New Dean at Àni Art Academies Dominicana

Àni Art Academies Dominicana Aerial View

Announcing a pretty big change in my life, my partner and I have moved to the Dominican Republic for a long stay where I will be teaching at the Àni Art Academy Dominicana. I visited last June, but this time its for good, or rather, as long as the organization needs me. The travel was certainly arduous, we hit traffic on our way to the airport which almost made us late for the flight, but we got there in time. (Hot tip for anyone travelling internationally with a cat: you have to check in at the desk for unattended minors). Sophie (my partner not the cat, the cat is named Sylvie) was a constant source of comfort, which is good because I am a pretty miserable traveler. She didn't visit the school when I did back in June, so this is all new to her. Its a lot of adjusting here to the heat and the bugs and a new bed etc., but the people are wonderful. The staff welcomed us on the night we arrived with dinner and showed us into our new home on the beautifully manicured campus.

I feel an incredible debt to the Àni Art Academies. If you aren't aware, you can check them out here. I studied there at the Bear Creek campus under Anthony Waichulis, to whom I have an undying respect and a genuine affection. The educational program that he has built is just astounding, and I would whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone serious about mastering their material handling and mark-making. So I am really honored to be helping a new generation of young artists to receive the kind of education that so elevated my own work. Àni also understands that its teachers are artists first, and asks that each instructor to invest a lot of their time on campus into their own work, not only as an inspiration to the students, but also as a consummation of their own educational journey. I really cannot say enough good things about the organization or the people in it. Did I mention that every student accepted at any of the campuses worldwide gets a full scholarship which includes free tuition and also all of their art supplies? Yeah, its pretty incredible.

I wondered at first about what the attitude or work habits of the students might be here. This is a different country, with different ideals and customs and educational systems. I came to Àni after college, and the Waichulis school where I attended had some fairly accomplished painters working there to get to the next level, rather than starting from scratch. I was really pleasantly surprised when I visited to find my questions answered in only positive ways. This is a serene sanctuary for enthusiastic creatives to ply themselves diligently at the hard work of deliberate practice, and the students are engaged, hard-working and full of potential. When the students give you their trust and their effort, I just really enjoy teaching. I have always liked 'talking shop' with other artists, and the level of engagement you can get from a new student struggling through their early marks is always refreshing. Here we deal with the practical work of making intentional marks, so all of the vague ephemeral art-speak I experienced in university is thankfully absent. Instead we focus on real practical deployable technique, and rather than just talk about it, we execute it.

Its early days here in the DR, but I think I will find myself enjoying the time immensely. After all, the only thing I really want to do is paint, and I get to spend my day doing nothing but making and teaching and talking about art. Life is actually very much the same as it has always been in that regard. I will try to add in some updates once I have travelled further down the rabbit hole, but for now, things are looking good.

Keep Painting

-MPC