Gina Stucchio
Teaching Philosophy
My greatest concern within the classroom is to create an open environment where students feel safe, can easily access information and work collaboratively as a cohort. The more included students are in the process of teaching, the more we are able to absorb information and learn from one another collectively. As an instructor, I am able to provide guidance and advice to achieving a goal; while also curating a space for self agency.
Clay is a fluid medium and my assignments allow for interpretation of that fluidity. I assign between three and six assignments in a class not including exercises which include ice breaker performance activities, group critiques, collaborative projects, and peer evaluations. These different practices work to achieve my goals of overall classroom engagement by giving students the opportunity to gain and pass on knowledge between peers. I structure my ceramic classes so that students are able to learn, apply and explore the medium. We first look at the chemical makeup of the material and why it reacts the way it does, we go through the process of mixing clay and glaze, various applications and firing techniques. Once they understand the basics they explore the various ways that everything can be applied through experimentation. Students begin to understand the crossover between ceramics and other mediums such as print making, painting, performance and installation. As they advance in difficulty the more specific the exploration gets. I stress the importance of concept; however, I believe that with clay one must have an understanding of the science behind the medium first. Only then students can bring their concepts to life using purposeful application of the various building, surfacing and firing techniques.
It is important to me to remember that as an instructor I have the privilege to empower my students by providing opportunities that they may have not had access to in the past. My students are provided with a diverse collection of art historical examples and are surrounded by peers who come from diverse racial and class backgrounds, religious upbringings, gender identities, and sexualities. One of the most important resources I can impart on my students is the connections to their peers. I recognize the value of each individual in my classroom and create an enjoyable, equitable and safe environment for students while also challenging them to question concepts and technique. I spend time understanding what they are striving to make work about and what their visual language is. I then have the students work in curated groups in order to enrich discussion. Students talk through difficulties with others who share similar and opposing opinions, leading to new discoveries within their work. My students can ask questions and explore clay through their own process. I give a wide variety of examples from various cultures all over the world and throughout history, showing that whatever their background there is an accessible history in art that they can relate to.
I emphasize the importance of an equitable studio practice. Not all students have the same resources, opportunities or time to devote to their practice, therefore I focus on how to make myself and the classroom as accessible as possible. I do weekly check-ins with students to ensure that everyone is on track and give the opportunity to come forward with anything getting in the way of their assignments. I assign a weekly mental check in for themselves through writing about any personal stressors or assignment issues. The writing is freeform and private and is intended to bring internal feelings forward and give students agency to explore their ideas and emotions while also fostering a writing practice. The writing is also a tangible record that can inform their future projects. When classes had to be altered due to the pandemic the writing practice seemed more crucial than ever for students to maintain their own mental awareness. It also reaffirmed my commitment to creative problem solving and classroom community. Creative problem solving is crucial throughout education and by emphasizing it students are empowered to feel motivated by the constant changes and obstacles. Instead of being intimidated or apprehensive to move forward with an idea students are able to adapt and advance.
As long as a student is putting forth their capacity of effort towards the task there is no failure. Through the use of conversations, studio practice, improvisation and learning from technical failures, my students grow. I encourage them to embrace the things that didn't go quite as planned, using those moments as learning opportunities through analyzing their process and decision making. Including theoretical examples alongside historical examples, my students are able to understand the connection and crossover between making, theory and history. I provide readings that cover a range of disciplines and opposing theories in order to achieve debate and constructive criticism therefore facilitating dialogue between peers and a healthy relationship with questioning within my classroom. As a result of embedding vigorous questioning within the learning environment my students gain insight into how they see as well as what they see.