Biography

Teresa S. Unseld is an educator, author, and graphic artist. She is currently Associate Professor of art at Metropolitan State College of Denver. Dr. Unseld served as a faculty member of the Fine Arts Department at the University of Kentucky and has served in the capacity of art educator in several states and abroad. She received her Doctorate in Art Education at Ball State University in art education and her art education and studio degrees from Morehead State University. She is the former national president of the United States Society for Education through Art (USSEA) and is a member of the National Art Education Association. Unseld is the author of Portfolios, a book series that combine American history, art and learning activities to introduce learners to the contributions made by Americans of diverse cultures and races. In 1995 Dr. Unseld received the National Art Education Association J. Eugene Grigsby Jr. Teaching Award and has conducted related field experiences and research in Australia, China, Croatia, and Italy. Unseld is responsible for starting the first student art exchange between the Winston-Salem State University and Academy of Fine Arts in Brescia, Italy, in 2002. She is a graphic artist who combines graphite imagery with collages. She has exhibited nationally and internationally.

Teaching Philosophy

My philosophy of teaching as an art educator is three-fold: to provide opportunities for growth through knowledge, relevant experiences and application to the real world. Attainment of knowledge is necessary in order to provide students with the basic concepts and related background related to the discipline of art education. Although this objective may seem too objective, technical and/or laborious to some art education students, it provides the learner with a cognitive basis from which creative and more abstract thinking and activities can evolve. Reading, research, and explorative activities help form a knowledge base for students on which to draw. The philosophy behind the discipline-based art education supports my goal to not only to place art as an equal partner to other academic disciplines in the public school curriculum, but also to give equal weight to the critical, historical, studio and aesthetic components of art teaching. I believe that by studying the history and theories of art education, students can begin to develop their own ideas of effective art instruction and methodology. Sharing of experience transforms the instructor into a humanistic and relevant "facilitator" of education. When students and instructor share related experiences, education becomes humanistic, relevant and more dynamic. Having interactive dialogue in the classroom encourages students to express themselves, get involved in the education process, and at the same time, be tolerant of diverse viewpoints. Because art is a humanistic and expressive process, the education of art should reflect the human experience as expressed and experienced by children, youth, and the university student. Real world applicability is probably the most important component of my teaching philosophy. I feel it is important to apply or ground all discipline related concepts and theories to the real world. This means students should be able to apply theories and tools they have acquired to the machinery of public school art education with confidence and commitment. I place a great deal of value (and effort) in establishing and maintaining strong ties with public school art educators, and staying abreast of the status of art education locally, statewide and nationally.

Artist Statement

Opportunities, like bridges, connect diverse worlds and frontiers. As travelers on this Life's journey, we encounter many bridges that connect to realms beyound the familiar. Artists and art are infinitely tied to the creation of bridges that offer more than a means to other destinations; they build bridges that can empower us to look into ourselves and to even heal. My art is a body of work that connects diverse and complex human experiences within the realm of the spiritual. The subject matter integrstes human experiences involving life, death, war, ancestry, and history. Although the focus of the images is presented within a spiritual format, I feel the work reflect our basic human drive to simply express who we are. Life journeys and lessons are the focus of the themes found in my work. pencil, paper and light create for me, the necessary spiritual chemistry to produce visual expressions that speak to the sacredness and divinity found in all life experiences. Creating images that are both fragile and powerful, describe the application of lines and values to the many images found in my work. Through the years, certain images have evolved in my work that have powerful symbolic, spiritual meaning such as the stripes, spheres and metaphysical entities. I continue to strive toward the creation of visual expressions that reflect sacred energies and meaning found in all human experiences.

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