Michael Chilcutt

Stepping Out From Behind the Table

So why am I starting this blog? One answer is: I want to be an artist, educator, and researcher, and  I need an outlet to speak to others. An interesting thing happened over the last few weeks. Because of this blog and beginning to post my artwork, I have connected with people from different periods of my life.  Those who I grew up with in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania (where I was formed as a person), those who I met in Morgantown, West Virginia (where I figured out a lot about who I am and who I want to be), and those who I have met in my career in education (which has been most of my life’s work).  So, one major “why”  for this is connecting with people, old friends and new.

My calling to be an educator has been real and powerful, just as strong as my calling to be an artist. But answering one call fully, in this case as a high school principal, often meant muting the other.  The art-informed dissertation I completed in 2018 changed how I saw myself and greatly complements my other two roles as an artist and educator. I am working to continue my research in the area of self-study, arts-based research, and educational leadership.  

I believe all three roles of  artist, educator, and researcher work together in me to help me be my fullest self.  Most of my artwork is an exploration. My self-study research, started in the dissertation, continues as I use art to work through my thoughts and grow as an educator and person. My work isn’t an “easy view” because the audience has to spend some time contemplating it to understand what I am communicating, and I view this as a form of constructivist education that will help others grow beyond simply enjoying the work’s aesthetic qualities. 

As I imagine retirement from public education, I see  mornings that are slower and more intentional. Coffee. Reading. Looking at art. Thinking deeply. Then, spending a large part of the day making art or doing research. I also hope to be engaged in education on some level.  None of this, I hope, will be done in isolation, so I’m making this blog to help start and continue conversations around my work. 

Living as an artist doesn’t just mean making art. It means sharing it. Selling it. Letting people see not only the work, but the person behind it.

That part took me a long time to understand.

Years ago, I was selling work at a craft show. I sat behind my table and watched people drift past, barely slowing down. Then I stepped out from behind the table and started talking—really talking—to people. I explained the story behind the work, especially my Prior Knowledge series. I shared how that idea comes from education, how being an educator shaped the work, and how the art itself was part of my own ongoing self-study. Something changed. People leaned in. They asked questions. They connected, and some of them even bought the work.

That experience taught me something essential: authenticity doesn’t reveal itself automatically. Sometimes it has to be explained.  People have to know you to really engage. This is true with art, education, and research. People need to know who I am, what I care about, and what I’m trying to understand through my work. This blog is part of that visibility. It’s part of stepping out from behind the table.

And that’s why this blog matters.