Pedagogy

We all bring something to the table and the artists and selected artworks we’ll cover rely on you to activate them. Together we’ll investigate and make meaning of artworks from different cultures and styles, but we always need to examine it with the help of your personal experience, opinions and wisdom. When we listen to others and re-examine long held ideas, we gain insight and context which is critical to interpreting art. Along the way, we will note key historical details and precedents to broaden our understanding of these important artists, works and movements. Close looking and dialogue are at the core of each meeting so please feel free to ask questions and express your own ideas!

Feedback & Reviews

“I am very happy to recommend Joe Tokumasu Field as a teacher of Russian Avant-Garde artists during the early twentieth century. I myself have a background as a Russian historian (PhD from Columbia University and Certificate from the Russian--now Harriman--Institute). As such I was generally familiar with the artistic movements during the period covered, but wished for a more in-depth review from someone knowledgeable in that particular field. I was quite pleased with Mr. Tokumasu Field’s in-depth knowledge of all of the artists of that period. His information, both that which was delivered in his lectures and the images and details which occurred in his slides was impressive, well-thought-out and constantly interesting. I was quite pleased to take his course and can enthusiastically recommend him as a teacher.” -James Story

Columbia University in the City of New York Novelist, Fiction Writer, Poet, Blogger, Executive Editor

“I really appreciate the highlighting of minorities and people of color and the social justice roots in street art that I didn't know about.”

“I just want to say I am enjoying this class very much. I decided to take the class as a gift for myself for my birthday later this month and it has been the highlight of my week every week since we have started. Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring are a couple of my favorite artists and your class this week really moved me. I really appreciate the highlighting of minorities and people of color and the social justice roots in street art that I didn't know about. I want to thank you for having a hand in making art exciting for me again. I lost some motivation during the pandemic but recently had a few paintings of mine accepted into a small local museum exhibit for next year. Thank you for what you do and I appreciate this experience.” - 92Y Learner