Peter Christenson .:. Teaching

Teaching Experience:
• Digital Media, Arizona State University, Instructor & Area Coordinator (2009-present)
• The Live Art Platform, Arizona State University, Facilitator (2010-present)
• PNLH Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic, Psychoeducation Instructor and Group Facilitator, Ann Arbor, MI
• Lecturer & Tech. Instructor, Knowledge Navigation Center, University of Michigan Hatcher Library

Teaching Philosophy: As both a licensed psychotherapist and interdisciplinary artist, I have worked to incorporate a variety of therapeutic and psychological practices and modalities into my artistic practice and teaching pedagogy. To this end, my teaching methodology is rooted in the constructivist theoretical models of psychologists John Dewey and Jean Piaget and firmly grounded in the foundations of classical, core art training practices. The fusion of student-centered learning and teacher-directed instruction in my classroom fosters a fluid learning environment allowing for the convergence of a variety of students and learning styles while simultaneously establishing boundaries and structures for continued assessment and evaluation of student progress towards respective objectives. It is the very synthesis of student-centered and teacher-directed educational modalities that engenders ample opportunities for innovation, experimentation, and student-growth in the classroom.

Introduction to Digital Media (ART 194) is a 4D studio course that concentrates on the fundamentals of digital media including: imagery, sound, video, animation, and the glorious internet. Assignments are given to engage students in both the technical and conceptual aspects of digital media. In this class, students employ a diverse range of techniques as they become familiar with contemporary artistic processes involving the use of a computer and other technological instruments. The majority of the class consist of hands-on, studio experimentation supplemented by slide lectures, videos, and further academic exploration.

Selected Art 194 Class Blogs:
IDM194 (fall 2009)
IDM 194 (spring 2010)
IDM 194 (summer 2010)

The Live Art Platform provides a venue for artists of all disciplines to present their work in front of an informal audience of mostly students, faculty, and adventurous members of the Arizona State University community. We are an experimental laboratory providing artists with a friendly environment in which to try out works-in-progress, completed pieces, or performance experiments. LAP is hosted by the Intermedia program in the School of Art at the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University. We encourage everyone to participate: ASU students, faculty, staff, as well as members of the broader Tempe, Phoenix, and Scottsdale communities. There are no audition requirements or curators and no professors screening the presented works.

LAP Blog:
Live Art Platform: ASU