Art is a combination of technique and surprise in the service of a vision which can only be discovered through curiosity, concentration, and confidence.

Students are encouraged to work on several pieces at once, since this allows for more freedom to experiment. Assignments train the eye and hand but with the flexibility to also find the heart. Feedback is specific but open-ended. How can a piece be made stronger? Or taken in new directions? What was the initial vision and what does the work say to the artist now?

Boxes of books form a centerpiece in the studio offering the art of world cultures stitched together in myriad ways. Weekly slide lectures develop each student's independence by providing a verbal vocabulary for visual thinking.

The studio is a safe place to take risks. Group crits create a synergy in which ambition can flourish. Students feel they are part of a provocative conversation -- technical, conceptual and personal.