This year, we have two new instructors joining our visual arts faculty – Ayda Ghaffari and Giulia Morosin. Both bring a strong passion for teaching and allowing all students reach their creative potentials. We spoke to Giulia, who leads both child and teen class class on Tuesday evenings at HCA, about her artistic background, teaching methods, and her tips for fostering a creative spirit in children.
Can you tell us a bit about your artistic background? How did you get into the visual arts field?
I was always drawing and painting as a hobby when I was young. It wasn’t until people began asking me to draw things for them that I realized this may work as my future career. I earned an honours degree in Visual Art from York University and opened my first studio in 2000 where I began teaching art classes for all ages.
What’s your favourite part about teaching visual arts?
I love to see the end result of a painting or drawing when I am teaching the same thing to a group of students. Although I may be showing the same examples to everyone, their creative interpretations are very different and the final pieces have a great uniq
ue quality.
How would you describe your teaching method?
I believe it is my job to encourage creative thought by teaching students about art history and providing the proper art materials for experimentation. It’s important to give students the chance to explore methods of drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and mixed media in order for them to develop their own artistic expression.
We have teen classes focusing on building strong personal portfolios. If someone is looking to getting in art as a career, what advice would you give?
My advice would be to explore all of the avenues that a career in Visual Arts can offer. From Architecture to Graphic Design to Gallery and Museum Restoration, these are all fantastic and interesting careers that an Arts education can lead to.
What’s the best thing parents and guardians can do to foster their children’s creativity?
It’s important to expose children to many different cultural and artistic events. Bring them to a local art gallery or museum, a musical performance and community theatres. These are experiences that they remember and may realize this is something they can be involved in later. Nurture their art hobby with art supplies for Christmas or birthday presents and allow them to show pride in their art work by displaying it in areas of the house.
