By Laura Decker
I decided to apply to the Master of Arts in Teaching - Fine Arts (MAT-FA) program because I was interested in deepening my development as a fine arts educator. The program's hybrid online/in-person structure was a perfect fit because I worked on a public school schedule. I also knew that taking classes as a cohort is a lot about developing relationships. It was important for me to get to know my classmates during the summer intensive before starting the program's online component.
Through the MAT-FA, I learned how to implement community building strategies and design participant-centered, art-making educational experiences.
Through the MAT-FA, I learned how to implement community building strategies and design participant-centered, art-making educational experiences. Before I was a student in the program, I saw art education as black and white--either teaching art skills or using art to integrate other subjects. The MAT-FA transformed my thinking from that rigid lens into more of a prism in which all of these moving parts (art forms, curriculum design, and the participants themselves) work together to make something beautiful.
Now, my visual art lessons are more interactive, collaborative, and, most importantly, student-driven. Just this week, I was teaching an introduction to perspective drawing, which can be pretty formulaic and boring. Still, I hooked my students by drawing from their interests to determine the scene we would do for our initial draw-along. The result was a crazy combination of the Wild West, a giant city, mountains, the beach, and a castle. It was the most fun I've ever had teaching perspective drawing, and every single student loved it. In some ways, I feel like this lesson encapsulates the MAT-FA program--it's lots of fun, makes you think outside the box, and changes the way you think about teaching.
Applications for MAT-FA Summer 2021 are now open!
Calling all Arts Educators! Complete your degree at the University of Utah while continuing to work full-time.
The Master of Arts in Teaching with an emphasis in Fine Arts (MAT-FA) is a two-year, primarily online program, with a short on-campus residency. Our program focuses on the development of rigorous pedagogical expertise required to improve the delivery of high-quality arts experiences. The MAT-FA is for teaching artists seeking a graduate-level degree that emphasizes advanced coursework and pedagogy related to teaching in and across the arts.