Teaching Artist Podcast

I’ve followed Kate’s work on Instagram for a while and it was so nice to talk with her!

Kate Hessin is an emerging multimedia artist, who lives and works in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. Kate’s work moves fluidly from sculpture to works on paper. She is interested in exploring the ways in which society’s deeply held expectations for mothers manifests themselves into the lives of modern parents. Kate playfully uses a folkloric whimsy and humour to create an inviting space for unpacking the darker aspects of motherhood, such as: postpartum depression, breastfeeding struggles, shame, exhaustion and guilt.

Kate is also a middle school art teacher. We talk about teaching this age level and choosing which personal artwork to share with them. She shares some paper mache tips that are super helpful. We also dig into motherhood as it relates both conceptually and practically to Kate’s work. I could talk about these things all day! We strayed quite a bit from teaching and art-making, but it’s all connected and it was so interesting hearing about how she’s been creating work around these topics for basically her entire artistic career. I hope you enjoy this conversation!

I also really like the idea Kate had of artistic bias as something to be aware of as an art teacher, especially a teacher who is also deeply engaged in your own art-making. I do think a lot about kid aesthetic vs. adult aesthetic, but it’s nice to add another layer to that of my own personal aesthetic and preferences and how those impact my teaching.

View images on the Blog Post for the Episode.

Go check out Kate’s work and follow her!

katehessin.com

@katehessin on instagram

@hessinkate on twitter

Teaching For Artistic Behavior (TAB)

Studio Thinking From the Start (book)

TAB Facebook Group

Artist / Mother Podcast and Community

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Follow: @teachingartistpodcast

@pottsart

Support this podcast. Subscribe, leave a review, or see more ways to support here.

We also offer opportunities for artists!

I had such a meaningful talk with Morgan Auten Smith! I felt like we were sort of peeling back an onion and just kept finding more little commonalities and points of connection. Yet so many of her super personal struggles and pieces of advice resonate widely. I hope listeners feel that connection, too.  Morgan’s openness in sharing her motherhood experience made such an impact on me. I was floored and wanted to just soak in her strength. I, like her, don’t share a lot of pictures or info about my kid, but I related deeply to her experience of giving birth abroad and going through a tricky pregnancy in a foreign language. 

I also loved how she talked about the hustle and not being afraid to just ask for what you want. But then shifting to give yourself time to experiment and explore in your work. Such valuable advice! Thank you, Morgan!! 

Morgan is an abstract painter living in northeast Georgia. Her work is an exploration of the intersection of individuality and motherhood. She is also an elementary art teacher, a wife, and a mother to twin three year olds. In addition to Georgia, Morgan has also lived in Germany, an experience that greatly shaped her as an artist. If you’re in the Gainesville, Georgia area, check out her solo show at Inman Perk.  

Blog Post with photos and links

morganautensmith.com

@morgan_auten_smith

Morgan-Auten-Smith-Art on Facebook

Book: Studio Thinking From the Start

Book: Teach Like A Pirate

Book: Classroom Management for Art, Music, and PE Teachers

Teaching For Artistic Behavior

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Follow: @teachingartistpodcast

@pottsart

Support this podcast. Subscribe, leave a review, or see more ways to support here.

We also offer opportunities for artists!

Hilary L Hahn has worked as a teaching artist for over 15 years. She shares how she began teaching and how she has shifted her career over the years. While continuing to teach at elementary schools, Hilary has been hosting workshops and private lessons, collaborating with stores and companies, and creating a niche for herself in Los Angeles. She is now offering an online course for creatives to share what she has learned about creating and promoting workshops. We dig into time management and just how she does it all while also mothering and making time for her own creative practice. Hilary also talks about her experience with set design, mural painting, watercolor, and how her practice has evolved. She now focuses primarily on fiber arts and natural dyes.

Hilary L Hahn is a California textile artist and educator. She serves a community of creatives, craftsmen, and artists, who wish to deepen their knowledge of various fine crafts emphasizing textiles through writing, workshops, and e-courses.

She creates modern textile designs inspired by natural dye processes, indigo, and interior design.

Blog post with images and links

www.hilarylhahn.com

@hilarylhahn

https://thecreatorspath.com

https://www.facebook.com/The-Creators-Path-Page-100478328161409/

The band I couldn't remember: https://www.vitaminstringquartet.com - check them out! 

Hilary's restaurant recommendation: http://veganglory.com

P.S. Arts

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Follow: @teachingartistpodcast

@pottsart

Support this podcast. Subscribe, leave a review, or see more ways to support here.

We also offer opportunities for artists!

Join teaching artist Rebecca Potts as she talks with artists who teach kids about teaching art, making art, and all things in between. This podcast was born out of a desire to highlight artists who teach at the pre-K-12 level while maintaining their own studio practice. It dives into how making and looking inform teaching and how teaching informs making. We discuss the nitty gritty details of time management, classroom management, and studio management. What does a day or a week look like for a teaching artist? How does a full-time art teacher fit in their own art-making? How did that one student change your art practice? How do you share your life as an artist with students?

Each episode will feature an interview with an artist who teaches kids. Some are certified public school art teachers, others are teaching artists working in schools, some work in museum education, others run their own classes and studios. Some are well known artists with gallery representation, others are just carving out time for art. 

Is there an artist who teaches kids that you’d love to hear more about? Please send them our way! Tag them on our Instagram posts @teachingartistpodcast or email us at [email protected].

Or if you’d like to be interviewed on the podcast, reach out!

Thank you for listening! If you loved this episode, please subscribe, leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts, and follow us. Thank you!

. . .

Follow: @teachingartistpodcast

@pottsart

Support this podcast. Subscribe, leave a review, or see more ways to support here.

We also offer opportunities for artists!