Frank Juárez

Whether we look at art through the lens of an art educator or an artist, the landscape of art is constantly evolving. In recent years, there has been a shift in how artists tackle ideas, curiosities, issues, and studio challenges—a direction driven by authenticity, honesty, being heard, and the freedom to experiment.

The way in which we respond as active participants is also changing. Every day, we discover new ways of creating, learn about varied artistic processes, and come to new realizations about how art and artists evolve. Contemporary art is about living in the present moment and documenting it through art.

An Art Teacherʼs Evolution
When I first started teaching in 2001, the choices I made about which artists to use in the secondary curriculum were based on genres and movements, for example, Vincent van Gogh, Romare Bearden, Pablo Picasso, Louise Bourgeois, and Andy Warhol, to name a few. This became the norm in my art room, as it did for many beginning art teachers.

In 2008, I began to explore contemporary art to find ways that it could help me develop an effective and relevant curriculum that would continue to engage my students. Art is a powerful medium that provides us the space to think, respond, and communicate our ideas, feelings, and intentions. Through active participation and openness in the art-making process, a conversation can begin.

Ongoing Self-Discovery
Art students discover that their perspectives on art and life, as well as how they respond to them, continue to change year by year, course by course. For you, the art educator, curricular ideas and themes emerge as you speak with colleagues, participate in virtual studio visits, and attend your stateʼs art conference.

I wanted to give students the freedom to experiment in their mark-making, and this challenge checked off all the boxes.

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