TEACHING
I approach teaching from the understanding that it is a political project, the ideology of which is revealed through relationships and actions. In other words, how we enter into a structured learning environment, the quality of our engagements with each other, and the actions—be they small or large—that propel our time together can underscore power and the status quo or become experiments in reimagining our social world.
My pedagogy privileges this latter aim. To support this, I prioritize empathy, compassion, active and ongoing listening, and transparency. I believe that the relationships developed and cultivated in learning spaces are in service to generating care, support, and navigating our changing world.
CLASSES OFFERED
Art, Money, Labor: The Crisis of Capitalism
Collaborative Company
Contemporary Art and Performance
Home/Art: Belonging, Diaspora, and Globalization
Performance, Politics, and Practice
Performing Space/Writing the City
Performing the Museum
Resistance and Revolution: Post-Colonial Art in Latin America
Waterscapes: Art, Ecology, and Politics
Participants and collaborators gathered for River Reading, a nightly community reading group organized by Shanks and her collaborators as part of A Glossary of These Waters, a community focused week of programs and events hosted in the Watershed, a space for reflection and rest focused on the Kennebec River and watershed. June 14-21, 2022. Photo by Caitlin Penna.