My name is Bahereh Khodadoost. My first name is fairly unusual even in my country, Iran. Bahereh means shiny, clear. My last name is my father’s last name, given to me at birth. Khodadoost is a compound word, consisting of two words, Khoda meaning God, and Doost meaning Friend. The equivalent to this word in English (OLD) is Godfrey. According to The Catholic Encyclopedia, the etymology (origin) of the word “God” is: Anglo-Saxon God; German Gott; akin to Persian khoda; Hindu khooda.
I was born and raised in Iran. I was raised in a loving, well educated, and open-minded family. My mother was an educated mystic, and very much involved in music, poetry, and literature. My father was a self-made man, and well educated. They both were true humanists who were one of the most honest, trustworthy, loving, compassionate, and well-respected individuals.
My way of thinking, and my style of writing is the direct result of my upbringing. The language of poetry is a very comfortable language for me, and it spreads itself in all aspects of my life. Perhaps this is a reason for some of my articles to be hard to understand for some readers. What I try to convey is usually the essence of an issue, which requires more sensitivity and true insight from the reader, in order for the point to get across. It is because of this realization that I offer many workshops in conjunction with these writings.
The last time I left my country, it was in April 1979.
I had graduated from college with a degree in English Literature in early
70’s. I was back to University working on my Master’s degree in Library
Science when the Revolution started. I ended up at University of Ga. pursuing
a degree in Comparative Literature in Fall 1979. Later on, I studied mainly
Art in Missouri, Kansas, and finally in Alfred, New York. I find
Art and Poetry
inseparable from each other, because they both touch
the soul of a human being.
My work is greatly inspired by my life long exposures to diversity, from which I have applied my unified approach. I don’t consider myself purely a Persian artist, but a multi-cultural artist influenced by my background. My work is inspired by my whole life. You find an essence of Persian art & culture in my work, but my work does not present itself as Persian Art. It is a marriage between East and West.
Bahereh Khodadoost
March 5, 1998
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“ WHO IS AN ARTIST?!
“
The answer to this question is as easy as it is complex.
Every body has to find his/her answers to it.
In my view being an artist is not necessarily about what one does in life (for a living or as a hobby), rather it is about one’s attitude & outlook on life. It is about how s/he perceives life, and how s/he approaches something, and how s/he goes about it.
I regard many people as artists just because of their attitude towards something that they do. It is about how one plants a seed, and how one cultivates it. It is about how one shares what s/he has cultivated with others. It is about a creative attitude. One can be just as creative in cooking, gardening, writing, sculpting, etc...as one is in painting. And in life we are all creators, because we all create our environment, individually and collectively as well. The challenge is in harmonizing our efforts in order to have a more harmonious, and pleasing world.
Bahereh
March 1998 PA
P.S.
I believe one way to sustain in life and to be able to maintain a positive outlook on life is to find something in life that one has PASSION for, either in art or otherwise. Something that can nourish one deep inside. A creative world aside from the outside world which is tranquil, private, and personal, a solitude, a sanctuary.
Copyright 1998
_________________________________________
Please allow me to introduce myself, my name is Bahereh Khodadoost-Heath. I am a full-time professional artist with a studio in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania. My approach to teaching is multi-cultural. I teach Art to educate, and I Educate to teach art.
The State funded Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Arts in Education Program (AIE) provides funding, publishes a directory of artists and folklorists, and offers professional development opportunities for artists, folklorists and educators. The Directory of Pennsylvania Teaching Artists and Folklorists is the PCA’s AIE roster of approved teaching artists and folklorists. It is an annual publication on the artists and folklorists who have been accepted into the AIE Program, and it is distributed throughout the state. Artists and folklorists are reviewed for artistic excellence and educational capability by panels of artists in each discipline, folklorists and educators familiar with residency programs.
I am honored to be included in the 1996 Directory of Pennsylvania Artists and Folklorists.
I am classified as a clay artist. Through Art one can become more open-minded and open-spirited. My main interest in teaching “CLAY” is to help people by having hands-on experience, to appreciate LIFE more fully, enabling them to create a more harmonious and unified world. Only when an individual understands and values her or his culture, s/he can appreciate other’s. This teaches respect and bears true self-esteem.
