When the following students decided to lead Winter Term workshops for the first time, the decision was sometimes less than self-assured, tempered by apprehension about the daunting task of instructing one’s peers. Halfway through the experience, when asked what advice they would offer those contemplating teaching workshops of their own, four of six incorporated the phrase, “Just go for it.” (The other two paraphrased.) Here, each new student teacher discusses turning a personal passion into yet another reason to love J-term.
Emily Wei ’13
It was just last Winter Term that Emily Wei ’13 discovered the art of the Ukrainian Easter egg in a workshop taught by outgoing seniors. This year, she is taking the reins as the workshop’s newest leader. From her laid-back attitude to her casual yet knowledgeable description of the dyeing process, it is apparent that her workshop is one where even the newest of beginners can feel at ease.
“It’s pretty relaxed,” she said when asked to describe a typical class. “We sit and chat and sometimes paint eggs.” Though she jokes about the class’s structure (or lack thereof), when it comes to the craft, her expertise is evident.
“The premise is that you want to cover the parts of the egg that you want to keep a certain color,” she said.
Artists begin by using a special tool to create designs in wax on the white eggs. Next, each egg is doused in a special, “super colorful, super vibrant” dye, available at certain art supply stores (including one near Wei’s Massachusetts home). Beginning with the lightest color, the pattern of applying wax and dye continues, each layer of wax locking in the previous dye color.
Each week, Wei totes all of the supplies to the Gifford Annex lounge, where each member of the small group works on multiple eggs at a time. Despite minor challenges such as an unexpected hike in supply prices after she had already applied to run the workshop, she is pleased with her decision to teach the workshop – “kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing.”
Reilly Stell ’11
Reilly Steel ’11 approached his final Winter Term with a mission.
“I want to leave behind a legacy of a better social life at Middlebury,” he said. His method: help to foster a generation of truly good DJs.
“I’ve been DJing for a while now,” he said. “I’ve seen at Middlebury that DJ culture has grown, but it’s still not prominent.”
While a Middlebury party is likely to feature a DJ, he said, chances are that he or she is “probably not serious about it.” For a veteran DJ like Steel, simply setting someone’s iPod on shuffle leaves a lot to be desired.
His first classes were lecture-based, as he filled in his students on basic history and techniques. Now, as the term progresses, each class is more of a workshop where students can practice their skills and critique one another’s work. Meanwhile, Steel continues to teach new techniques through demonstrations and videos. Students bring in their own laptops so that they can share and practice working with their own collections. They experiment with a wide variety of music ranging from Top 40 hits to electronic, for which Steel has a personal affinity.
In the teaching process, he has found a learning opportunity himself.
“Once you’ve been DJing for a while, you tend to use the tricks you’re used to,” he said. “In some ways, you’re not as creative as you are in the learning phase.” As a result, the past weeks have been particularly introspective.
While only two of the ten students have previous DJ experience, Steel is optimistic about their potential.
“Hopefully by the end they’ll be ready to throw down,” he said.
Elma Burnham ’13
As the digital camera continues to gain momentum, Elma Burnham ’13 is working to keep film alive. As a member of the Darkroom Club and MCAB’s Marketing Committee, Burnham has made photography an integral part of her Middlebury experience. This winter term, she and darkroom manager Ryan Urquidi ’13 are teaching the annual black and white photography workshops at the beginner and advanced levels, respectively.
While signing up for the advanced-level workshop indicates a degree of experience with photography, some of Burnham’s students have never set foot in a darkroom. For novices and those who have not practiced since high school, she used the first two classes to review the various methods of mixing and handling darkroom chemicals — “basically how to function in a darkroom on their own,” she said, “which is fun to do.”
By the end, they will have learned a variety of new techniques to be demonstrated to the class for critiquing. Each student is asked to provide a camera and paper; the workshop fee covers the cost of chemicals and a darkroom membership for Winter Term and the upcoming spring semester.
Though Burnham’s expertise will provide necessary technical knowledge, she considers the creative component to be a more personal process.
“I’m focusing more on the process and logistics rather than the artistic part,” she said. “That’s harder to teach, and it’s much more up to them.”
In addition to the satisfaction of pursuing a passion, Burnham is glad to have an opportunity to share the benefits of the darkroom, which, these days, goes reliably underused.
“Every year, there are a steady three people who use it consistently,” she said. With the help of this workshop and the darkroom photography show this spring, she hopes to bring attention to a place on campus with a great deal of untapped potential.
Juliet Ryan-Davis ’13 & Hannah Meier ’11
What inspired Juliet Ryan-Davis ’13 to run a Winter Term workshop?
“I wanted to bake all of J-term,” she said. “Then I thought about it and realized I could do it with a group of people, and Middlebury would subsidize it.”
Joined by cross-country teammate Hannah Meier ’11, Ryan-Davis began planning a month of sweet and savory works of art. After experimenting with recipes during winter break, they settled on a short, decadent yet doable list. Projects include chocolate lava cakes, raspberry mousse and bacon-cheddar-red-onion-green-pepper scones — oh, and a couple of muffin recipes as well. By taking care of the logistical details (finding space, purchasing ingredients, etc.), they hope to provide a relaxed, enjoyable learning atmosphere. Bakers listen to music and watch movies as a group while their creations are in the oven.
While the leaders are pleased with students’ enthusiasm, baking with 16 students has proven challenging.
“Cooking with such a large group is hard,” Meier said. “It’s been kind of chaotic, and it takes some skill to teach.”
“It’s funny to feel like, ‘Oh, you’re listening to me?’”
“We work well together,” Ryan-Davis said. Meier was quick to agree.
“We’re both kind of like –”
“Feel-your-way –”
“Earthy types.”
The complementary pair agrees that the experience has been undoubtedly worthwhile. Ryan-Davis has been inspired to expand her repertoire, moving away from easier undertakings like cookies into the more challenging realms of muffins and cakes.
“This is one of the best things I’m doing this J-term,” Ryan-Davis said. “I would take this workshop.”
To those considering teaching, Meier offers some simple advice: “Think of your favorite thing to do, then fill out an application and teach others.”
Danny Loehr ’13
Loehr, who has worked with ceramics since his freshman year of high school, is an active member of Middlebury’s ceramics club. This year is his first teaching the club’s winter workshop, an effort to spread the word about the opportunities offered by the ceramics house (located, for those who did not know, at 75 Adirondack View Road).
During each class, Loehr, his cousin Sam Koplinka-Loehr ’13 and Peter Murray ’13 demonstrate the creation of a ceramic work, then assist their eight students in creating their own. Their various approaches to throwing and teaching make for a dynamic experience.
“It’s funny because each of us has our own different set of skills and systems,” he said. “A lot of times we’re building off of each other.”
Though he feels especially pressured to provide a high-quality learning experience due to the workshop’s unintentionally high cost, the relaxed atmosphere — “everyone’s just throwing, working, asking questions” — indicates that no one is particularly fazed. The welcoming nature of the workshop seems representative of the ceramics club as a whole, as members are available to offer expertise during daily studio hours.
“There’s always someone there to help,” Loehr said.
When asked what he has learned or gained from the experience, his focus remained on the greater good.
“In terms of the ceramics club, it’s gotten into a better shape,” he said. “It’s been good for the house and the club.”
Winter term workshops: student experts share their skills with the rest of us
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