My Unique Art Practices and Inspirations Hunter Rion Artistic Development ARE6693, University of Florida
School Zone, lithography, 2011
Early Childhood My parents are not artists but have always respected the arts. As a child I was surrounded by art in the home and exposed to art museums and galleries. The plates that we ate off of at every meal were hand thrown and glazed created by a local artists. The artwork in our home consisted of original pieces inherited or collected by my parents. The furniture was handmade by woodworkers. It was clear to me from the beginning that art was to be respected and appreciated. My mom’s mom was also a patron of the arts and surrounded me with inspiration. Her art forms consisted of gardening, cooking, and sewing. She had a beautiful garden that I would help her with in the summers. She kept a drawer of art supplies in her pie safe in the kitchen. A majority of my visits to her home, which were often, incorporated the use of these art supplies. My mom’s dad died before I was born, but he was gifted artistically. Many of his drawings were framed and displayed in my grandmother’s home. I was extremely drawn to a comic that he drew and sent to my grandmother during World War II. My dad has artistic ability. I remember him drawing pictures for me in the waiting room at the hospital when I was young. My mom always surrounded me with crafts during holidays and encouraged me to embrace my Orion Evolution, altered book, 2014 creativity. My dad’s parents were avid travelers. They often collected art during their trips. There home was a menagerie of artifacts from all different places. I distinctly remember large African, tribal like pieces in their living room. These pieces made a lasting impression on me. I am grateful to my family and educators for nurturing and exposing me to art throughout my childhood. The support I received in my childhood that helped me develop artistically, is consistent with Lowenfield’s views, “…Lowenfield wished to protect, what he believed was indigenous to all young people, and that was the right to construct their own meanings and speak in their own voices” (Burton, 2001, p. 35).
Grade School I have vivid memories of my elementary school art teacher, Ms. Harrell, and her art room. Our class went to art one day of the week. It was absolutely my favorite day of the week. Her room was full of large African masks, big jars of tempura paint, boxes of scrap paper, crayons, oil pastels, big tables splattered with paint, and drying racks. It had this distinct smell and a comforting, welcoming energy. I remember feeling relaxed and easily able to be myself in this environment. I did not choose to take art as an elective in middle school. Middle school was three years of torture for me. I often wonder if it would have been more enjoyable if I had
elected to incorporate art. In high school I pursued art with great compassion and realized that art would be part of my future. My high school art teacher, Mrs. Carty, was supportive and served as a cheerleader for my insecurities as. As an insecure student I was able to find confidence with the support of my teacher, “It may be that the hesitant, insecure child who feels withdrawn from other class activities can find satisfaction and acceptance in creative expression” (Unsworth, 1992, p. 67). She helped me build the confidence that I needed to follow my future dreams and goals. I traveled with her to Europe the summer before my sophomore year. This experience helped me to begin forming a more worldly perspective and helped me evolve into a more cultured individual. My junior year I painted a large mural in my high school. This experience helped me build confidence in myself and gave me my first taste of artistic recognition. I took art all four years of high school and took independent study my senior year. Independent study gave me the freedom to dictate my own agenda. I was able to create work based on my own interests and inspirations. This was a time for me to create a solid portfolio that would lead to a scholarship at Meredith College. I have been fortunate to have had a multitude of influential art educators in my life, much like the educator described by Wolf, that have nurtured, inspired and respected me, “She is blessed with an energetic professional printmaker for a teacher-‐a man who insists that classes be small, who takes students to museums, who even as he wipes plates clean, talks to his students as colleagues” (Wolf, 1988, p. 146).
Undergraduate Studies I received an art scholarship for four years at Meredith College. I declared an early major in graphic design. Knowledgeable and supportive art educators, artists, and fellow students surrounded me during my undergraduate studies. I took the following art courses during my undergraduate studies: drawing I & II, color theory, two dimensional design, textile design, typography, photography, portfolio photography, art history I & II, illustration, and a multitude of graphic design courses. I would say, looking back on my undergraduate studies, that textile designs and photography made the largest impression on me. In textile designs we dyed, printed, and sewed all different types of fabric. I found a new exciting world full of new creative possibilities and unexplored territory. The darkroom served as a magical place for me in college. I found myself spending endless hours in the darkroom nights and weekends. I also had a graphic design internship at a local newspaper creating ads. In graphic design courses we had clients that collaborated with the college to receive marketing and advertising services from the students. The clients would meet with the graphic design students to propose their needs and the students would then create work for the clients. I also served as the art director for Meredith’s yearbook. In addition to my college courses and internship, I also worked part time at a local art gallery. I had the opportunity to travel to Europe the summer before my junior year. I traveled to France, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands. I was immersed in art from a variety of regions. My visit to the Centre Pompidou introduced me to contemporary art. I had been exposed briefly, but this experience made a great impression on me and sparked my relationship with contemporary art. I graduated magna cum laude and left feeling like I was provided with a balanced education that supplied me with a diverse knowledge of many aspects of art.
