Tim Lisko Teaching Portfolio 2016 by Lindsay Hadley

PROFESSOR AND FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER

TIMPORARY@GMAIL.COM 304.444.6454

PROFESSOR AND FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER

TIMPORARY@GMAIL.COM 304.444.6454

LETTER OF INTENT

Search committee members and faculty, When I say that I’m excited to submit this application for the position of Tenured Faculty in Photography at Herron, that’s not entirely accurate. It would be more true to say that I’m somewhere between giddy and panicked. It’s not just that full-time positions teaching photography are few and far between, but that Herron has a reputation for cultivating students who cave art and art making, rather than students who just want to have their cards punched at the end of a fouryear, theme-park, Education ExperienceTM. The alumni I’ve met and worked alongside have been, to a person, talented and intellectually curious. They’re the kind of people who push boundaries to ask “why” and “how come?” and “what happens next?” I’ve had students at SCAD and Franklin College who not only make me incredibly proud, but who challenge me to fundamentally understand my convictions about how and why to make art. But, I can’t help thinking what it would be like to have even twice that number — to have less of the potential inertia inherent to electives; to have classes filled with that hum of ideas having ideas, having ideas. Please, enjoy the work I’ve submitted and that of the students I’ve been privileged to teach. If you have any questions, I’d be more than happy to answer them by phone, e-mail or over lunch.

PROFESSOR AND FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER

TIMPORARY@GMAIL.COM 304.444.6454

EDUCATION

AWARDS AND HONORS

Savannah College of Art and Design MFA Photography, 2006

HIGH ART BILLBOARD PROJECT Arts Council of Indianapolis, 2014-2015 HARRISON CENTER FOR THE ARTS “Shinkansen” Solo Show, Indianapolis, 2011

Portfolio Center (Atlanta, GA) Certification in Copywriting, 1998

METROMIX Local Celebrity Feature, 2011

West Virginia University BSJ (Journalism), 1995

CHRISTIAN CENTURY MAGAZINE Arts Feature, 2010

WORK EXPERIENCE

One Click, staff photographer and writer Greenwood, IN 2014-present Franklin College, Lecturer of Art and Journalism Franklin, IN 2010-2015 The Art Institute, Adjunct Photography Professor Indianapolis, IN 2012 Keep Indianapolis Beautiful’s Lilly Day of Service Official Photographer, 2010

SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN Permanent Collection, Hong Kong, 2009 INTO THE QUIET Thesis Exhibition, Savannah, 2006 PEOPLE MAGAZINE Author’s Photo, 2006 (Adam Davies for The Frog King) EAT MY SHOW Inclusion in juried exhibition, Savannah, 2006 SILVERWORKS Inclusion in photography annual, 2005

Art Reach (Indianapolis Art Center) Photo Instructor At-Risk Youth, 2009-2010

HOSPICE SAVANNAH One-man show, United Way Building, Savannah, 2004

Savannah College of Art and Design Professor of Advertising Design, 2007–2009

GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP Savannah College of Art and Design, 2004–2006

Indiana High School Press Association Guest lecturer & judge, Franklin, IN, 2008–present

UNDERGRADUATE SCAD PHOTO SHOW Juried selection of 3 pieces, 2003

Master Artist Photography Camps Instructor, Savannah, GA, 2008–2010

MAY POETTER SCHOLARSHIP Savannah College of Art and Design, 2001–2003

Moses Jackson Center Photography instructor, Savannah, GA, 2007

ONE SHOW Merit, 2001

Maine Photographic Workshops Teaching Assistant, Rockport, ME, 2005

PRINT Inclusion in juried publication (for Price-McNabb and WORK, Inc), 2001

Joyce Tenneson Studios Photography Assistant, New York, NY, 2004

ATHENA NATIONAL NEWSPAPER AWARDS Bronze, 2001

Price-McNabb Copywriter, Charlotte, NC, 2000–2001

SHOW SOUTH Gold (student), 1998

WORK, Inc. Copywriter, Richmond, VA, 1999–2000

CLIO Finalist (student), 1997 LISKOTOGRAPHY.COM

NOTABLY

Proficient in Adobe PhotoShop and Lightroom + President of the Circle City Lodge, Sons of Norway

