ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the class “Writing About Art,” which the author developed following 20 years of teaching studio and seminar courses in art at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility as an adjunct instructor in Marymount Manhattan's College program. The idea of an essay-driven approach to art grew out of the period during which the classes worked remotely during the pandemic. The research materials sent to students were drawn from a diverse pool of contemporary artists and a few staples from the Western canon. Students felt freer expressing opinions in an epistolary form, sharing their responses to artworks in correspondences. The classroom became a livelier experience, and trust was achieved during small in-class workshops that promoted encouragement and sharing. Each session began with image-based prompts, including writing oneself into an Edward Hopper painting and discussions about Camille Claudel and the institutionalization of women being labeled “hysterical.” The Final Topic Essays gave voice to new and intuitive visual thinkers who were eager to draw unique conclusions and make powerful associations.
