Educational Thoughts

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Art is a form of communication that transcends literal, linear and sometimes even rational or translatable self-expression. Though art, people can explore and enjoy the creativity of work—work done to the best of one’s ability, and satisfaction from an improved process of work. In fact, art stimulates creativity in mind and this develops the capacity for work. Unfortunately our society tends to promulgate clichéd notions of learning and studying, and in many fields of studies, creativity and education seem almost incompatible. Much of our current pedagogy focuses on testing in schools, which presupposes that questions have only one right answer and whose goal seems to be to produce a uniform mindset. Such pedagogy focuses on putative results at the expense of process, deeper comprehension, and individual limitations and abilities. Today’s art education has a crucial role in helping reform this rigid and often counterproductive educational method. I believe it is important that art educators provide students more opportunities to express a wide range of human values without imposing a priori notions of achievement, and allow them to choose their own paths and priorities by accessing various art forms. Art allows us to experience the world from a new or “alienated” perspective that strips away archaic and ossified perspectives, and can help us transcend binaries. We can develop our capacity to think differently by experiencing art. In the real world, in many situations, no single right answer exists. When we think of sculpture, for example, there is no right answer. With sculpture, we need to evaluate relationship in terms of composition, shape, and space, a process that helps us develop more creative ideas and solutions. 

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Today’s art is continuously changing and improving, in many ways in pace with our fast-developing society. Forms of contemporary art such as new media art expand the boundaries of aesthetics, expression and communication. Adapting new technology in art will enhance students’ creativity, and provide synergy in art education. Students who have more access to interdisciplinary new media art or multi-media art can a more easily develop their unique abilities. I hope to create courses to encourage students to actively involve in new ways of looking, thinking, and creating, by setting up opportunities for discussion and sharing multiple perspectives through various media resources. I want to help students use their interest in the world of ideas to enter and draw from a wide range of fields and practice. 

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- Kim