UW-Stout Department of Art and Design

2000, Master of Fine Art, Painting and Drawing, University of Minnesota-Minneapolis
1992, Bachelor of Fine Art, Painting and Drawing, University of Wisconsin-River Falls

Overall, my teaching is a search for ways to show students that the visual world is available for interpretation and investigation; I believe that artists must be good designers and that designers must be strong artists. I believe in and support students with interdisciplinary interests. I believe that building a solid foundation is key to helping students proceed with confidence and success. My goals for teaching are based on engaging students on many levels. Therefore, stressing the importance of good design, creative problem solving, craftsmanship, visual vocabulary and disciplined studio practice is key. I also emphasize the importance of developing oneÕs own creative visual language through reading, writing as a compliment to the visual exercises; demonstrating that art is a language they may use to structure their experiences. I believe strongly in the tradition of artist as teacher, and am committed to the highest standards of excellence in innovative and interdisciplinary arts education.

Education is a uniquely human privilege. -Anonymous

Excerpt from Squeak Carnwath: Lists, Observations & Counting

We live in complex times. The speed with which we receive information has created doubt about the nature of truth. We have an increased sensitivity to the social construction of reality. We live in a world where we no longer experience a secure sense of self. Expressions of mystery are difficult to believe. The worldÕs chaos gets into our houses, delivered live to us by television, radio, phone, and fax. Television creates the phenomenon of self-multiplication, the capacity to be significantly present in more than one place at a time. Much of what we do is a product of our narcissistic culture. We are encouraged to create a false self, one that can quickly be understood or apprehended like so many images on a television screen. Quickness (fastness) keeps us in denial and takes us out of our bodies. The dilemma of disassociation is relieved by artÕs capacity to put us inside our skin in real time. Art is the antidote that reminds us to breath, to feel the soles of our feet and the touch of the ground on the bottom of our toes.