AOTI Austin Casebolt

Mr. Casebolt's first interactions with art began at home as a child, where he found a passion for creating through learning to read and write. As a kid, he watched his mother “hold her pencils and pens and create,” which was one of his earliest influences as an artist. When Mr. Casebolt grew older, he recalls how “they started to take the toys out of the classrooms,” so he “would draw pictures of toys and cut them out and pass them out” to fellow students so that they could play together.

In high school, Mr. Casebolt found his feelings towards art transforming as he tried new mediums in his art classes. “It was almost like a pendulum swing, to the two extremes,” he recalls. At times “a project would come along and [he] would love it,” but eventually another one in a new medium or style would come along, and he would realize he “didn’t want to do it– [he’d] done it a million times, but [he] didn’t want to do” this specific project. However, despite the challenges this brought, Mr. Casebolt believes that the two extremes “brought [him] a lot closer to [his] art teachers and peers,” as they bonded over different projects. He adds that while he despised activities like learning the color wheel over and over again, “that sort of repetition… and practice does actually build a lot of [skills].” It was during these experiences that he began to “understand what can be translated and expressed,” and what can be “shared in big and bold ideas” through creating and analyzing art.

Mr. Casebolt’s understanding of art has also been shaped by the students he’s had during his time teaching. His experience ranges through “almost every sort of institution, shape, and structure.” With a terminal degree in art, he’s taught in public schools, private schools, overseas, and even to elderly communities. By interacting with students, he’s decided that “everybody deserves art. Everybody deserves to express themselves.” AI art, in his opinion, “[offers] a different sort of access… for folks to participate,” in art and express themselves, but “it should be available to critique.”  However, Mr. Casebolt believes that it’s a part of a cycle: “I’m reminded of so many inventions of changes that we all felt [were] going to rock the world. But, I do think of art and art making to be a bit more ontological,” relating to how creating art is uniquely human in many ways. 

Mr. Casebolt has two words to describe his experience at Hopkins so far: “overwhelmingly supportive.” The biggest highlight for him has been “the eagerness and openness” with which students ask questions, and how at Hopkins there’s an “intuitive way of consuming visual” work and responding to it. Mr. Smith, the head of the Arts Department, recalls that when interviewing Mr. Casebolt, he knew that “he had a great rapport with students and a way of managing the classroom.” Outside of the teaching, Mr. Smith mentions how when hiring, he looks for “how well they’ll fit within the school culture…. In the case of Mr. Casebolt, I think we knew almost immediately that he was going to be an awesome fit for Hopkins.” Another thing that Mr. Smith looks for is how teachers interact with students in the classroom. On Mr. Casebolt, Mr. Smith notes that “he treats students as adults. He doesn’t talk down or infantilize anyone in his classroom… which I think resonates well with our students here.” 

Mr. Casebolt’s favorite artistic medium is oil paints, yet within his new art classes at Hopkins he encourages students to experiment not only with charcoal but to experiment with the world around them.