Karissa Ferrell, Art Educator
Passionate about developing new methods for
expanding the creativity of young people, Karissa Ferrell is engaged in
developing curriculum that parallels the shifts reflected in contemporary
art. Her dual role as artist and
educator offers a platform from which to develop pertinent alternative
approaches based on principles of globalization, participation, collaboration, interdisciplinary
education, and engaging new media for creative expression.
Karissa feels strongly that creativity and critical thinking are at the core of innovation and cultural progression, yet today’s schools are generally more focused on standardizing learning in order to raise scores on standardized tests. With this website Karissa aims to provide resources that will help fellow teachers rethink curriculum and connect emerging artists and trends with practical strategies for today’s classrooms. She is focused on bridging the gap between contemporary art and art education, through curating content and making it accessible for educators.
Karissa’s enthusiasm for art is what initially led her into the teaching profession and has kept her striving through the tandem roles of educator and artist. She earned a Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis in Studio Art and Art History and completed her degrees through a study abroad program at Lorenzo de Medici Art Institute of Florence. Since her undergraduate work in 2001, she has completed the single subject teaching credential in Art through California State University of Long Beach (2003), and is currently enrolled in the Master of Arts in Art Education at the University of Florida (expected graduation, 2012). Additionally she has participated in 6 alternative “workshops;” which are an on-going educational project of Rose Shavinosvsky and Claire Gavronsky. The “workshops” as they are called are collaborative projects that convene in diverse contexts, such as Florence, Italy, San Francisco, Santa Ana, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and New York.
Freedom and encouragement to move between traditional art materials has been instrumental in Karissa’s development as a mixed media artist. Through these experiences she has worked to synthesize ways to challenge conceptual development within her own work and that of her advanced students. She is currently in her eighth year teaching at Los Alamitos High School. She teaches both Printmaking and 3-D Design (levels 1, 2, and advanced). For the past seven years she has also enjoyed teaching Advanced Placement Art History.
One of her greatest strengths as an educator is that she is also a passionate artist. Conversely, it is her study and production of art and the pursuit of creativity that spurs her toward professional development as an art educator. She is currently working her culminating project for the University of Florida which is a web guide for art educators that curates research on contemporary art trends and offers strategies for curriculum development. Karissa is also developing curriculum for a Mixed Media Sculpture course that she will teach this summer. She feels that Mixed Media approaches lend themselves to interdisciplinary connections and require both the maker and the viewer to reevaluate various sources from their everyday experiences. It is her goal as an educator to facilitate learning experiences that empower students with a new vocabulary, based on both philosophy and art making, which allows students to more fully participate in the dialogue of contemporary art.
Karissa feels strongly that creativity and critical thinking are at the core of innovation and cultural progression, yet today’s schools are generally more focused on standardizing learning in order to raise scores on standardized tests. With this website Karissa aims to provide resources that will help fellow teachers rethink curriculum and connect emerging artists and trends with practical strategies for today’s classrooms. She is focused on bridging the gap between contemporary art and art education, through curating content and making it accessible for educators.
Karissa’s enthusiasm for art is what initially led her into the teaching profession and has kept her striving through the tandem roles of educator and artist. She earned a Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis in Studio Art and Art History and completed her degrees through a study abroad program at Lorenzo de Medici Art Institute of Florence. Since her undergraduate work in 2001, she has completed the single subject teaching credential in Art through California State University of Long Beach (2003), and is currently enrolled in the Master of Arts in Art Education at the University of Florida (expected graduation, 2012). Additionally she has participated in 6 alternative “workshops;” which are an on-going educational project of Rose Shavinosvsky and Claire Gavronsky. The “workshops” as they are called are collaborative projects that convene in diverse contexts, such as Florence, Italy, San Francisco, Santa Ana, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and New York.
Freedom and encouragement to move between traditional art materials has been instrumental in Karissa’s development as a mixed media artist. Through these experiences she has worked to synthesize ways to challenge conceptual development within her own work and that of her advanced students. She is currently in her eighth year teaching at Los Alamitos High School. She teaches both Printmaking and 3-D Design (levels 1, 2, and advanced). For the past seven years she has also enjoyed teaching Advanced Placement Art History.
One of her greatest strengths as an educator is that she is also a passionate artist. Conversely, it is her study and production of art and the pursuit of creativity that spurs her toward professional development as an art educator. She is currently working her culminating project for the University of Florida which is a web guide for art educators that curates research on contemporary art trends and offers strategies for curriculum development. Karissa is also developing curriculum for a Mixed Media Sculpture course that she will teach this summer. She feels that Mixed Media approaches lend themselves to interdisciplinary connections and require both the maker and the viewer to reevaluate various sources from their everyday experiences. It is her goal as an educator to facilitate learning experiences that empower students with a new vocabulary, based on both philosophy and art making, which allows students to more fully participate in the dialogue of contemporary art.