PROFESSOR AND FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER

TIMPORARY@GMAIL.COM 304.444.6454

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

First and foremost, I am a pragmatist. That is, I believe wholeheartedly in the studied consideration of a given problem, followed by the reasoned pursuit of its solution. When it comes to teaching art, the problem becomes the gap between what students know at the beginning of an education and what they would need to know to function (or even to become wildly successful) in their chosen fields. In practical terms, that pragmatism causes me to give a lot of thought to what it is that students actually need; that is to ask myself what best fills that gap between what they know and what they need to know. The assignments I give are designed so that successful completion demonstrates an understanding of the underlying concept. Along my own educational journey, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from some incredibly gifted teachers and artists. What I’ve learned from them distills down to a set of core beliefs which provide the foundation for the way I teach: Even with my students as young as 8, I believe in the pursuit of the level of work in art history books and museums. In critique, I try to give an honest assessment of the work as it would be judged by curators and professional jurors.

1. THE PURSUIT OF PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS.

If I want students to learn to show aesthetic balance like Josef Koudelka’s, it only makes sense to show them his work and then use it to define a workable rubric. If I want them to print like Frederick Sommer, again, it makes sense to show them his work and develop a rubric accordingly. I also believe in presenting critique as a means of moving things forward, toward those standards, rather than a means of punishing students for having fallen short. One of my graduate professors described critique as “the opportunity to address the problem of “what a piece lacks that keeps it from being brilliant.”” At best, that is what I’d like my critiques to be. I believe in telling students the truth as best I can. If I believe that some instruction I’m giving isn’t necessary in absolute terms, as in matters of contemporary taste, for instance, I’ll tell them it is only necessary given the current art market or it is necessary in order for me to know that they are capable of a given technique.

2. HONESTY.

As an example, I was taught that an artist must always be able to explain his or her work for it to be valid, which didn’t explain E.J. Bellocq’s unwitting post-mortem collaborations or Gary Winogrand’s quote “I photograph to see what the world looks like in photographs.” The truth of the matter is that the explanation of one’s work makes it more likely to sell, and that for graduate students, it is absolutely necessary to understand one’s own work before trying to teach.

CONTINUED

PROFESSOR AND FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER

TIMPORARY@GMAIL.COM 304.444.6454

In another example, it isn’t empirically necessary to print black and white photographs with a full, 10 zone tonal range, but it may be necessary for students to print that range to demonstrate that they are capable of it. From what I’ve read about the current generation of college students (as well as what I’ve experienced in the classes I’ve taught), this kind of honesty tends to break down barriers of cynicism and outright disbelief that would otherwise get in the way of an education. 3 . T H E L A C K O F N E V E R . This is an extension of my belief in honesty in the classroom, but I do not generally believe in “never” as a viable teaching tool. There are brilliant counter-examples in world-class collections to nearly every “rule” I could present to my students. If I told freshmen never to shoot pictures of their toilets, I wouldn’t be able to explain Edward Weston’s “Excusado.” If I told them never to center the subject, I wouldn’t be able to explain Harry Callahan’s “Eleanor, Chicago.”

I do however, tell my students about what I call “90% rules.” I explain that here is an increased likelihood that a photo will resonate with the viewer (or a critic, or a curator) if it follows a set of given guidelines, but that the rule isn’t absolute. 4 . R E S O N A N C E . A professor and long-time Maine Media Workshop teacher told me once that the closest he could come to defining “art” was that it was a construction that resonated with its audience. He went on to say that there was an imaginary triangle between the artist, the work and the viewer, and if that triangle contained energy, the work was a success.

