Barbara Obata, Fine Arts Adjunct Faculty
San Francisco Bay Area
barbara.obata@gmail.com
(415) 235-3606, studiowabi.com
TEACHING
The Fine Arts Classroom. This is a unique place where courage, curiosity, and growth go hand in hand in every lesson. I strive to make learning alive and breathing and to have meaning for each student in my classroom. Fine Arts study has a special role in society. Students develop a critical eye and interpret and reinterpret what they see every day. They practice expressing their thoughts visually and vocally every day. This study can make them better students, better collaborators, and more engaged citizens.
Privilege. “Privilege” currently connotes an entitlement or right, but in my culture, a privilege is something to be humbled by. Working studio classes offer teachers and students this kind of special privilege. As a studio teacher, I have the privilege of getting to know each student, and working with the goals of each individual. Where is this student headed? How are things going outside of our classroom? How does this project apply to a work environment? Is there anything holding this student back? Can the student integrate this work with another subject or interest? How can this student focus on a special set of interests? How can the student grow their learning after this class?
Inclusion. I work to introduce content and techniques outside of the last century’s model. Conventional Fine Arts curricula focused on a historical and eurocentric model. 21st century teachers can take advantage of a more global and deeper base of material. I work to raise discussions about historical and modern cultures across the globe and within our economic strata. How does current research modify the way we think about originality, creativity, and innovation? How does this compare with ideas from earlier times? Other cultures? This translates into a strong and active respect for each other that radically expands our learning and our idea-making.
Teaching Resume & Contact
Student Examples
Personal Portolio
Barbara Obata, Fine Arts Adjunct Faculty
San Francisco Bay Area
studiowabi.com