Teaching Philosophy

John J. Rais

My most profound experiences in art have come from the point where, on a most
intimate level, I am transported out of a point of view to see in a different way. As a
student I have had these experiences in lectures and demonstrations, where the potency
of the change was fully realized sometime after, while training my gaze on art and
suddenly reaching a new level of understanding, a connective display that I could read.
From this I had understood visual art to be a language, unlike music, or the spoken
word. I approach sculpture education as a visual communication, where we the makers
and educators create our own symbols, text, and context for moving our viewers into a
new experience.
The “reading” of sculpture doesn’t unfold in a sequential manor like written text either. It
is felt, perceived, and analyzed where we negotiate our sensibilities with the physical.

To me, sculpture education poses several outlining questions to the student, for which
the answers are neither brief, linear, nor static.

What is the relationship between thinking and doing?

Many students are initially drawn to a system of making, nurturing a set of ideas or
mining their ideas through the use of materials or new technologies. Others apply their
art as an investigation of, and response to a nuance of the elements of culture. Some
rely heavily on the intuitive spirit of making. While I certainly have my own
methodological tendencies for making, I consider it my role to help students find their
own. Their individual answer to this question is strengthened through development of
their practice, which is both, tacit and intellectual. They will ultimately learn to mediate
the relationship between thinking and doing, which blooms out of this guided experience.

Experience leads a student to solidify her beliefs, writing a manual for her own ideation. I
believe the undergraduate experience is a transition from a survey of methods and
concepts to a refined vision of tastes and visual response. It is a mixture of new
practices and ideals performed like a piece of music. Learning art involves collaboration
with physical and intellectual practice held in some degree of balanced measure. It
encompasses the roots of our past, the understanding of methods, and the yearning to
say something unique. When designing curriculum, I choose a direction that maximizes
the possibilities for a diverse array of interpretations. I generally avoid dogmatic
teaching, focusing more on types of creative theologies the students bring as a response
to my guidance. I want them to question, even challenge what is taught, for out of that
intellectual curiosity comes a sense of ownership for their ideas.

Critique is the keystone that holds all of the elements of education together. I think of the
critique not as a form of judgment, but rather a discussion with informed individuals for
the purpose of improving ones art. It is the sounding board for ideas, and the preliminary
interface between the maker and the audience. Throughout every class I have taught; at
universities, community colleges and the dozens of workshops at art centers, critique
has been a time where a notable creative leap occurs in the student’s evolution.

At its core, my teaching style centers on the student as an individual professional, with
unique tastes and responses to the world. Sculpture is a distinct visual communication
that uses symbols, space and context. It is a progressive endeavor that, when taught
successfully, can transport the viewer out of himself or herself, and into a new
understanding of our world. Sculpture is a shared experience that traces the past and
speculation of the future into the world of now.
On Teaching Foundations

Students enter college with varying degrees of art and design experience. Nothing about
their knowledge of art can be assumed. To this, I believe foundations education is
inherently wrapped in the individual and her understanding of it rather than group
dynamics. Of course we as teachers survey the class’ disposition periodically, it is
actually to apply it as a metric to our success. The student’s success, the most important
issue at hand, is perceived largely by the student as an individual member of the class.

Design is just as personal as fine art in that it derives from the human connection to a
situation. In today’s art climate, we see and experience works that cross- over and blend
design and fine art in new and profound ways. I feel this requires a strengthening of
foundations education and reliance on basic principals of design to have a full
understanding of current art making. I recall my own foundations education being a time
where every day brought some new revelation. I had had a strong background in art in
high school, but this was distinctly different. The concepts were not just that, they were
connective devises to where I could relate to a more complex and stirring art world. It
was this understanding that made me feel an individual relationship with art. That is what
foundations education does best; it helps students to form and individual relationship
with art. The most important aspect of teaching foundations lies in making connections
between the assignment and the broader art practice. While foundations education has
the title that implies an early, separate stage of art, for the student’s sake, I do not treat it
as such. I emphasize the professional aspect to everything they make. I want them to
feel a sense of attachment to the projects, as they should with all that they make.

Bauhaus style education is still relevant today because it still addresses design in a way
that it is perceived in contemporary culture. As video, digital art, and performance has
found a critical role for artistic expression foundations has evolved to accommodate the
expanse of art the fundamentals of design remain just as relevant as 30 or more years
ago. I believe the Bauhaus methods are effective because it deals with breaking down
the complexities of art into basic shapes and colors, and uses that opportunity to begin
to understand art on a sort of cellular level. I use some of these concepts in my classes,
especially in 3-D design; however, I also rely on idea development, emotion, movement,
and time-based projects as well. Drawing has grown to include the digitally rendered and
manipulated page, object construction now sometimes involves programs such as
Rhino, Form Z, and other CAD/RP programs. While these aid the design process, and
means of production, foundations teaches design and ideation of art that transcends
technique or materials. It permeates all visual creativity.