What I try to do, generally speaking, is to apply those tenets in a way that makes the class dynamic. I want the kind of energy that spills out the door after class. I want the hallways to buzz with the ways my students have just been challenged or enlightened or experienced a breakthrough. I want other students to see my classes empty at the end of the period and feel the slightest bit of either jealousy or curiosity. If that doesn’t happen, I don’t feel that I’ve done my job. In broader terms, I want students to look back on time that they’ve literally spent in my classroom, time that they will never get back, and know, I mean know, that they’ve spent it well. THANK YOU

NORWAY

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JAPAN

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SHINKANSEN

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OREGON

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STUDENTS

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PROFESSOR AND FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER

TIMPORARY@GMAIL.COM 304.444.6454

SLIDE LIST

Personal work

1. Untitled Norway — 2015 2. Untitled Norway — 2015 3. Untitled Norway — 2015 4. Untitled Japan—2009 5. Untitled Japan—2009 6. Untitled Japan—2009 7. Untitled Japan—2009 8. Untitled Japan—2009 9. Untitled Japan—2009 10. Oh Oh Six Seven Three. From Shinkansen Series —2009 11. Oh Oh Four Eight Six. From Shinkansen Series—2009 12. Oh Oh Nine Nine Three. From Shinkansen Series—2009 13. Oh Oh Two Three One. From Shinkansen Series—2009 14. Oh Oh Two One Seven. From Shinkansen Series—2009 15. Untitled Oregon—2012 16. Untitled Oregon—2012 17. Untitled Oregon—2012 18. Untitled Oregon—2012 19. Untitled Oregon—2012 20. Untitled Oregon—2012

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PROFESSOR AND FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER

TIMPORARY@GMAIL.COM 304.444.6454

SLIDE LIST

Students’ work 1. Untitled - Answer to “Composition” Assignment. Rule of Thirds. P H O TO 1 STUDENT

2. Untitled - Answer to “Change the Surface” Assignment. P H O TO 3 STUDENT

3. Untitled - Answer to “Photoshop Layering” Assignment. P H O TO 2 STUDENT

4. Untitled - Answer to “Rethink an Unsuccessful Image” Assignment. PHOTO 4 STUDENT 5. Untitled - Answer to “Self Portrait with Metaphor” P H O TO 3 STUDENT

6. Untitled - Answer to “Investigate a Process” Assignment PHOTO 4 STUDENT 7. Untitled - Answer to “Add Value” Assignment. P H O TO 2 STUDENT

8. Untitled - Answer to “Self Portrait Without Self” Assignment. PHOTO 3 ST UDENT

11. Untitled - Answer to “Add Value” Assignment. P HOTO 3 S TUD ENT

12. Untitled - Answer to “Camera Controls” Assignment. P HOTO 1 S TUD ENT

13. Untitled - Answer to “Work with Transparency/ Translucency” Assignment. P HOTO 3 S TUD E NT 14. Untitled - Answer to “Composition” Assignment. Asymmetrical Balance. P HOTO 1 S TUD ENT 15. Untitled - Answer to “Final Portfolio” Assignment. P HOTO 3 S TUD ENT

16. Untitled - Answer to “Shoot One Foot or Less” Assignment. P HOTO 3 S TUD ENT 17. Untitled - Answer to “Camera Controls” Assignment. P HOTO 1 S TUD ENT

18. Untitled - Answer to “Work with Transparency/ Translucency” Assignment. P HOTO 2 S TUD E NT

9. Untitled - Answer to “Change the Surface” Assignment.

19. Untitled - Answer to “Add Value” Assignment.

P H O TO 3 STUDENT

P HOTO 1 S TUD ENT

10. Untitled - Answer to “Only Cut Paper and Life” Assignment. PHOTO 3 ST UDENT

20. Untitled - Answer to “Self Portrait With Metaphor” Assignment. P HOTO 1 S TUD ENT

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PROFESSOR AND FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER

TIMPORARY@GMAIL.COM 304.444.6454

THUMBNAILS

Personal work

04 07

05 11

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PROFESSOR AND FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER

TIMPORARY@GMAIL.COM 304.444.6454

THUMBNAILS

Students’ work (continued)

18 13

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PROFESSOR AND FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER

TIMPORARY@GMAIL.COM 304.444.6454

REFERENCES

Susan Fleck 317-753-1590 Susan@FleckPhoto.com Prof. David Chandler (317) 738-8262 dchandler@franklincollege.edu Dr. Svetlana Rakic (317) 738-8278 srakic@franklincollege.edu

THANK YOU