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As an art education major, my journey through art history has been both eye-opening and deeply informative. This page reflects my learning across four classes, from Ancient Art to Contemporary Movements and Book Arts. Each course expanded my understanding of art across time and deepened my appreciation for how art shapes, reflects, and challenges culture. Most importantly, it has informed how I plan to approach teaching: by connecting students to the rich traditions, evolving techniques, and powerful messages behind the art they create.
Ancient to Byzantine:
In this course, we explored the earliest forms of artistic expression, from prehistoric cave paintings to grand Byzantine mosaics. What stood out most was how much modern art-making still draws from these ancient foundations. Through hands-on experiences like creating our own pigments and dyeing fabric with natural materials, I gained a new respect for the ingenuity of early artists. My final project, a study of the Amphitheater of the Acropolis, merged my love for ancient architecture with my background in theater, helping me see how art and performance have always been deeply intertwined.
Cecilia Beaux.pptxMedieval to Modern:
This class focused on the powerful role religion, politics, and identity played in shaping art from the Middle Ages through the 19th century. We looked critically at topics like Orientalism and highlighted underrepresented voices, especially female artists of the time. Practicing techniques like camera obscura drawings and Japanese woodblock printing gave historical context a hands-on component. For my final, I examined the work of Cecilia Beaux through a feminist lens, which allowed me to connect historical art narratives to ongoing discussions about gender and representation, insights I aim to carry into my future classroom.
Modern to Contemporary:
In this course, we explored how modern art broke away from academic traditions and embraced experimentation, activism, and inclusivity. Movements like Dada, Cubism, and Art Nouveau became not just styles to study but methods to try ourselves, from designing stained glass windows to making protest-inspired collages. My final project focused on feminist contemporary art and the idea of redefining femininity as something self-determined rather than socially assigned. This course reinforced that art is not just for galleries, it’s for communities, conversations, and change.
Pages Through Time, Book Arts History:
Book Arts introduced me to the creative possibilities of books as both objects and platforms for expression. We studied the evolution of the book, censorship, and the tension between print and digital media. I learned multiple binding techniques and created my handmade books, exploring how form and content can work together. This class emphasized the importance of preserving access to information and embracing unconventional mediums, lessons that resonate deeply with me as both an artist and a future educator.
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