Valerie Bellows: My Teaching Philosophy

The nature of art and art education enriches the lives of those who have the privilege to

partake. Art is interdisciplinary, providing connections to every other subject being taught, as artists are

endlessly curious and make art about the world around them. Student artists taking this path are

encouraged to explore multiple subjects in abstract ways, stimulating the growth of both intellect and

interest in learning. Art is inclusive not exclusive. Students with varying abilities may usually only have a

window into different subject area classrooms, meant for looking but not interacting. In the art

classroom, these same students have an open door and are encouraged to share their diverse abilities

and ways of thinking with fellow classmates. Art is intersectional, providing a creative platform for the

voices of those who have been marginalized to be heard. The versatility of the arts is what initially

attracted me to become an artist, and I hope to offer a learning experience that allows students to

express every facet of their identity in an accepting and supporting environment.

Though the arts are a reflection of and a response to the ideas, beliefs, values, and events of

various time periods and cultures, we have now become acutely aware that many artists - and the

concerns that they made art about - have not been on equal footing. It could be argued that art as a

mirror of society is not representative of all of humanity, because not all humanity has been

represented. It has been a failure of society to value artists of all kinds. Historically art from artists of

different races, genders, sexualities, and religions have not just been overlooked, but denigrated,

scorned, and suppressed. In Western culture, this has been particularly true for women artists, and

artists of color. In recent decades there has been a move to uphold rather than suppress these diverse

voices in the arts and society as a whole, which is essential in better understanding the perspectives,

cultures, and ideas of the time rather than just a minute portion of the more privileged parts of society.
Art education must attempt to lead this charge to better represent all people through giving all students

a voice through visually representing their ideas, views, perspectives, cultures and more visually. These

students’ artworks will begin to create a fuller reflection of society simply by existing and being

represented in a way that is equal. Art is always a reflection of, or a response to, the humanity, culture,

attitudes, etc. of the time. Even work that was explicitly made to be non-representational reflected an

intellectual philosophy that had currency at the time. Sometimes those ideas were lofty and

inspirational, but at other times, the ideas reflected in art unfortunately upheld discriminatory societal

norms and expectations of the time period. A well-rounded art education will not ignore this history, but

it should give students expressive tools with which to deal with this history and to fashion a better

today.