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Cynthia BlandDepartment of Art and Design Teaching Schedule | Fall 2007 Office Hours |
EducationUniversity of Iowa. Iowa City, IA. Art History, Ph.D. Selected Presentations at National and International Conferences:College Art Association. Dallas, Texas Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities, Honolulu, Hawaii South Eastern Medieval Association. Daytona Beach, Florida College Art Association. New York City, New York Dance/YogaCorepower Yoga. RYT 200. Minneapolis, MN Teaching PhilosophyStanding in front of my students to teach an art history course is much like giving a performance. In my experience, both as a university teacher
and as a former professional dancer, no matter how much I prepare, I have to anticipate the unexpected. Moments of improvisation are the key to
maintaining balance and sustaining rhythm. The final reception of my performance depends on my ability to communicate to the audience through gesture,
words, movement, analogies, demonstrations, and metaphors. After a successful performance, I feel energized and inspired knowing that I instilled in
the audience a deeper understanding of art. Teaching Art History is an interactive and developmental process comparable to the shaping of a newly choreographed work. Just as the ideas and
opinions my students bring to class enhance my lesson plans, so do the dancersÕ bodies inspire the choreographer to choose a specific formation.
Whether in the studio or classroom, the study of art allows us to come together as a group to explore past cultures and to discover the place of art
in historical and contemporary society. In my art history classes, we view art as a visual document of the social, political, cultural, and religious
environment of a given era, and as an expression of the inner workings of an artistÕs intellect. My goal as an educator is to create a positive learning
environment where students may freely express their individual interests and approaches. Although I provide the visual vocabulary, each student has
unique life experiences and a different way of viewing, understanding, and interpreting art. My students often present new insights or point out
relationships that I have not seen before, and a successful semester ends with me also learning from them. I always encourage students to explore a
variety of methodologies and expand their critical thinking abilities by inquiring, reasoning, drawing their own conclusions, and even challenging
the materials and interpretations I present in class. I take pride in my accomplishments as a scholar and take advantage of every opportunity to expand my participation in the field. I attend conferences,
present papers at scholarly seminars, and retain memberships to art historical, literary, and higher education organizations. I believe that teaching is
incomplete without learning, and therefore, I strive to incorporate the latest scholarly developments into my curriculum. Just as a theatrical performance
stays with the audience long after the lights go down, I believe that the words of an effective teacher stay with students long after they have left the classroom. |
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