TEACHING ARTIST

I am a teaching artist at Farrington High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, and it is my honor and privilege to guide young creatives as they grow, learn, and develop their skills and passion for art. I am CTE (Career & Technical Education) Licensed (in Arts & Communication), from Leeward Community College, University of Hawaii, and a Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT). My Bachelors Degree is in Fine Arts (Media) from the University of New South Wales, Sydney.

I initially began teaching Ceramics in Spring of 2021, transitioned to General Art in Fall of 2022, and now teach Drawing & Painting and AP Art & Design.

For privacy reasons, much of my Teaching Artist Practice details are password protected:

TEACHING ARTIST PRACTICE

 

Teachers with the 90-panel mural in progress, developed at Farrington High School with artist Solomon Enos (Spring 2024).

 

PROJECTS & EXPERIENCE

Student & Educator Exhibitions (Past, Present and Future)

  • Spring 2025: the Fine Arts Department of Farrington High School are currently working toward an exciting showcase of student work in Spring 2025

  • 2024-25 - member of planning committee to coordinate Artist Teacher exhibition at Capitol Modern (The Hawaii State Art Museum)

Community Art

  • Fall 2025: Farrington High School student-led mural project coming soon to the Pearl Harbor area

  • Fall 2025: working with Hawaii Walls (World Wide Walls) artists on our school campus to learn the process of creating a large scale public artwork

  • Spring 2024: working with Native Hawaiian artist Solomon Enos to create a collaborative mural of 90 painted panels, and over 100 art students in the course of one week.

Student Competitions

 

Busy hands working on a 90-panel collaborative traveling mural under the tutelage of Solomon Enos.

MY Teaching philosophy

My fundamental beliefs for effective learning revolve around 3 main ideas. 

  1. I believe in the importance of forming a connection with my students, by demonstrating respect, caring and kindness. I believe this connection plays an important role in how my students behave in my classroom, their level of motivation to learn and succeed in my class, and their willingness to strive and do their very best. I encourage students to share their stories and make art that has meaning and connection for them.

  2. I believe in the importance of making my class a student-centered and empowering place to explore art through an investigative lens. Students are encouraged to dabble, play, experiment and document their process on a journey of discovery, and supplies and lessons follow the T.A.B (Teaching for Artistic Behaviors) studio model. Mistakes are part of the creative process, and letting go of the fear to make “bad art” is also important in bringing out the best work in my students. Learning to self-evaluate is a crucial part of refining, improving and developing our practice as artists.

  3. I believe in the importance of frequently checking in with my students, and I am rarely sitting down during my class! I am constantly roaming about, checking in with students (often in the form of questions), assisting them with materials or resources, giving them feedback and critique, or suggesting directions for them to explore. I aim to guide students in making connections to the “big ideas” or the overarching objectives of our course (which are standards based).