Marita Fitzpatrick

Philosophy of Teaching Art by Marita Fitzpatrick, MAT

As a lifelong Philadelphian, I teach art to young Philadelphians, not to make them artists, but to give them the opportunity to work with their hands and discover their inherent creativity. Engaging in the arts is a uniquely human endeavor. When children realize that they can make something beautiful or meaningful, they join the long history of creativity that is part of being human.

Every child in every school should have access to arts classes every year. Art education should be embedded in the curriculum at every school. Art classes should be taught by qualified art educators with adequate studio spaces and supply budgets. No child should get to high school without having had a quality art education beforehand. Unfortunately, 30% of my high school students never had art class in elementary school. This disgraceful statistic is unacceptable and needs to change. The inequities of education in the arts must be brought to light by art teachers and citizens alike. 

Arts advocacy is integral to my work and daily routine. I advocate for the arts to students, coworkers, and stakeholders. My advocacy is shown by what I do each day. I am an active member of the school staff, joining committees and participating in school activities. I display student work with descriptive signage in the school. I participate in arts organization programs and apply for arts grants. I invite guests in and take students out to art exhibits. I communicate with politicians, journalists and newspapers. My students have testified before Philadelphia’s City Council. I do this because Philadelphia’s children have a right to engage in the arts. Participating in art-making and learning about art history, especially contemporary art, gives children skills and knowledge they will use their whole lives. The work I do tells the world how important art is to the lives of our students.

My practice is inspired by the work of Daniel Pink, Lois Hetland, Zaretta Hammond, Purdee and Sands, Jodi Patterson, Rudolph Arnheim, Gerome Bruner, and Arthur Danto, among others. I believe the creative economy is here and those who are creative will have the skills needed to succeed. The Studio Habits of Mind, creative process, and choice are my teaching methods. When we challenge perceptions, we have a chance to find more creative and personal forms of art- making. Art teachers have the opportunity to provide a studio which gives students a place to do all of that. It is what I strive for as an art teacher. For some students, art is the break they always needed in school. For others, the students who have been taught to conform, the freedom creativity brings can be challenging. However, my classroom is a safe space and the art curriculum is flexible enough to allow students to enter wherever they are. 

Art education teaches us to find solutions, work through challenges, and make something that is real. No other subject in school does this. In my classroom, students use art media to play, experiment, and practice skills, before beginning projects. Students work collaboratively as well as independently. Students explore artists’ work to find common themes and ways of making. I ask students questions and ask them to ask questions of themselves. Through all of this, students learn what is important to them as makers as they start to develop their own artwork. The work students make is authentically their own and that is what art education should be.

Every September, I survey students about their interests, art experience, and ideas about creativity. Throughout the term, we revisit some of these survey questions and students reflect on their thoughts about art and artmaking. Finally at the end of the term, they get another survey, checking in with them for their closing thoughts. In addition, each quarter, I ask students what I can do better as a teacher. I use student feedback to evolve my teaching practice.

Part of my evolution as a teacher has been the embrace of contemporary art in my curriculum. No student in art class should wonder if people today make art. Contemporary art is a robust resource waiting for art teachers to discover. Contemporary art is diverse, made by people around the globe. Contemporary art is accessible, in part, because it is so prolific. An art teacher can find artworks from any number of media or continents to share with students. Another reason for contemporary art is subject matter. Because it was made recently, contemporary art is about the current world. Those topics are equally broad. When students look at art made recently, about topics they can relate to, the work we assign for them to do becomes more relevant. Students have more buy-in. Relevance is key to student engagement.

To conclude this philosophy statement, I share something most important to who I am: I always seek to improve my practice as an art educator. I love learning and am invigorated when I find new information and resources to make my classroom better for students. In the pandemic school year (2020-21), I attended over 70 hours of professional development. It gave me something to do while everyone was locked down, but more importantly, I learned a tremendous amount. Whatever comes my way and as long as I am able, I will advocate for art education, teach students to find their creativity, and evolve my practice as an art educator.

-Marita Fitzpatrick