Teaching Art is a big, mixed, dripping, colorful, lumpy bag. Art Teachers are always carrying something, especially from the car into school. We are good at making an entrance, or
tripping over the entrance, in my case.
This year when I left the Art Educators of Minnesota conference, I was reassured that I teach Art because it comes from a place of joy. Joy ended up being the theme of the conference for me. Right after Brian Frink and I finished our presentation, “Big Magic: Following Joy and Curiosity in Your Art”, performance artist Gabrielle Civil with her commanding presence got up in the large ballroom and suggested that in the face of injustice and suffering we need to practice 'Experiments in Joy'. Joy is a pretty powerful and underrated antidote, really.
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Me and Brian Frink, after the presentation, "BIG MAGIC: Following Curiosity & Joy in Your Own Art" |