NOBO, #2. MM17.6, Big Cypress. #3. MM116, Alvin Ward Park. #4. MM178.9 Micco Landing. #5. MM239, #6. MM226 |
And now, I need to get ready for a super busy summer!
A reflection about teaching.
For the last two years I have worked as an art teacher at a local public middle school. What began as an "Temporary Emergency" substitute position due to the surging COVI-19 pandemic turned out to be a fantastic opportunity and invaluable life experience for me.
6th grade student's masks |
Although I don't consider myself a tech guru, I am comfortable enough to not sink from lack of knowledge, so the new technical aspects of the job did not intimidate me. Apps like Google Classroom and Go Guardian saved every teacher in my district and demanded that everyone stepped up to integrate technology in their classrooms like never before. But even with these conveniences at our fingertips, teaching in the public school classroom in 2020 was a heroic act of massive proportions and one that no one outside of the education field will understand fully. I have never been more humbled and grateful towards my co-workers: fellow teachers and administrative staff who fought the same battle along side of me, day in and day out. I can assure you that we all received the well deserved summer vacation of June 2021 with open arms.
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First classroom ready for summer. |
After the summer break I looked for a permanent position in order to improve my financial situation. It turns out that the teacher I substituted for never returned to her job and the upper grades art teacher relocated out of state during the summer break. Although my hiring was unexpected and late ( I started the year 3 weeks after school was in session), I was ecstatic to return to the same school as a bona fide teacher. Well, as bona fide as my second year temporary credential allowed. My college degree, early childhood education certificate, studio and teaching experiences still required me to take a number of pedagogical college classes (paid out of pocket), and pass a total of six rigorous academic tests in order to obtain my professional teaching certificate. Still, I saw my achievements, the innumerable evenings holding my dog while crying from stress, the hard work and low income of the previous year as worth the trouble to finally obtain the coveted title of "Public school Art Teacher".
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View from the patio |