This is a book I made after shortly arriving at UNI. It
called, “Jumping the Fence… or Building a Bridge.”
fig. 1
The book can be viewed on both sides; the first side (fig 1.) shows
my cover being a series of crossing sewn lines on painted paper. This is my symbol of a fence. The fence image,
which I explored over a year, depicts my struggle jumping from elementary art
teacher for years to becoming an art education professor (fig. 2).
fig. 2
This jump caused me to leap over things I
felt should have slowly built – for example self-confidence and an
understanding of how academia works.
fig. 3
After several years of what felt like floundering, I began to backtrack and
work to build a bridge of knowledge (fig. 4), support, and experiences that helped me
become a more confident and successful teacher to preservice art teachers.
fig. 4
The other side of the book illustrates my
bridge-building experience (fig. 4) (fig. 5) with the sewn arches on the cover. I journaled along the way and collected some
of my most profound thoughts and put them on each page. The book can be arranged to depict me journey
as a teacher and the hurdles I faced as I transitioned from one role to
another. The book is designed to show this transition by the way the cover
leads from one side or image to the other (fig. 6).
Arts-Based Research is way of capturing an experience,
collecting ideas, information, and emotions, that may otherwise not be able to
be expressed through writing or speaking.
My book helped me slowly unfold and work through the new role I had
taken on and reflect on some profound events in my life. Please come to class
with a work of art you would like to share with me to help me get to know you
better. Thank you and I look forward to our time together in May!
fig. 6
