The Balancing Act of Teaching & Creating Art

Hello everyone,

 During the Fall Semester I had enrolled in a graduate class unlike any other I had previously enrolled in. This class was called “Individual Problems in Art.” This class addressed an issue that plagues art teachers of all ages and experiences, which is, “How do I find time to create my own art while teaching?”

Since my graduation from undergrad 3 years ago, I have been very busy planning new curriculum, testing out lessons, grading, and simply being a teacher. I have had little time between teaching and other responsibilities to make time for my own art. It is something that I have been struggling with as an artist. Upon enrolling in this class, I found comfort in the 15 other art teachers who were experiencing the same issue. Throughout the course, we discussed our own personal issues that affect our ability to make art and engaged in a series of studio projects to get us back into creating art. We also read a book entitled Art and Fear. It was an excellent read that discussed issues surrounding becoming and remaining an artist. I recommend it for any art teacher or artist. We spent the semester engaged in a variety of art making. It was so refreshing. At the end of our semester we also participated in an art show entitled, Art Between Obligations.

One of the studio projects I completed was a modular origami project. I had never done modular origami, so this was a great opportunity for me to learn something new. Modular origami is different from traditional origami. In traditional origami, one square piece of paper is folded to create a specific shape. In modular origami, many rectangular pieces of paper are folded into interlocking shapes that can be assembled in hundreds of different ways. Although the folding process was very repetitive, once I had my pieces, I enjoyed exploring assembling them.

The final outcomes were 2 asymmetrical sculptures made up of over 500 pieces of yellow, orange, and turquoise cardstock.  I was very pleased with the outcomes. The texture is outstanding and the modular origami pieces interlock together and do not require any glue to hold their shape. In terms of being an artist, I feel this is a technique I will be able to easily integrate into my everyday life because the artwork can be done slowly, in small chunks, and assembled into an infinite number of shapes. I took the sculptures into school and they were met with great enthusiasm. Students were really interested in learning how to make this type of origami. I feel it would be a difficult project to get students to do individually, as it would take a very long time to fold all the pieces before a shape can be made, however it could be an excellent group project.

I have included photos with instructions on how to fold and assemble modular origami pieces. Good luck on your folding adventures!