cindy rehm teaching: Performing Gender

Body/Object Ritual Assignment:

Interact with a gendered object or substance in an unexpected way.

Objectives:

Use gesture to motivate performance art
Exploration of the body in live art
Significance and symbolic content of chosen material or substance in relation to gender issues
Generation of performance from ritual rather than narrative source

Casey was inspired by the work of Vanessa Beecroft, whom we had recently studied in class. Beecroft creates performances peopled by silent, frozen women, who function nearly as living mannequins. Casey stood passively in a pair tights and stiletto heels to question the role gender could play in such a structure. His work also engages issues of homoerotism and the fetish object.

Emily substituted a hammer for a brush and enacted a violent form of painting. She evoked action painting and engaged issues of gender and aggression.

Michelle subverted the proper lady-like connotations of the white glove, as she did sets of push-ups while wearing the gloves. There was a decided tension as she aimed to compensate for the slippery barrier between her hand and the floor. Her breathing and exhaustion became more apparent with each set of push-ups and her exhaustion was palpable as the floor soiled the gloves.

Teaching Philosophy

I am for an art which breathes, which shows the beauty of the hand and heart of the artist. As a teacher, it is my priority to help my students develop their own creative voices and art practices. This requires a foundation of technical proficiency, the refinement of a visual language, and the development of critical abilities. I encourage my students to explore process and content and to openly experiment with materials and methods in the development of a body of work. I aim to instill a sense of personal responsibility in my students in both the creation of art and in the pursuit of learning. I want my students to think, make and grow in relation to the world around them and to realize that an artist’s education is a life-long process.

Art making can be exhilarating, perplexing, exhausting, and potentially transformative. It is a complex and fragile process, which is always in a state of flux. For this reason, it is important that I support my students as I challenge them to take risks and push beyond their comfort zones. As a teacher, I must look, listen and engage my critical instincts in order to respond to the individual student and his or her respective work. Some students require more discipline, while others may need new stimuli or conceptual clarity; I approach each student as an individual with distinct needs.

Teaching is a collaborative process, and I foster a learning environment built upon mutual respect and trust. Students should be comfortable engaging in honest dialogues as they challenge ideas and develop their own aesthetic and critical voices. I hope to provoke spontaneous and meaningful conversations that flow between theory and practice, content and form, and personal and political perspectives. The open sharing of ideas is vital to the development of a healthy classroom community and will provide the young artist with a stable support system where they can mature and thrive.

Like my art practice, my teaching is predicated upon an interdisciplinary approach infused with historical, psychological, theoretical, and aesthetic perspectives. I am always growing and changing in response to my own creative research and my experiences as a teacher. I openly share my struggles and successes with my students as a testament to our mutual condition; we are all artists on a precarious journey through the world. I cannot define a path for my students, but I am forever beside them offering my support and insight.

cindy rehm teaching

Performing Gender - Body/Object Ritual

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