DURING THE CURRENT CONDITIONS THE MCAD 2020 TEACHING ARTIST PRACTICUM STUDENTS HAVE CONTINUED THEIR WORK WITH PARTNERS PROVIDING ONLINE LEARNING ARTS AND ARTS INTEGRATED LESSON PLANS AND DEMOS. MCAD IS PROUD OF THE RESILIENCY AND COMMITMENT OF OUR STUDENTS TO OUR LARGER COMMUNITIES AS THEY HAVE DISPERSED ACROSS THE NATION. THANK YOU PARTNERS FOR INCLUDING US IN YOUR WORK.

MCAD TEACHING ARTIST MINOR

“A teaching artist is a practicing professional artist or designer with skills of an educator, who can effectively engage a wide range of people in learning experiences in and through the arts.”

The Minneapolis College of Art and Design Teaching Artist minor provides MCAD students the opportunity to develop meaningful connections between their studio art and design practice and teaching artist work in educational and community settings. Coursework engages students in reflective teaching practices, research and application of learning theory, best practices in an arts learning environments and participation in arts education organizations where they gain hands-on experience through guided placements. MCAD students who earn a Teaching Artist minor are prepared to work as teaching artists in schools, community arts settings, after school programs, museum education, nonprofit arts organizations and much more.

TEACHING ARTIST PRACTICUM

After the completion of the Teaching Artist Theory and Methods, students are involved in classroom observation, interaction, and visual arts teaching experiences. Collaborating with paired mentors and supervised by the Teaching Artist minor coordinator, students participate in two visual art residencies and shadow a teaching artist in a teaching residency. In addition to on-site observation and teaching, students reflect on teaching experience, create lessons and assessments, budget lessons, and develop presentation packets required for residencies applications. The minor is supported by undergraduate requirements and the minor’s required coursework which include: a Nonwestern Art History, Introduction to Psychology, Art in Community, Teaching Artist Theory and Methods, Teaching Artist Practicum and an Internship or an elective outside of their major.

For course descriptions and requirements see the MCAD website.

Teaching Artist Coordinator

Abbi Allan

Abbi Allan’s life work is about creating hybridizations between art & science.  

Abbi is the Interim Director of MCAD's Teaching Artist Minor, while putting a focus on the development of the Foundations Program's success, a practicing artist with a Biologic focus in content, along with many other diverse areas of interest and work.

She attended the Alfred University: NY School of Ceramic Art and Design; where she majored in Mixed Media, while minored both in Biology and Art History.  She got her Masters of Fine Art in sculpture at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She has taught and designed several courses at the Science Museum of MN since 2001 – teaching science through visual projects. She has been with MCAD Since 2008, and has developed and taught courses  at the College of Visual Arts, STAR Academy, the Phipps and more working with preschoolers to adults in the arts and sciences. 

Abbi has run her own business, starting with selling her ceramic sculptures and other artwork since she was 17, and continues to do so while constantly experimenting with new projects in a variety of media.  Her own work examines the fragility of nature: both its beautiful resilience and power and the potential for grotesque accumulated effects when abused.   https://abbiaallan.com/home.html

She also loves her Dobermans, gardening, making art, rock and roll, radio, and really strange things that happen in our natural world.  She’s a programmer on KFAI with her own Radio Show.  She is also working as a vet assistant just to learn new things and has too many dogs and cats not to want to learn more.  She also volunteers and orders for Extreme Noise Records - focused on the international reach of punk and DYI culture.

Lynda Monick-Isenberg, Professor Emeritus Minneapolis College of Art and Design, 2020

Lynda Monick-Isenberg envisioned, created and began the Teaching Artist Minor for MCAD in 2013. Monick-Isenberg oversaw the minor, guiding over 120 students in the practice and life of the teaching artist, placing and overseeing teaching artist student work in community in 250+ community placements in K-12 schools, adult communities, after school programming, community partnerships, museums and organizations that support learners of all ages with challenges from 2013-2020. She was instrumental in inviting Aki Shibata to participate in and eventually take over her position at the College. She is inspired by Aki Shibata as they continues to build out this legacy for our students and communities.

TEACHING ARTIST PRACTICUM WEBSITE

This website is managed by the MCAD Teaching Artist Coordinator and the majority of its content provided by the current class of Teaching Artist Practicum students.  It contains a class blog with weekly observation journal entries and lesson plans with images of student work.