Bren María Vienrich-Felling
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
As an educator and artist, I draw on my experiences in teaching, mentorship and over fifteen years of industry experience to guide my teaching practices. My work background positions me to bridge academic and professional contexts, allowing me to reach students from a variety of backgrounds, whether they aspire to be filmmakers, photographers, communications professionals or are simply curious about the art of visual storytelling.
In practice-based filmmaking courses, topics have focused on constructing meaning, mood and tone through the engagement of video and sound analysis. Through hands-on demonstrations and assignments in video editing practices, sound recording techniques, storyboarding, screenwriting and camera instruction, students gain a deeper insight into the art of filmmaking. In class, when time and resources are available, experimentation with found footage, animation, cameraless photography and/ or analog filmmaking practices are encouraged so students gain a sense of the limitless options of visual storytelling. For lecture-based film courses and special class screenings, I encourage students to practice patience and consider not only what they take in as viewers, but why. What does it mean to hold power behind the lens, and what does it mean for the subject in front of the lens? How do sound, image, editing, and structure shape meaning and emotional experience? Finally, how does a film's meaning transform over time? As the sociopolitical, historical, and industrial conditions surrounding both the film and its audiences change, how might our readings of the work change as well? A question not only for a changing world, but for us, humans with personal beliefs and convictions that shift as we experience life over time.
My teaching and arts practice is informed by my experiences as a Peruvian-born immigrant, woman and artist. These experiences have shaped the way I think about storytelling and representation in and outside of the classroom. I make sincere and dedicated efforts to establish an accessible learning environment for students from a wide range of backgrounds, so they feel empowered to develop their creative voices and engage in classroom discussion. I incorporate work by artists from underrepresented communities while encouraging interdisciplinary approaches to storytelling, with a goal to not just simply increase representation on a syllabus, but to give students opportunities to consider whose perspectives have historically shaped media and film, and to recognize themselves as potential authors within that history. I view teaching not simply as technical instruction, but as a form of mentorship grounded in curiosity, experimental creativity, empathy, and meaningful engagement with the world.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Lecturer
Cinematic Arts, Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies, Duke University
- CINE 357, Editing for Film and Video, Summer Session II, 2026
- CINE 205, Contemporary Documentary Films, Spring 2026
- CINE 702, Producing Docu-Fiction, Spring 2026
- CINE 210, Horror Cinema, Spring 2026
- CINE 210, Film Genres, Fall 2025
- CINE 205, Contemporary Documentary Films, Summer Session II, 2025
Instructor
Emily K. Center
Animation: Thaumatropes & Flip Books, Fall Session, 2026
Assistant Instructor
Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies, Duke University
- CINE 745, The Nature Film: History and Practice, Spring 2025
- ARTVIS 238, Digital Printmaking: Exploring Printmaking, Fall 2024
- ENERGY 394, Bass Connections: Climate Hope, Fall 2024
- ARTVIS 290, Special Topics in Visual Arts: Design and Printing, Spring 2024
Talks, Poster Sessions & Workshops
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Eco-Derived Pigment & Material Image-Making, Duke University, 2026
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Foraged Matter and Moving Image as Material Dialogue, SECAC Conference, 2026
- Observing Nature: Turmeric Anthotypes, Bass Connections, Duke University, 2025
- Developing 16mm Film, Cinematic Arts/ AAHVS, Duke University, 2025
- Producing Natural Pigments, Duke Arts Create, 2024