I thought this writing was a great example of piecing together a lot of the different theories and ideas we've been contemplating this semester. Particularly the idea of the "in-between". The concept of an A/R/Tographer or A/R/Tography is in itself reliant on the awareness of what happens in the "in-between" of being an artist, a researcher and a teacher and where those worlds overlap and intertwine. It also reminded me of a recent reading we had that spoke about inspiration and change occurring between the space of comfort and unease, that too is an in-between.
In this instance, Irwin speaks more to the concept of the in-between as it relates to curriculum. She begins to make an argument for the importance of discovery and experimentation; for the in-between spots that lie within the world of a structured classroom made up of timelines, rubrics and grades and the often sporadic, intuitive, unchartable journey of art making. She questions if it's possible to encourage students to live more in that in-between, between knowing and not knowing. "What would our educational institutions look like if curriculum leaders and teachers were 'encouraged to recapture a poetic wisdom, to be suspicious of comfortable routines, to create provocative learning relationships, to see appreciation and affirmative engagement as a core task and to value wonder over self promotion (Barrett, 2000, p. 244)?'"
This writing, and the ideas of learning and creating in the in-between in particular, has helped me reflect on my recent time in the printshop, as a participant/observer of the Intro to Printmaking class this semester. I am sitting in on the class to get a better understanding of it's design and pacing as well as helping out where needed. While in the classroom, as well as during my lab tech hours, students often come to me with questions. These questions usually revolve around solving problems inherent in a process, or inquiries as to how to proceed with a certain piece. All the processes they are learning are very new to them, and they are expected to use many of them in their finished etchings as possible. Though mastering techniques is a very important aspect of proper printmaking, many variables can go wrong along the way. A lot of processes have to be learned through mistakes, you have to learn what to do from doing it the wrong way. (I actually believe a lot of art making is this way!!) But anyhow, I struggle with answering students questions at times, because I'm worried that I might tell them something wrong, or the way I tell them won't work out because of some small error along the way, but ultimately I feel like I'm to blame. It feels like so many students are more focused on the final product, and not the learning that can happen along the way. What I'm realizing is that although grades are always a reality, I want to try and foster a lab that is more about trying things, than it is about the final product, because I believe that it's almost always the best way to learn (and remember) something.