My teaching philosophy has been largely influenced by the work of Brazilian pedagogue Paulo Freire. Dissatisfied with what he termed the “Banking Model” of education, Freire proposed a teaching method based on a carefully considered dialogue with students rather than on “depositing” information onto students without any critical consciousness or awareness of student’s particular needs. I am interested in a teaching practice that considers the specific needs of the students (contextual, geographic, identitarian, political, etc.) and that constantly reinvents itself in the process of assessing those needs—without loosing site of its established academic goals in regards to curriculum and content. My main concern is to closely work with students in developing work that is genuine to their interests, carefully informed, thoroughly conceived (yet intuitive) and experimental, regardless of its genre.

In addition to teaching at the undergraduate levels in Alfred university in upstate New York city I have conducted workshops in different institutional settings internationally. I also lecture and give artist presentations.

HUMANITARIAN ART PROJECT HEROES

With my photos and projects, I shine a light on those who normally remain invisible. I’m not interested in the violence and negative circumstances but  I do focus on the power and the extraordinary strength children and women show in difficult situations.