JESÚS OVIEDO, Born in 1968

As a multimedia artist and educator with an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), my practice is rooted in the belief that the heart of creativity is in the process, not just the result. My work in early childhood education profoundly shapes my approach; I am inspired by how naturally children create meaning through diverse media, viewing materials as elements of the universe they are free to manipulate.

 

This perspective, shaped by 20 years of experience, has refined my ability to enter a state of flow with my artwork. My process begins with a physical impulse to work with materials, evolving into a rhythmic dialogue between thinking and doing. By embracing the "learning through play" philosophy, I keep a sense of novelty and see the world as a space of constant wonder. While my broader practice explores these playful interactions, my printmaking focuses on the development of symbolic languages, or sign and symbol systems and the breakdown of those systems. 

 

In my teaching, I help children activate their innate capacity for meaning-making through a wide range of materials, or the ‘Hundred Languages’ perspective. I believe this perspective is closely related to the multiple intelligences theory. This approach affords me opportunities to introduce media that preschool children don’t often encounter in their daily lives. 

 

In my professional development work with educators, my goal is to re-awaken the intuition that often becomes dormant in maturity. Providing opportunities for adults to play with materials affords them opportunities to consider the opportunities and obstacles that the children may bump into. Overall, the implications of play for adults helps us to help young children activate their meaning-making capacities.

 

The stakes of this work are high. In many marginalized communities, creativity is treated as a luxury rather than a pedagogical necessity, yet these are the very spaces where imagination is most vital for social change. In an era of unlimited information, we no longer need scripted methods or rote learning; we need the capacity to envision what does not yet exist. By providing children with the tools of imagination, we empower them to design a world that extends far beyond their current horizons.