VASA Teaching Photography
Certificate Program
Course Description
and Faculty Information
Coordinator: Roberto Muffoletto
Direct
to course description:
Practice
of Teaching | Developing
Programs | History
of Photography | Teaching
Criticism | Teaching
Online|
Seminar
> Workshop and seminar registration and meeting schedules
The
Practice of Teaching
Faculty: Douglas Holleley,
MFA, Ph.D.
CEO of Clarellen
> Register
Although many graduate
students in photography
intend to "teach," the
fact remains that
teaching itself is
not taught. The net
result is that most
teachers simply replicate
the way they were
themselves taught.
This perpetuates a
vicious cycle of bias
and self-reflexive
behavior. Thus, paradoxically
in this new millennium,
we have the intellectual
trap of high modernism
steering the teaching
of photography that
should be well and
truly past (or if
not past, critically
evaluated).
Because this is the introductory workshop to the VASA Teaching Photography Certificate Program, creative, if not idiosyncratic, approaches to teaching will be explored. In other words, the participants will be encouraged to systematically question all previous automatic thinking and practice. The sessions will be a mix of the conceptual and practical, with spirited debate.
Douglas Holleley was born in Sydney, Australia. He gained a Bachelor of Arts Degree at Macquarie University, Sydney and subsequently studied photography at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, New York, where he graduated with a Master of Fine Arts Degree in 1976. In 1997 he was awarded his PhD at the University of Sydney. The title of his thesis is Luna Park, the Image of a Funfair. This thesis examines a major amusement park in Sydney Australia through the medium of photography.
In addition to his work as an author/artist and publisher he is also teaches at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, NY, Maine Media Workshops and Anderson Ranch. He has exhibited widely in the USA, Australia and Europe. His work is represented in many collections including, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, the International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House, Rochester, NY, the Centre for Creative Photography in Tucson, AZ, McGill University Library (Rare Book Division) Montreal, Canada, the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca NY, and the Joan Flasch Artists’ Books Collection, School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
In the last 2 years he has published three books about photographic pedagogy. They are: Photo-Editing and Presentation: A Guide to Image Editing and Presentation for Photographers and Visual Artists, Your Assignment: Photography and Studying Photography: A Survival Guide. Clarellen
Teaching Photography:
Developing Classes
and Programs
Faculty: John Alley,
MFA
University of Richmond
>Register
This workshop is
designed for those
involved in developing
and teaching classes
in photography, either
on the high school,
college, university,
or museum/community
levels.
During the five-week workshop, participants will explore the process of developing a syllabus, creating meaningful assignments, and establishing a means of constructive evaluation. Participants will read and respond to essays in the field of photographic education. For example, participants will address the role of class critique and evaluation. At the core of the workshop is the exploration into what it means to develop a photography class or program, what assumptions are held, what knowledge is included or excluded, and what role does the teacher take in the process.
Topics will
include:
•
developing a teaching
philosophy
• establishing a supportive
and challenging learning environment
in the classroom
• addressing the the
balance between technique
and theory
• developing an approach
to teaching the history of
photography
• addressing the introduction
of traditional and new media
(darkroom vs. digital)•
• developing
assignments that engage and
challenge students intellectually
• reviewing
textbook adoption
criteria
• studying
the work of leaders
in photographic education
• discuss the
study of visual literacy
as foundation for
lens based education
•
locating resources
and support on the
web
•
developing assignments
and projects
•
developing a course
structure and syllabus
John Alley has been Adjunct Professor of Photography at the University of Richmond for the past 15 years. In addition, he has worked for ten years as a high school photography teacher at the Steward School in Richmond, VA where he has developed a curriculum to support an expanding photographic program in the visual arts. John earned his MFA in Photography from Virginia Commonwealth University as well as an MA in American Literature from George Mason University. Along with his work as a photographer and writer, John is committed to the study of photographic education. Specifically, he is interested in the implications of teaching photography in the 21st century with new lens-based media formats. His work is currently focusing on the structure of high school photography and visual literacy programs. Johnalley.com
Teaching the History of
Photography
Faculty: Perry Kirk, MFA
University
of West Georgia
This seminar is designed for those involved in developing and teaching courses in the history of photography, either on the high school, college, university, or museum/community levels.
In this seminar we will consider a number of foundational questions and topics impacting our teaching, and our students learning in an effort to change our own lens and thinking about teaching the history of our field. There is no real reason, with the media and network tools now available to teachers and learners, to lecture or teach in the traditional manner, but to build a learning environment on inquiry, discussion, and collaboration
Over the five (5) weeks of discussions and weekly assignments we will address the following general topics as starting points to reflect on and analyze our own teaching process:
-- our philosophy
and vision for teaching
a history of photography
-- critiquing the traditional
approach to teaching the
history
-- content selection: reviewing
textbooks and internet resources
-- develop a course structure
and syllabus which engages
students
-- develop means of constructive
evaluation and reflection
This third element is particularly
important as we address
various methods of introducing
content to students. In
addition to the traditional
slides and lecture model,
we will consider various
models for introducing content
such as research from various
sources, research of various
processes or artistic movements
in light of what is now
possible as a result of
Internet resources and production
tools. Consideration will
also be given to under-served
perspectives, such as history
through the lens of gender,
ethnicity, nationality,
etc.
Perry Kirk holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Photography from University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. He is currently Associate Professor of Photography at University of West Georgia in Carrollton where he has taught since 1998.
