"I want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares." 
- Saul Bass

"And isn't that the whole point of things- that they connect you to some larger beauty?  Those first images that crack your heart wide open and you spend the rest of your life chasing, or trying to capture, in one way or another?" 
- excerpt from The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Hello!  I am an Art teacher at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, CA.  I was born and raised in the South Bay and graduated from MCHS in 2006.  I received my Bachelor's degree in Art History from CSULB and my teaching credential from CSUDH in 2015.  I am thrilled to be teaching in my hometown and am incredibly grateful to be at such a wonderful high school.  I currently teach AP Art History, Art 1, and Painting.  In addition to teaching, I am a painter!  I LOVE to create art and occasionally display and sell my work.  If you'd like to check my pieces, please visit www.amberfloradixon.com

Philosophy of Art Education 
by Amber Dixon

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

Those words came from the great Albert Einstein. Do you agree with him, that imagination is far more powerful? Einstein’s sentiment is now needed in education more than ever. Children are losing imagination and creativity skills at an alarming rate, due to what most current education systems are choosing to emphasize and value. Our world is in need of a generation of young, inspired minds that not only think critically, but also think outside the box, and are daring and inspired enough to invent new ideas to improve the world. Our children aren’t sponges going to school to soak up rote information and facts. They need to be taught to think creatively, to explore, discover, question, and produce their own ideas and formulations to give back to society. The solution is simple: OUR CHILDREN NEED ART.

Students in the visual arts program at Mira Costa will learn to observe the world with a critical, observant eye, not just accept what they see.  They will become inspired creators, and learn that their own thoughts, feelings, and abilities are valued.  Our students will learn to appreciate expression, differences, and champion originality, not just in the art room but an attitude applicable to every aspect of life.  The Art and Ceramics curriculum is a collaborative effort amongst the visual arts teachers at our school that provides students with a solid diverse background: a variety of techniques, medias, subjects, and learning styles to explore. The curriculum is inspired by and in conjunction with the New Visual Arts Standards and emphasizes the Elements of Art and Principles of Design.

Students at Mira Costa will learn through a variety of teaching methods, but primarily through Discipline Based Art Education. This method includes four disciplines: art production, art history, art criticism, and aesthetics. The goals of DBAE are to develop students’ abilities to understand and appreciate art.  Our classes are hands-on, include collaboration, underscore persistence, and get students speaking, reading, and writing.  Our students will be given the tools to learn-by-doing and gain self-esteem by developing a diverse portfolio they can be proud of.  The classroom environment is engaging and inspiring.  Each student is encouraged to develop their own unique opinions and artistic style, and to respect and appreciate those of others.

Einstein is considered by most to be a genius, but it doesn’t take a genius to see all the positive effects the arts bring to our students and our society. Imagination is limitless, art is freedom, and creativity is priceless. The more we involve art in education, the better the future will be.