“After speaking with several classmates, we all agreed that James is exceptionally deserving of this recognition, and many wanted to contribute to this nomination. Teaching a class that includes lifelong artists alongside students who have never held a paintbrush is no small task, yet James makes it look effortless. He ensures every student feels respected, inspired, supported, and challenged. He blends creativity with confidence-building, and invests significant time helping students refine their skills, explore new techniques, and discover their artistic voice. While challenging, his guidance and accessibility helped us think deeply, take risks, and grow. We left feeling inspired to pursue art, even though we are not Visual Arts majors. James’s dedication has a lasting impact on students’ lives.”
A recipient of a 2026 Teacher Recognition Award, James is a very new faculty member in the Visual Arts Department at Camosun. “In 2018, I completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in visual arts and minor in art history at the University of Victoria. Following that, I went to the University of British Columbia for a Master of Architecture degree, graduating in 2022. Then I decided architecture wasn’t for me and wanted to get back into fine arts. I thought teaching might be a good option for me and luckily, Camosun took a chance on me right out of school. I started off teaching through the South Island Partnership program teaching Art 102, which is painting, collage, and drawing for high school students who want the college credit. I taught at four or five different high schools in Victoria then applied for, and was awarded, a continuing position at Camosun in 2024.” As to what James teaches at Camosun, “I’m the painting instructor, but I also teach visual culture, which is a lecture-based course focused on different aspects of visual culture, which includes comic books, film, advertisements, maps, architecture. It’s a lot to cover, but it’s a fun course. And when the department needs someone to cover other courses, like sculpture or drawing, I fill in there as well.”
I asked James what he enjoys about teaching. “Personally, I like that it is different every day. Each semester, you see new groups of students in courses that are relatively the same – the same learning outcomes and structure. But every day, we’re doing different exercises and assessments and covering different topics, which keeps it engaging and interesting for me as a teacher. I feel passionate about what I teach and lucky to be teaching subjects that I not only studied but that I fill my own spare time doing. But teaching is also a rewarding practice of helping people and watching them learn and evolve as artists, and I love seeing those aha moments. I had those myself in school. Sometimes it took a long time to get to those breakthrough moments, but when they happened, they changed my outlook on a lot of things. So, getting to see other students go through that process is awesome because I can relate to it.”
I wondered where students in James’ courses typically come from. “I would say the majority of students are Gen Z, so in their early 20s. But I also have students who are middle-aged, or students who are retired or close to retirement, especially at the Vancouver Island School of Art, where learners are wanting to pick up new skills or learn a new hobby or returning to art after giving it up in the past. At Camosun, some students take my courses because they are a required part of the program, but they might have been practicing art for their entire life so for the more foundational exercises I explain that we are doing them to make sure that everyone’s on the same playing field for moving forward. So far, I’ve had no complaints from the experienced artists in my studio courses because people understand that everyone makes progress through practicing those skills.” James addresses some of the challenges with having such a diversity of experience in class through providing students with options. “One of the written comments in my Teacher Recognition Award nomination referred to a first term assignment in my painting course where I give students a selection of images for them to choose as a reference. One of the comments was that students appreciated the variety of images I provided, from those that were quite visually challenging to those that were more approachable. Students could select which image they felt comfortable tackling given their background with painting for the first assignment. It was good for me to hear that they appreciated this choice because it wasn’t something I was transparent about, it was just something the students picked up on.”
I was curious if James had seen more experienced students playing a mentoring role for the less experienced ones. “Not as much as I would like although I often hint that they have 24 other artists in the room that they can ask. But we do have group discussions and three major group critiques during the semester which give them the opportunity to share their ideas and suggestions for each other’s artwork. I also encourage constructive feedback, not just compliments, so we can all learn better from others’ experiences. It is more personal for students to hear from each other around how they learned a skill and I encourage them to ask how another student achieved their visual so that they can share their technical process.” In his lecture-based class, “students have opportunities to share their input on the subjects that are being discussed. They work in designated discussion groups where they talk with each other and then present their findings or ideas back to the full class. So, it’s not all coming from me; we can hear from each other. These discussions can even turn into mini debates that I facilitate.”
