TEACHING PERSPECTIVE
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 storytelling. This pedagogy has been central to my role as an instructor for the department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies at Duke University, where I taught courses that include Contemporary Documentary Films, Editing for Film and Video, Film Genres, and Producing Docu-Fiction.
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. Who or what is this film about, and whom does it benefit? Whose story is being told, and who is behind the camera? What does it mean to hold power behind the lens, and what does it mean for the subject in front of the lens? How is authorship articulated through cinematic form? 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. Across film and arts coursework, I incorporate work by artists from underrepresented communities while encouraging interdisciplinary approaches to storytelling. 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
Instructor
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
Teaching Assistant/ Co-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
Workshop Instructor
Cinematic Arts, Art, Department of Art History & Visual Studies, Duke University
The Nasher in Collaboration with The Center for Documentary Studies
Duke Arts in Collaboration with Duke Campus Farms
- Observing Nature: Turmeric Anthotypes Workshop, Bass Connections + CDS, Spring 2025
- Developing 16mm B&W Film, Cinematic Arts 16mm Class, Spring 2025
- Inky Dinks: Producing Natural Pigments, Duke Campus Farm + Duke Arts Create, Spring 2024