Juan Carlos Castro, USA
2008
Juan is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He is also serving as a Faculty Advisor and Instructor for undergraduate secondary art education majors at UBC. His educational research interests include: the intersection of artistic processes of knowing and art pedagogy, the use of photography and film/video as a means of re/presenting research knowledge, complexity and ecology theories, and social networking, user generated content, and meaning making in online learning environments.
From 2001-2006, Juan was an adjunct photography instructor at the Maryland Institute College of Art, The Johns Hopkins University, Department Chair (AY-2005-06) and instructor of Art at Towson High School. During his summers (2001-2004), Juan has taught photography workshops at the Burren College of Art and Camera Tree Photography studios in Ireland. His work has been featured in many national and international publications and exhibitions. His teaching and curriculum has been recognized by U.S. Department of Education, The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, The Alliance of Young Artists and Writers, and Center, formerly known as the Santa Fe Center for Photography. Last year, his photography curriculum at Towson High School was featured by the National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts as one of the top programs in the United States. This year (2008) he was awarded The Coca-Cola Company/National Foundation of the Arts Distinguished Teacher in the Arts Award.
Juan’s own art focuses on humankind’s impact on the environment and was involved in promoting Maryland’s anti-sprawl legislation in the 1990’s. In addition to working as an artist, researcher, and educator, he is also an active freelance and editorial photographer, most recently as Urban Climber Magazine’s photography editor (2004-05).