Entering Art Education After graduation I was not able to find a job in my field. It became a reality to me that graphic design was a competitive field that either required living in an urban location or working as a small contractor. Moving to a large city seemed to be an unattainable goal for a new graduate with no significant source of income. The idea of depending on myself for a paycheck through my own small company seemed unstable and did not offer the option of healthcare and other important benefits. For several years I worked as a waitress and as a secretary for a state organization. I found myself feeling both complacent and over qualified in these positions. I also felt the need to incorporate the arts back into my life. I was not embraced in the arts or creating art during this period in my life. This was extremely different for me after eating, breathing, and sleeping art for four years in college. Perhaps in ways I needed a break in order to fully comprehend the important role art plays in my life. The only other time I can remember not have art as a part of my life was in middle school. Both of these times in my life I label as being unsatisfying and lacking in compassion for living. I learned about a lateral entry process that was being offered by the state. The state would hire a candidate to teach the subject that they majored in and then give them three years to complete education classes and pass praxis exams in order to obtain their teaching license. I was hired as an art educator at the elementary level. I taught full time and took classes at night and on the weekends. After completing the required courses I took two praxis exams, one of which I did not pass and had to retake. My first teaching position was at an elementary school in a rural county. I was placed in a trailer without running water. I stayed at this school for two and half years. I look back on this experience and wonder how I ever survived this part of my career. I am grateful for the experience of my first teaching job because it was an opportunity for me to start my career as art educator and it made me stronger and built my self-‐confidence.
Transition to Middle School
I always find it so ironic that I am a middle school teacher because middle school was my least favorite part of school growing up. I did not even take art in middle school. I also distinctly remember telling a teacher at a meeting, when I was teaching at the elementary level, that I would never be caught dead teaching middle school. I guess that I learned that I do not know everything about my future and perhaps I am not in as much control as I may believe that I am. Over the summer, after two and half years of teaching, I received a phone call from my college roommate. She told me about an art teaching position at the middle school where she was teaching. The teaching job was in a larger county offering a higher salary; a more competitive benefits package, and better working conditions. The job offer was a risky professional move because it was a terminating contract. The previous art teacher was taking a year off for maternity leave. After the school year ended she would decided if she Burning Bee, clay, 2014
want to return to her position. It was basically like I was going to be a substitute teacher for a year. I took a chance and left my permanent job to take the temporary job. My decision proved to be a reward because I had an amazing art room, kiln, running water, and a wonderful group of supportive colleagues. The transition from the elementary level to the middle school level was surprisingly smooth. I am relieved and happy to say that almost nine years later, I am currently teaching at the same middle school.
Professional Growth and Motivation
Art education has motivated me to continue to nurture my creativity and motivates me to make my own art. I have participated in multiple workshops and classes to meet professional development requirements and aspirations, and to gain personal motivation. I participated in a Raku workshop in the mountains of North Carolina. I was taught how to create and experienced the Raku firing process under the guidance of local, professional potters through North Carolina Advancement of Teachers. I was a studio assistant at Penland School of Crafts. This experience proved to be incredibly motivating for me professionally and personally. I took a workshop taught by a local, environmental artist Bryant Holsenbeck. She made me aware of the importance of educating youth about environmental awareness. I learned basket weaving from Billie Ruth Sudduth, an accomplished basket weaver who incorporates math with weaving. I participated in a bookmaking and Coptic book binding class taught by Kathy Steinsberger. I took multiple printmaking classes from Sue Sopper, who taught me the waterless lithography process. Last summer I took two courses, sketchbook and printmaking, during summer studio at University of Florida. The courses, research, and art making experiences through the University of Florida have been intense, informational, motivational, challenging, and continue to change my teaching practices.
HFCS, mixed media, 2014
References Burton, J. M. (2001). Lowenfeld, another look. Art Education, 54(6), 33-‐42. Wolf, D. (1988). Artistic learning: What and where is it? Journal of Aesthetic Education, 22(1), 143-‐155. Unsworth, J. M. (1992). Re-‐Thinking Lowenfield. Art Education. 45(1), 62-‐68.