In a special weekly series, the College of Liberal Arts is featuring a faculty member from one of our 13 departments. We asked questions about why they are passionate about the subjects they study and teach, and how they found their path to CSU. See all “Faculty Friday” features here.
Patrick Fahey
Associate Professor, Department of Art and Art History
1. Why do you study art education, and what inspired your interest in it?
An inspiring art teacher in high school cemented the relationship I had between making and teaching. She encouraged me to examine my early interests and use art as a vehicle to experiment with materials and make my ideas concrete.
2. What is your favorite thing to teach and study?
Art and material use, and how to teach and convey that.
3. What did you want to be when you were little?
I always wanted to be a teacher and I always liked to play with and transform materials as a child. When I was young, you could usually find me in our backyard sandbox building cities and roads for my cars or scavenging for “art materials” —damaged wood pallets, cardboard, and old blankets—to use as construction materials for building forts.
4. How did you get to CSU?
At the time, I was an assistant professor at Minnesota State University-Moorhead and saw the position posting for a similar position at CSU. CSU had a larger art department and the potential to grow the art education program was very exciting. It was one of the best decisions I ever made in my career.
