Kaley Madden —
Educator and Designer
“To educate as the practice of freedom is a way of teaching that anyone can learn. That learning process comes easiest to those of us who teach who also believe that there is an aspect of our vocation that is sacred; who believe that our work is not merely to share information but to share in the intellectual and spiritual growth of our students. To teach in a manner that respects and cares for the souls of our students is essential if we are to provide the necessary conditions where learning can most deeply and intimately begin”
- bell hooks in
Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom
I approach each classroom or project with the investigatory process and rigor that it takes to reveal the hidden history or politics that are often leveraged to ensure systems of oppression stay in power in my related fields of education and design.
I received the People’s Liberty Globe Grant to bring to fruition my recent initiative Anti Fashion Boot Camp, which was a radical summer camp dedicated to bringing access to fashion design and the craft of sewing to local high schoolers. I previously taught at University of Cincinnati’s design school DAAP as well as Miami University, but am currently shifting my focus to younger students in K-12 environments as higher education in this country remains inaccessible to many individuals. I completed my masters degree at Central Saint Martins where I studied what was at the root of our newfound and widespread addiction to social media in a project titled Internet Rehab.
What ultimately drives me to do this work is being witness to the transformation young people go through when treated with respect and given access to knowledge that guides them towards liberation.
Link to my CV