Chip Neville, MFA - On Education
Chip Neville - Educator
My first job teaching was in 1991 at USF working for the Community music division teaching guitar and electronic music. I worked there for four years and discovered I was able to work with a variety of age groups. It was a great part time job and although I loved teaching guitar, other business interests took precedent. I started on the current leg of my teaching career in 1997 while working as Art Director of International Learning Systems. I felt like I needed to do something different and earn a little extra money. I thought it would be a good idea to give back a little and teach a class or two at a local college. Inevitably while seeking faculty positions in both ACIS and SACS schools, the question of acredibility arose. That led to my theory laden visual art MFA. Almost twenty years later I have a rich background teaching illustration, graphic design, digital audio, video effects, and animation. What began as a way to earn some extra cash and make myself more useful became a fulltime career.
My best qualities as a teacher are my ability to re-present material to students that are having a hard time assimilating information, in a way they can better understand. I also seem to have a knack for teaching digital media. I believe this is because when I was trained it was on traditional medium. When I was in my career I was using digital medium. The combination of experiences gives me the ability to draw analogies helpful to the experience and background of the student. I think my patience and empathy with students also allows the student to relax enough to look at the information unencumbered by fear of the instructor. I try to maintain a comfortably professional familiarity with my students. The more at ease they are around me the more likely they will be to ask questions and solicit me for additional information and explanations.
L-R Knot tying with the BSA and a St. Petersburg College MIRA classroom (Music Industry and Recording Arts)
Chip Neville - Teaching philosophy
During my classes I believe strongly in empowering my students to succeed. This includes not just providing space, concepts, content, tools, and techniques, but also demonstrating enthusiasm for the topic and its practice. This positive energy in the classroom provides for better assimilation of the topic and promotes a healthy creative space for production.
My initial teaching philosophy is that students must learn through a combination of theory and practice. I believe this is particularly important at the undergraduate level in media arts. The initial information is presented in lectures, and group discussion. Whenever appropriate, insights are offered by examples such as relating personal, professional, or perhaps more well-known popular culture references. Projects and activities are used for application and reinforcement of key concepts.
Teaching primary and secondary education requires a creative approach.
Once the course's informative materials have been related and projects are underway, my focus switches to the creative process itself. I promote careful preparation, research, and documentation. The use of those intellectual and philosophical materials give depth to the design, refinement, completion, and ultimately exhibition/distribution of the student’s work. As a result, students produce high quality content that is intelligent, informed, and critically engaged.
My goal is to guide students of all ages through information and experience, to be skilled and deeply insightful about their work and its role. This is grounded with an foundational understanding of the greater historic, economic, social, and political context, in which their work exists.
My desk at the Art Institute and hosting the view of Phenokistiscopes at Tampa Museum of Art's Big Draw.