Multi-cultural symbols dominate my clay surfaces. My approach to teaching is also culturally diverse. This would allow the students not only learn to work with clay, and express themselves, but to learn about and respect other cultures. Out of this respect for others comes self-respect. I may encourage the students to create their own personal symbols, and incorporate them into their clay work. This hopefully will teach them that everything in the universe is interconnected.
If you are interested in my services, please feel free to contact me for scheduling and funding information.
Thank You!
Bahereh Khodadoost-Heath
Ginger Blue Clay Art Studio
423 Mountain Ave.
Pen Argyl, Pa. 18072
(610)863-3362
E-mail: bahereh@wyndows.com
Web Site: www.wyndows.com/gb
_________________________________________
" Educational Artistic Statement"
BAHEREH KHODADOOST-HEATH
ARTIST/WRITER
* PROFESSIONAL CLAY ARTIST SINCE 1985
* ROSTERED ARTIST APPROVED BY THE PENNSYLVANIA COUNCIL ON THE ARTS
* MEMBER OF MONROE COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL
* JURIED MEMBER OF PENNSYLVANIA GUILD OF CRAFTSMEN(CRAFTSPERSONS)
* WRITER OF SEVERAL ARTICLES ON MULTI-CULTURAL, SOCIAL ISSUES AS WELL AS EDUCATIONAL AND LANGUAGE RELATED ARTICLES
* CONDUCTS ART & WORLD CULTURE CLASSES
* WORKS WITH ALL AGE GROUPS
* HAS MULTI-CULTURAL ATTITUDE WITH A UNIFIED APPROACH.
FINDS COMMON DENOMINATOR IN VARIOUS SUBJECTS (FROM POTTERY
TO POETRY, TO MATH, TO LANGUAGE, TO DANCE, TO EXERCISE AND SPORTS, TO MUSIC,
TO PAINTING, TO DESIGNING, TO CALLIGRAPHY, TO HAIRSTYLING, TO COOKING,
TO KNITTING, TO SEWING, TO SCIENCE, TO GEOGRAPHY, TO ANATOMY, TO NATURE,
ETC...). AND HELPS STUDENTS LEARN AND UNDERSTAND THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS
OF ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE, WHILE PRESERVING THEIR OWN INDIVIDUALITY AND CREATIVITY.
IF INTERESTED IN MY SERVICES, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME FOR SCHEDULING AND FUNDING INFORMATION.
THANK YOU.
BAHEREH KHODADOOST-HEATH
GINGER BLUE CLAY ART STUDIO
423 MOUNTAIN AVE.
PEN ARGYL, PA. 18072
(610)863-3362
E-MAIL: BAHEREH@WYNDOWS.COM
WEB SITE: WWW.WYNDOWS.COM/GB
_________________________________________
On the first and second day, I would try to meet with as many as the teachers as possible, and I would introduce myself and what my qualifications are. I would define my multi-cultural and universal approach to teaching, which will hopefully bring about more harmony in our world society. I would make it clear that my teaching CLAY, and comparing it to LIFE, can help the students learn about “RESPECT” and self-esteem. This can be accomplished while each student’s creativity is encouraged and her or his individuality appreciated and preserved. I teach CLAY with an universal attitude: I integrate teaching clay with other disciplines- clay to math, math to music, music to nature, nature to art, art to science, ...etc. Once this dialogue was established with the faculty, I would try to combine different areas of study into joint projects, for instance, an art class and a math class studying form and form relationships based on numbers and measurements. I would try to stay sensitive and open to what the teacher(s) would like to see being accomplished within the frame-work available. Once we come to an agreement on the time frame and specifications, I would be ready to start meeting with students. My on-site personal art work can be done in an open and accessible area which would allow and encourage students to stop whenever possible for questions and discussions. I would demonstrate mainly handbuilding such as making of a coil-pot, a platter, a basket form, or a carving of a design on a piece of clay or plaster.
On the third through seventh days, my preference would be to work with small core groups of students, not more than 10 at a time. I would talk to the students in order to find out what interests them. I may start by having some materials available to them as conversational materials. Then I would encourage having open discussions with everybodys’ participation. Once we arrive to a conclusion(s), it is time to start having some hands-on experiences. This does not necessarily mean working only with clay. It can start by writing some ideas on the paper, doing some sketches based on numbers or letters or anything else, making some models, making stamps of some of these ideas, etc....I will try to present the opportunity for a much fuller experience, rather than only making an object out of clay. I think this process is far more important than the destination. I would incorporate appropriate materials to help the students to understand form and form relationships, and that there is a correlation between these and other aspects of life. Once the awareness is raised, for example when a student is in the process of making a coil-pot, s/he can compare the process to the knitting of a sweater, the growth of a tree, or even to the making of a financial report. All clay objects would be formed and finished by the end of the seventh day.
