Creation in Isolation: Adam Zucker

Art Education in Isolation

By Melissa Schack

Adam Zucker is an arts writer, educator, and artist from Forest Hills, Queens, New York City who keeps a blog called Artfully Learning. The blog focuses on using art in K-12 curricula and recently includes Zucker’s lesson plans for remote learning. 

In times when classrooms are closed, Artfully Learning provides access to the arts for the growth and development of school-aged kids. You can find Adam Zucker on Twitter @azuckerforart and Facebook.
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How does contemporary art benefit social, emotional, and cognitive development?

Bringing contemporary art into educational environments is advantageous to learners who are interested in expressing themselves and communicating issues of their time. The arts teach us skills called “studio habits of mind,” which help us to think and act critically, creatively, and compassionately. Artistic learning is a vital aspect of an individual’s understanding of the world and their place within the human experience. In the arts, there are no definitively right or wrong ways to approach a problem. Art teachers set up circumstances that allow students to formulate aesthetic, social, and emotional understandings about how to shape their own ideas and combine logic with humaneness. Art educator, Elliot Eisner, stated that the process of thinking artfully addresses moments in life that cannot be approached using formulas and rules. Exploring, discovering, and making insights about art made in our own era helps us apply artistic thinking to everyday life.

What inspired you to start Artfully Learning?

I entered the field of art education (K-12) coming from a background that was largely in the fine arts world, so I had far less experience and training than many of my fellow educators. I was a bit apprehensive and timid initially. I felt out of place. However, my professors (at the Master's in Art Education program at Brooklyn College) and classmates encouraged me to combine my prior knowledge of Art History and my professional experience as an independent curator and arts writer with the experiential education I was receiving in art pedagogy. Artfully Learning was initially about finding my comfort zone in approaching topics related to teaching and learning, but it has evolved into a resource that has helped a variety of individuals integrate contemporary art practices into educational frameworks and vice versa. I realized I could reflect on my expertise in contemporary art and art criticism, in order to provide a perspective that is unique and accessible to educators and fine art professionals alike. As an arts writer, curator and educator, my blog enables me to contextualize my prior art related experiences and knowledge into a pedagogical and critical framework that seeks to broaden the discourse about the benefits of art-centered learning.

 How has COVID-19 affected your career and your personal life?

When art institutions and schools closed down, I found myself with no stable source of income. I also suffer from Pure-O OCD, so this pandemic has been mentally challenging. After taking everything in I thought what can I do? How can I use my experience and knowledge to give back to the community? I launched a page on Artfully Learning focusing on social distance learning where I have been sharing my own lesson plans that can be realized at home, as well as other resources from the field in response to the sudden transition to remote learning and homeschooling. The page will continue to be updated for as long as educators and students are away from their physical classrooms.

Why is it important for people to support the arts, even during times of uncertainty?

Art lifts up our spirits, liberates our minds, and gives us a vibrant voice to communicate with the culture at large. It is a discipline that affords us agency to express ourselves humanely and teaches us to consider multiple perspectives, make judgments in the absence of rules, and exhibit empathy. These are essential lessons that we must understand if we want to take on uncertainty and fear and work towards fostering a more reflective, equitable, and justice driven society.

What are your book recommendations for those who are looking for material to read during mass quarantine?

The recently released You Are An Artist by Sarah Urist Green is an inspiring read that will surely prompt lots of creativity. It couldn't have come out at a better time. Sarah is the brilliant creative force behind PBS's The Art Assignment, which I highly recommend watching. 

Another book I recommend is Education for Socially Engaged Art by Pablo Helguera. As an artist and educator, Helguera breaks down the complex conceptual framework of socially engaged art into a useful tome for applying and relating art and pedagogy in a manner that resonates within diverse communities. I've been reflecting upon it in light of the horrific trauma that communities and individuals are experiencing due to the pandemic and the police state. 

And lastly, Educated by Tara Westover is an inspiring memoir about transcending a sheltered and extremist upbringing via a thirst for lifelong learning. It is actually an even more relevant read at a time when we're all yearning to expand our horizons beyond the confines of our homes and realize a better world.

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