Our next commissioned blog post is by Khadija Aziz, who addresses the challenges and opportunities of teaching online workshops.
I am a textile artist and educator and I have never taught or learned arts and crafts through an online platform until the global pandemic led to a quarantine. My favourite part about workshops is the natural storytelling that occurs among participants. We learn from our instructors and then from each other about stories and family traditions. In workshops we meet people from all walks of life, and in online workshops we even meet people from different time zones.
I didn’t start attending online workshops until I was invited to facilitate one. During the last five months of the quarantine, I have engaged online audiences in workshops and studio visits for the Textile Museum of Canada, Art Gallery of Mississauga, Arts Etobicoke, and OCAD Student Union. There are the obvious pros and cons of teaching online, such as the short commute from your bed to the desk or and the lack of social interaction, but there are some challenges I wasn’t ready for. In this article I am sharing some tips that might help you engage your audience in meaningful ways through online workshops.
Inform your participants in advance about what to expect. Will you be showing demos and answering questions or will you give 5 minutes after each demo for participants to catch up onto the art technique? Consider emailing a one-page workshop description, order of activities, names of techniques, and key terms you will be discussing. This will help you stay on track and the participants can follow along. If someone tunes in late, for example, you can say that you’re currently on item #2 and you’re demonstrating the XYZ technique. This is also helpful for people who are new to the topic you’re teaching so that they can do furthermore research later if they want to learn more.
Plan to show lots of samples and do mini demos for all the techniques you are teaching. When I taught paper weaving, for example, I explained the basic steps and then showed samples that demonstrated how the same technique could be modified to create more complex woven artwork. As an artist, preparing samples prior to my workshops have given me the opportunity to expand my understanding of the techniques and materials that I was able to bring into my own practice.
There will be awkward silence, especially because participants are encouraged to mute themselves to reduce unintended interruptions. There is little opportunity for small talk and most times, participants turn off their cameras so you might feel like you are talking to yourself but your participants are listening to you and learning. When you are done showing demos and it’s time for participants to work on their art, the natural silence often invites some folks to share anecdotes about themselves or their art.
Materials will probably be a barrier. Showing up at workshops meant that everybody was provided with materials that instructors thought was sufficient to learn a new skill. But now we can’t always know in advance the materials and tools our participants are learning with. When suggesting materials, keep the list lean and offer an alternative option for each item on the list even if you think that it is a household item. For example, stitching with all-purpose thread on paper or felt could be an alternative for folks who don’t have access to an embroidery hoop or floss. Felt can be found in dollar stores along with needle and thread, which can also be found in some convenience stores in sewing repair kits. Another alternative is to use drawing tools on paper and exercise mark-making techniques that imitate embroidery stitches. If planned ahead of time and with a sufficient budget, you can also mail out workshop kits to participants, which I think adds excitement in the process.
Have good lighting and cameras set-up. I use a table lamp and a selfie ring light, but you can also take advantage of natural daylight. I use my laptop camera when I speak or have conversations with my participants; I have been told that seeing my face makes it a more personal experience. I use my cellphone camera when I show demos so that participants can watch closely the techniques I am showing. I like using my portable cell phone tripod to get a good angle at my workstation but I’ve seen people work well with their phones propped up on books.
Photo Caption: My camera and lighting set-up along with the materials conveniently on hand for my first virtual teaching experience on the Textile Museum of Canada’s Instagram account (@textilemuseumofcanada). April 2020.
Limited access to the internet doesn’t mean you can’t deliver quality workshops online. If you have limited access to the internet or your connection is unreliable, pre-record your workshop and e-mail a link of the video to your participants. Emailing a link means your participants won’t have to download a huge video file onto their computers, but sending them a link of video means that they will need internet access for the duration of the video. If you want to make your online workshop videos available for a limited time only, you can use the password features on online platforms like Vimeo. End each video with a call-to-action, like a “homework” assignment. Once a week or whenever works for you, have a live session with your participants solely for the purpose of answering questions or responding to the call-to-action.
What is something that surprised you when you taught or learned arts and crafts online? Hopefully we’ll be able to open our studios, galleries and museums to our audiences soon. In the meantime, we can learn from each other about best practices in continuing to engage our communities through virtual means.
Artist Bio:
Khadija Aziz is a textile artist and educator who makes glitch art using textile-making techniques and collaboration with digital technologies. She graduated from OCAD University’s Material Art & Design program in 2020 with a BFA, and she will be attending Concordia University to pursue a Master’s degree in the Studio Arts, Fibre and Material Practices program this fall. In recognition of her creative practice, Khadija received the Creative Promise Award from the Surface Design Association in 2020 and the Craft Ontario Volunteer Committee Scholarship for Undergraduates in 2019. Khadija has designed and facilitated unique craft workshops for the Textile Museum of Canada, Harbourfront Centre, and the Art Gallery of Mississauga. She has been an artist-in-residence at Younger Than Beyonce Gallery and Harbourfront Centre. Khadija’s artwork was most recently exhibited in Toronto and Mississauga in Canada and Fitzroy in Australia.