For 20 years Perry Kirk has pursued issues surrounding photography’s and society’s relationship to science and mysticism. Kirk has exhibited recently at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA; Mason Murer Gallery, Atlanta, GA; Center for Living Arts, Mobile, AL. Publications include Extending Human Vision, in Exposure - Journal for the Society for Photographic Education. Kirk also curated the exhibition Essence:Matter /Science/Photography which was exhibited at University of West Georgia, Georgia Institute of Technology and Pace University, Pleasantville, NY.
Teaching Criticism
A. D. Coleman, MA
Publisher and Executive
Director of Photography
Education Online (PEO)
> Register
This workshop is designed
for professionals involved
in teaching photography:
photographers, critics,
historians, and researchers.
Its purposes are:
*
to provide a grounding in
the basic premises of critical
activity;
*
to strengthen the participants'
critical abilities;
*
to establish a framework
within which the current
critical dialogue in photography
can be understood.
The workshop will engage
three parallel sets of issues:
(a) teaching students to
think and write critically;
(b) teaching the history
of the criticism of photography
(for this we'll use examples
of important writings about
photography by Emerson,
Moholy-Nagy, myself, and
several others, discussing
the pedagogical issues involved
in contextualizing these
with students); (c) understanding
the relationship between
hermeneutics and exegetics,
between theory and practice,
and other dialectical issues.
Readings will include a discussion of a series of exercises developed by Coleman for participants' subsequent use in their teaching practice. These provide a groundwork useful for both a close critical reading of all kinds of photographs and a more spontaneous, creative engagement with these commonplace yet extraordinary images that trace our lives and shape our culture. These writing exercises will also assist participants in identifying their own critical/observational tendencies and biases in relation to photographs.
A. D. Coleman is an internationally known critic of photography and photo-based art, and a widely published commentator on new digital technologies. He has published 8 books and more than 2000 essays on photography and related subjects. Formerly a columnist for the Village Voice, the New York Times, and the New York Observer, Coleman has contributed to ARTnews, Art On Paper, Technology Review, Juliet Art Magazine (Italy), European Photography (Germany), La Fotografia (Spain), and Art Today (China). His work has been translated into 21 languages and published in 31 countries.
Coleman serves as executive director of Photo Education Online (PEO), a consortium of four autonomous yet interrelated websites designed to serve the photography education community in diverse ways. These include The New Eyes Project (k12photoed.org), for K-12 photography; Teaching Photography (teachingphoto.com), for post-secondary educators; the Photography Criticism CyberArchive (photocriticism.com), an archive of writings by many authors; and Coleman's widely read blog, "Photocritic International" (photocritic.com). American Photo named Coleman one of "the 100 most important people in photography in 1998." In 2002 he received the Culture Prize of the German Photographic Society, the first critic of photography ever so honored. Since 2005, exhibitions that he has curated have opened at museums and galleries in Canada, China, Finland, Italy, Rumania, Slovakia, and the U.S.
Teaching Photography Online: Introduction
Faculty: Patrick Keough, MFA
Carteret College, North Carolina
> Register
This workshop recognizes that in the 21st century there are various tools, applications and course management systems available to teach and learn photography and art in the online environment.
Participants in this workshop will be given viable techniques and advice for teaching photography online. The workshop will offer creative methodologies and solutions for teaching art and photography classes in the online environment using Moodle, Blackboard, Wordpress, Skype, and other social networking tools. In this workshop students will develop online course materials for teaching their specific courses. This workshop is of interest to photography teachers at all levels: university, high school, and museum/community centers. This workshop will de-construct the idea that online courses are not as good as face-to-face learning.
Patrick Keough has been teaching all aspects of Art and Photography for over 25 years through the North Carolina Community College and University Systems. He earned his Master of Fine Arts Degree in Communication Arts from East Carolina University and a BFA from New York Institute of Technology. Before receiving his MFA he spent 7 years as a military photojournalist in the United States Army.
Patrick has been teaching digital photography, commercial illustration, art history and computer art for the past 15 years both online and in the classroom. Patrick states, "Teaching online is a unique challenge for me and I'm looking forward to guiding photo educators at all levels on a journey through the dynamics of online teaching. My in-depth experience in this form of educational delivery reinforces my commitment and belief in online instruction." Patrick Keough
Seminar: Issues and Trends in the Teaching of Photography
Faculty: Roberto Muffoletto, MFA., Ph.D.
VASA Director
This seminar is the last in the series leading to the VASA Certificate in the Teaching of Photography.
Over the five weeks of discussions and exchanges the participants will address the issues and concerns gained from their experience in the VASA certificate program.
Invited guest teachers will engage the seminar participants by discussing their approach and philosophy related to the teaching of photography. Through the experience of guest teachers, participants will have the opportunity to expand their knowledge base and understanding of how others think about teaching.
In the end, we should all have a deep concept on what it means to teach photography.
Roberto Muffoletto is the director of the VASA Project. He earned his MFA at the Visual Studies Workshop (SUNY Buffalo) and his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He was the founder and director of CEPA Gallery, Buffalo, NY (USA). He is the past publisher of Camera Lucida: Journal on photographic criticism and editor for Frame|Work: A journal on images and culture, published by the Los Angeles Center for Photographic Studies. His photographic work and writings have appeared in various exhibitions and publications. Most recently he published Berlin Diary, Threshold Crossing, and Train to Enschede. Roberto Muffoletto