James attended the 2026 Great Teacher’s retreat where he picked up some ideas for his classes. “I realized that I had a narrow point of view in terms of what Indigenizing a course could be. I thought it specifically meant bringing Indigenous content into the course, which I have been doing. But I learned that it’s also about content delivery and course structure, not just the content itself. That inspired me because I realized that what I’m doing already, bringing in more active learning and not just lecturing all the time, is Indigenization. I also want to add opportunities for students to tell stories. Now, there’s only so much time in a class, so we probably can’t hear the stories of all 25 people in one class, but we could have discussion breakout groups to encourage students to speak from their own personal experience. At least that’s what I hope.” James wants to continue Indigenizing his courses, “and now understanding that it’s not just about the content makes it a more achievable goal for me.”
Now I wanted to know more about James’ visual culture course. “The course starts with general overview of visual culture and how to read visual texts (anything that is made with design intended to be viewed). We have a class on comic books. We have two lectures on architecture, one of which is on architecture and visibility, in other words, understanding the politics of occupiable space. Then we have a lecture on architecture and postmodernism, which introduces the concepts of postmodernism on a larger scale but grounded in architecture. We have classes on photography and iconic photography where discussion groups are presented with an iconic photo. They have to research the photo and answer questions as to why it might be considered an iconic photo then present their findings to the full class. And these findings become quizzable content. We have classes on landscapes, occupying landscapes, and representing landscapes with maps. And finally, we end the course with Hollywood film, specifically with the movie The Shining where we take everything we’ve learned in the course and apply it to this very specific case study. For this class, everyone watches the movie in advance, then we have a discussion. I don’t have a structure for that discussion, but open the floor up for students to talk. And they talk a lot. They really get into the film, especially when they love it or hate it. We have debates surrounding the movie, and many students bring their own insight and background knowledge into the film. It’s a nice way to end the course both because it’s the most engaging discussion that happens in the class, and because it gives them an opportunity to pull together everything we’ve talked about in the course.”
I wondered if James had any memories from his short time teaching that he could share. “Right after I became continuing, I had a student in the first semester of painting class who often challenged me in front of the class, but who I learned a lot from as a relatively new instructor. She said something that has stuck with me. She was asking for accommodations that I didn’t consider necessary, and I was trying to figure out how granting them would be fair to the other students. She said that we’re all running the same race, but we’re starting at different points which relates so much back to what I said about how in a classroom of 25 students, everyone has a different background in painting. But it extends beyond just the subject that we’re talking about. It also relates to a student’s experience with education or to their financial situation or their health situation – we all have different challenges when navigating through life. When I started teaching, I thought I had to be rigid and strict in order to back myself up if challenged by students. This one student helped me to see the educational experience from other points of view. And from there, I’ve continued to learn from other students’ experiences with and requirements for learning, as well as through engaging in programs like the Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) or the Great Teacher’s seminar. I would like to run into this student outside of school and let them know that I learned a lot from them even though we challenged each other.”
My final question for James was around what advice he, as a fairly new instructor himself, might have for new instructors at Camosun. “Make personal connections with your students as best you can and as much as they’re willing because it makes classes so much more fun and comfortable for everyone. It’s probably not going to happen in the first week of classes, but as soon as you start connecting with students, figuring out your mutual interests, learning about each other’s backgrounds, and sharing your own personal experiences, they will start seeing you more as a person and as soon as that happens, they’ll feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts, asking questions, reaching out to you to ask for accommodations if needed. And while the first week is the place to start, you’ll have opportunities throughout the semester to continue breaking down those walls and working with students individually.” James also said he encourages new instructors to help students make connections within their school and with resources across the college. “In the lecture course I sound like a broken record, telling students to take advantage of the writing centre because it will pay off in the long run, or talking about counseling services and all the other services students are able to access on campus. I feel not every student does and they should while the services are there for them.”
Finally, one other tip James has for new instructors is to “understand that being an instructor is a continuous evolution. You’re going to learn by doing and practicing, which for me as an artist was easy for me to understand. I knew that I wouldn’t necessarily get everything I wanted in the first year. It’s more a baptism by fire, jumping in the deep end, and learning what works in the studio or in the classroom and what doesn’t. That’s one of the reasons I appreciate Scheduled Development time so much, because I can reflect on the last couple semesters and make changes during that designated time, rather than trying to figure it out on the spot. But sometimes I do have to change up how I’m going to deliver a topic the next week, or even pivot on the spot during class. The key is having a willingness to be flexible, which, in my first years of teaching, I hadn’t yet figured out yet. And that goes right back to the student’s comment that we’re all running the same race. For me what it comes down to is being flexible but still holding true to the structure I’ve set up for myself and my students so that we’re all on the same page. So have a plan but be prepared for it to all fall apart, and as best you can, keep a poker face and just keep going.”