I was able to attend the presentations given by Robert Cox and Jessica Wohl at the UTC art building. I’ve had Robert as a professor twice; once a couple of years ago for color theory, and just last semester for drawing 5. I already had an idea of some of his principles and his teaching style. He encourages his students to make work they feel strongly about, no matter what it might be.
And it’s apparent that he is very passionate about his own work as well. Most of his work is inspired by local nature and call attention to preservation issues. He has been active in helping preserve local wildlife and his concerns show through in his artwork.
I was very interested in both the subject matter and the style of Jessica’s work. Many of her pieces had a very illustrative quality to them that reinforced the narratives depicted. The idea of inside vs. outside was present throughout all of her work, which brought a nice consistency to it.
I was also very interested in the student work that she presented. After having been in the art department for almost four years, I have a very good idea what kinds of assignments are given, and I think she could have some unique and different ideas that could hone some skills in students that may not be touched on with other professors.
I feel that both of these candidates would be a good choice for the position in their own ways. They both seem to have very effective ways of teaching and very developed skills that are unique to them.
