Emily C Orzech Associate Professor |
Education
Teaching Interests
I approach teaching art as a process of experimentation. Students begin my classes by learning a set of skills from the ground up. They are then encouraged to experiment to obtain unexpected results. In printmaking, students explore color by playing with different combinations of old printing blocks, resulting in unexpected combinations of color and pattern. In an introductory drawing course, students learn to capture the movement of a figure through a series of quick sketches, which are transformed into a short animation.
One of the most rewarding aspects of teaching in the liberal arts is the creative energy that comes from classes that combine students from all different majors and backgrounds. In a course on book arts and history, students had the opportunity to research a rare book in our collection and then create a visual response. Students created projects on women’s clothing, slavery, British Imperialism and American literature.
As a graduate of a liberal arts program myself, I believe that the most meaningful art comes out of a strong intellectual foundation in multiple disciplines. In my teaching I encourage students to bring their interests into the classroom, and I create opportunities for collaboration and experimentation.
Research, Scholarship or Creative/Artistic Interests
Selected Shows
Solo show, Crane Arts and Crane Old School Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, 2017.
The Winter Show, invited show (4 works), GreenHill Center for NC Art, Greensboro, NC, 2017.
Urban Village: Solo Show & Visiting Artist, invited show, for the inauguration of the Printmaking and Drawing Concentration, Gatewood Gallery, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, 2015.
Expectation of Privacy Exchange Portfolio Show, Justin Diggle juror, SGC International Conference, Knoxville, TN, 2015 & Renke Art Center, IMPACT conference, Hangzhou, China, 2015.
Sphere of Existence Portfolio Show, James Boyd Brent and Josh Bindewald jurors, SGC International Conference, Knoxville, TN & acquisition for the collection, James Ford Bell Library, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 2015.
Ink! Amze Emmons, R.L. Tillman, and Jason Urban jurors, Slipe Gallery, Hartford, CT, 2015.
Artist’s book in the Floating Library, juried show, Cedar Lake, Minneapolis and Lake Winona, Winona, MN, 2014.
Featured artist, invited show (10 works), the View on Elm, Greensboro, NC, 2013.
Selected Residencies & Grants
Residency, Spark Box Studio, Ontario, Canada, 2017.
Visiting artist at the Glasgow Printmakers, Glasgow, Scotland, 2015.
Tamarind Institute Plate Lithography Workshop, Albuquerque, NM, 2013.
Fulbright Fellow, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China, 2011.