Willem de Kooning graduation exposition review after lockdown This weekend was the last day of the first onsite art & design graduation exposition of the Willem De Kooning Academy (WdKA) in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It was the first time since the lockdown that the academy could provide an onsite exposition in the building. The […]
Continue ReadingArt Student Looking Back In 2025: Morning, Afternoon, Evening
I wrote a short story about educational changes and how a student could reflect upon these changes in the near future. I hope elements of the story can help us find a way to improve our education. We came together in the morning between 09:00 and 09:30. Sometimes we met at the academy, sometimes at […]
Continue ReadingHow to: Graduate Artschool
A few days ago I provided a meeting for our graduate students. It was based upon the idea that graduation can be a special kind of obstacle for students. The challenge of graduation is often not graduation itself, but the story we tell ourselves about what graduation means. I had designed a meeting that involved […]
Continue ReadingHow to: Get Creative
Just finished the War of Art by Stephen Pressfield. I liked his concept of Resistance. Resistance for him is a destructive force that disables you from being creative. In his words: ‘with ever tree of creativity that grows; comes a shadow. Being creative for him is about finding ways to overcome that Resistance. In his […]
Continue ReadingHow to: overcome yourself
Words I often hear from students during reflection-moment are distractions, procrastination, anxieties, and imposter syndrome. Studying on itself probably would not be half as difficult if it was not for ourselves. There is a title of a book that I often think about: ‘You Are What You Do’. Sometimes we perceive studying as a ritual […]
Continue ReadingHow to: convince others in a meeting
I joined a meeting with people who did not know each other and we had a shared task to bring out a singular verdict. I observed and noted what was said by participants in order to reflect upon how we try to convince others. refer to prior experience others didn’t have: I have been using […]
Continue ReadingFinal Feedback
This week I had an individual feedback moment in MSTeams with students. It was the final feedback moment before their deadline. Our tutor team has planned different feedback meetings trough out the project. Our goal is to organize different learning activities related to the project and include a few specific small group feedback moments. In […]
Continue ReadingHow do I know if Students Learn Online?
“How do I Know if my Students Are Learning (Online)?’ The question was asked by a colleague in the context of online learning due to the corona measurements. I think it’s an important question because we spend so much time on education; it’s important to reflect on what is effective. I also believe it’s a […]
Continue ReadingInclusive Classroom
Last year I encountered challenges in creating a safe environment for students. When people feel unsafe in a conversation there are two paths: silence or violence. Silence can be used as a means to avoid potential situations by withdrawing (by any means) from the conversation. Violence is when verbal strategies are used in an attempt […]
Continue ReadingCALL III
Call III is the third work in a series. Call was executed on July 23, 2016, and Call Again was executed on July 21, 2017.
Continue ReadingOutreach program
In September 2018 I had the privileged to visit School of the Art Institude of Chicago (SAIC), and to explore how they have developed outreach-programs for the community of Chicago. I have tried to summarize some of the valuable things I’ve learned in this post. Many thanks for Paul Coffey and SAIC for their support.
Continue ReadingHow is the assessor taught to assess?
This week I have started my first meeting of the Senior-Qualification-Examination (SKE) course at our institute. The ‘SKE’ is a Dutch certification in assessments for higher professional education. This post is a reflection on why this course is important to me.
Continue ReadingWhat are the Questions that Drive Us
Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Joe Sacco at our institute. He was invited to talk about his career as political cartoonist for students of the department of Illustration.
Continue ReadingKAOS masterclass
“the goal of education is not to let students ‘fit’ in the future, but to offer them a structure by which they can shape that future”. KAOS pilots Last week I attended a 3 day masterclass hosted by the KAOSpilots. The goal of the masterclass is to design a ‘course on pedagogy’ for experienced teachers […]
Continue ReadingAuthentic Relationships
Yesterday I had the pleasure of giving an introduction for teachers of the Willem de Kooning Academy during the opening of the ‘Drive & Development Week’. The event was organized by the Education Station. Our goal was to stimulate the exchange of ideas between teachers beyond the boundaries of disciplines or departments. The topic of […]
Continue ReadingQuestion on Design Education
At the moment I am busy preparing for a trip to the U.S.A to visit 2 art&design academies. We are looking forward to learn from them as well as share our own ideas and experiences. There are several topics that we hope to talk about. I am looking forward to share an overview of the […]
Continue ReadingGap between Academy and Work
Last month I had the pleasure of contributing to an interview for Dude, Dutch Designers Magazine #1 2018, which is out now. The article was about the transition from art academy into the professional design practice. It argues that a smooth transition is rarely the case for many students. There are questions if design design […]
Continue ReadingNo More Homework
Last Friday I made a visit to Gorssel where our 2nd year WdKA illustration students were spending some days to draw and paint outside, visit musea like Kroller Moller Park. Our goal of the fieldtrip is to strengthen the bond between students and stimulate informal learning. We chose for an isolated location to be away […]
Continue Reading2018 Personal Change
“Sad Satan 2018” The sculpture above was a gift made by Han Hoogerbrugge. He gave it to me for my new job at the WdKA. The title is “Sad Satan’ and it has two holes in his head; where his horns used to be. Since January 2018 my position at the WdKA has changed from […]
Continue ReadingZine-Camp invitation
Rejoice! My Hands are Dirty! I am excited to announce that this Sunday the 11th of November I will present my own freshly printed zines during Zine-camp at Worm in Rotterdam. I am looking forward to show what more than ’10 years of academic studies’ can amount to. The event is exclusive, because my zines […]
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