On the eight and ninth days, general lecture and discussion sessions with viewing of videos and/or slides could be scheduled for all interested students, parents, and community members. Some of these sessions can be with combined classes of different subjects if the teacher(s) find it beneficial. All clay objects would be bisque fired by the end of the eighth day.
On the tenth and final day a demonstration of the Raku firing process can be scheduled at the school site. This would require an additional experienced person to assist. The students could glaze their clay pots and experience them being fired and cooled quickly in a very exciting fast moving environment. Other students, faculty, and members of the community would be welcome to watch.
I remind myself more
than ever, that children and grown ups alike, once they open up to each
other they may recognize the fact that in this life nobody is a student
at all times, and by the same token, nobody is a teacher at all times.
Rather we are all teachers and students of life at all times, and we can
benefit from each other simultaneously.
Bahereh Khodadoost-Heath
1996
PA
Copyright
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“LEARNING DISABILITY ‘OR’ TEACHING DISABILITY ?!”
From the time I have come to this country, I have heard the term ‘Learning Disability’.
I would like to invite the reader of this article to start pondering upon the new term I am introducing in this article. It is called: ‘Teaching Disability’. Perhaps the problem we are facing in our education system is not so much about Learning Disability, rather it is occurring as a result of Teaching Disability. The assumption is, once an individual has gone to school, and received a teaching certificate, s/he is qualified to teach. The assumption is, once one is labeled as a teacher, s/he stays as a teacher at all times, and does not need to turn inward and realize that we as people are always the students and teachers of life, at all times. If we understand the power, and the inner meaning of the above statement, then we become more sensitive to our environments, and to the needs of every one of the students in our care. We will think much deeper, and try to stay open to what every individual, regardless of her/his age tries to communicate to us. If we listen and observe carefully, we will figure out how to teach each one, appropriately. Create a pleasing, and appropriate environment, any body can learn: Learn to Learn, and Learn to Teach, the communication will take place. The problem I see in the society is not so much about learning disability, rather it is about the poor communication between two individuals, a teacher and a student, or visa versa.
Look around you, and see it for yourself. See how often our very bright kids loose interest in Learning because of a teacher who does not know how to make Learning an enjoyable experience. Teachers who have forgotten that Learning ought to be for the Joy of Learning. Our schools’ Motto should be:
“Learning for the Joy of Learning”
Try to tie the various subjects to each other, and to everyday life, and above that to humanity, in this way teaching and learning both will become more sensible, fun, and enjoyable. Find creative ways to teach, and to get the points across, it is not that difficult. It only requires some enthusiasm, and maturity combined with a pure imagination. A child’s imagination is untarnished, pure, and innocent. These are wonderful characteristics which are already embedded in every child; it needs to be preserved, not only in them, but also in us as grown ups!
To Teach is to Bring Out/ To Teach is to Learn
I, as an educator understand that the answers to most of our questions (if not all of our questions), lies within us. I can and should only help the individual to SEE for himself/herself, and not MAKE him/her see!
This is the outlook that had helped me to observe more than to act! It has its own merit! It is in this way of thinking that I have matured, while humbling myself to look at every individual no matter how big, or how small as a teacher in life. I understand that every individual has something unique to offer to this world, and once the right environment is created for it, it will surface. It is this type of outlook that brings the best in each person (student or ...). As a result of this approach the educator learns as much or sometimes more than s/he teaches. Sometimes the learning takes place if one opens himself/herself to even the littlest student in his/her care. All one needs to do is to open himself/herself, and TO LISTEN & BECOME MORE OBSERVANT. With my wise, yet humble approach I have been surprised many many times in my life. The purity, the innocence, and the freshness in an individual brings out some unexpected answers! All one needs to do is to open his/her inner eyes, and wait for the right moment, It Will Happen!
Bahereh
Copyright March 1998 PA
CLAY ART by Bahereh | CLAY ART by Walter Heath | Home Page | About the Artists | Writings
(610)863-3362
Mailing Address: 423 Mountain Ave. Pen Argyl, Pa. 18072
please send e-mail to: bahereh@HEARTizen.com