BETHLEHEM, PA – Northampton Community College (NCC) Art Professor, Anthony Smith, was accepted into the 2023 Faculty Development Seminar in Senegal. Smith will travel to Senegal, Africa this coming January to engage in lectures and events focused on life in Senegal and West African culture. The two-week workshop in Dakar, capital of Senegal, will also include visits to other locations rich in culture, art and history.

The seminar, administered by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) in collaboration with the West African Research Association and its member center in Senegal, chooses recipients from a large pool of applicants from across the United States and internationally. CAORC funding for this program is provided by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The aim of the seminar is for attendees to develop new or improved course materials and bring what they learned into the classroom.

Smith’s specific interest in attending the seminar is to incorporate other methods of creating and teaching art. Smith feels his teaching and creative practice favors a Western “arcadian” approach. He wants to add contemporary and historical West African artistic aesthetics into his coursework and practice. Ultimately, his goal is to create a course on non-western artmaking practices at NCC.

Smith brings years of teaching experience to NCC from institutions such as Lehigh University, Parsons School of Design, Princeton University, and others. “I have had the privilege of observing Anthony interacting with his students in a classroom environment. His pedagogical objectives are to help his students develop their individual creative voices, which allows them to build on their existing creative and technical skills,” says NCC Art Department Director, Tom Shillea.

Smith has exhibited his paintings and drawings locally and regionally. His artistic approach has been recognized with three grants, the 2017 Pennsylvania Council of the Arts Project Steam Grant, a Business Accelerator Grant, and most recently, the seminar in Senegal, Africa.

“My hope is to draw upon the post-colonial pedagogical approaches of the Senegalese artistic and educational community to help craft a curriculum at NCC that better serves our students’ expressive needs and empowers them as creators who stem from a diverse array of communities,” said Smith, looking forward to the trip that will help him do that.

About Northampton Community College

With an enduring commitment to the regional community it serves and a focus on student success, Northampton Community College has developed a reputation as an institution of extraordinary distinction, earning accolades at the state and national levels for innovative programs, outstanding faculty and impressive student achievements. It counts among its successful alumni a four-time Pulitzer Prize winner and an Academy Award winning director as well as a host of CEOs, presidents, and leaders of business and industry. Today, Northampton Community College has locations in Bethlehem, Southside Bethlehem, and Monroe County, serving 30,000 students each year from 53 counties, 42 countries and 25 states. For more information, or to apply, please visit www.northampton.edu. Follow NCC on Twitter and Snapchat @NorthamptonComm and on Instagram @NorthamptonCommCollege. Like NCC on Facebook at Northampton Community College.

 

 

Information provided to TVL by:
Northampton Community College
3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 18020
https://www.northampton.edu/

 

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