Artslant had the pleasure of working with the following Armory Fellows and Mentors in creating this interview and feature.  To learn more about each artist click on their names to see their Spotlight Profile.

AS:  Why did you join the Fellows Training Program?

Michael:  I applied because  a number of my peers from Art Center had been accepted in the past and were raving about it.

Matt:  I knew I liked kids and I knew I had to find a position somewhere in the art field that would be rewarding while still allowing time for me to work on my own practice.

Hataya:  I (began) mentoring in fall of 2005 because I have an interest in art in community service.  Right now, I am a fellow at the Armory and learning the ropes there.

Sean:  I joined the program after being a teacher in both art and woodworking for the past several years and wanted to gain more insight into the theory of teaching children.  I had heard good things about the program.  

Steven:  I joined the program in September 2006 because kids make the best stuff. 

AS: How has the Fellows Program helped your own work?

Elonda: The structure of the Armory’s program has made me a better listener, both in the studio and in life. It has also given me the confidence to lead discussions with the kids about some pretty weighty topics, such as war, consumerism, and the value of art.

Quinton: The Fellows program at the Armory has...made me more confident and prepared to work with adult students (as well as children). I am learning more than I would have imagined about contemporary art. I'm about to complete my MFA, which has of course taught me so much, but the Armory has been like a bonus to my graduate school experience. It's also been exciting to work with the other Fellows and the Mentors who are a diverse group of incredible artists.

Matt:  Something I discovered at Grad school that was further confirmed in my time at the Armory is that work that engages an elite few is not a terribly interesting or effective way to make art.  Students make work about what they know, for the most part, and they go about it in a very direct way.  I want my work to be accessible to everyone.  Every viewer will engage with it on a different level, but I want someone who isn't necessarily an art scholar to be able to relate to my work in some way, whether through the materials I use or the humorous content I try to inject into my work.  Working with kids has really brought this point home.

Michael:  I have to practice what I preach! I spend all day encouraging others to take risks and chances, and to accept failure and make use of 'mistakes'. Therefore, when I'm alone in my studio, I have to keep those ideas in mind, and attack the canvas with the same sense of fearlessness.

Sean: It has made me more comfortable with talking to students about contemporary art as well as ways to help them have a deeper experience with art.

Hataya: It's great to work with other artists and be in constant contact with contemporary practices, while we work to make them accessible to the public.

AS:  Do you have any words of wisdom for teachers?

Anna:  I've heard educators discuss a moment called the "teaching moment." This is the moment when there is an opportunity to go in a direction of conversation that may not be what was originally planned, but what holds a grain of organic necessity. Like maybe a kid (human) will ask a question that is completely off track but interesting and important to them. It is crucial to be able to improvise within a structure and to really let the students guide the learning process. We are taught a lot about questioning strategies and how to ask questions that lead the conversation into figuring out what the students care about in the work.

Kat:  Be flexible.

Sean:  Find ways to help students have fun and learn at the same time.

Matt: ...make sure the instructions aren't prescribed techniques or "rules", and let the kids find their own way, through trial and error and experimentation, working toward their own, unique, totally personal artwork.

Steven:  If you give kids an inch, they'll take a mile.  And, it's a good thing.

Hataya: ...remember that every group is a new moment and is an entirely new experience.