When Kyungmin Park, professor of art, asked her students to do a human form ceramics piece, she told them to pay special attention to the eyes.
It was a small detail of the form the students were creating, but Park said the smallest details are what make art come to life.
"We spent an entire day on making the eye look realistic and studying how to carve the details around it," said Lesley Foote, sophomore in graphic design. "Park directed us how each part of a face has specific details -- the ear, the nose, the lips. They turned out looking real."
Park, who grew up in South Korea before coming to the United States, first took ceramics classes in high school.
She developed a passion for art and ceramics at a young age, but her background in the Korean education system taught her that the details were just as important as the big picture.
"Art classes in Korea were all about your skills and technique," Park said. "It was fine, but everyone used the same clay and strict technique. It got incredibly boring."
After attending college for a year in Korea, Park transferred to Alfred University, a small liberal arts college in upstate New York known for its ceramics program.
"I love making art because I want to make things that I can see," Park said. "When you play music, it disappears into the air, but when you make art, there's something to show for it. There's a final result that you put your time into, and I've always been fascinated by that."
Now, Park is trying to instill that fascination and love for detail into her students.
Kelsey Gainer, senior in fine arts, said having Park as a professor has shaped the level of dedication she puts into her work.
"She pushes hard and expects everyone's best," Gainer said. "Yet she understand each person's ability in the subject she's teaching."
Park assigns her Ceramics I and II students to make dozens of the same cup to get the basics down.
"You have to make 20 cups to have 10 good ones," Park said. "You have to make 100 to 200 cups to make one perfect one."
Foote said Park wants her students to do their best work even if it takes extra time.
"We might not appreciate how hard she pushes us at first, but all that work leads us to appreciate it more in the end," Foote said. "It's like she incorporated the best of both worlds into her teaching style -- the drive and dedication from the Korean culture and the creativity and understanding of here."
Park said she enjoys learning and teaching in the United States because it's easier to share her ideas.
"Here in America, my teachers were my mentors, but at the same time, I knew I could do what they did," Park said. "There was no distance between us. That's the kind of teacher I want to be, and I couldn't be that kind of teacher in Korea."
Park said she enjoys instructing her students and working hard with them, but that she loves getting to know them personally.
"With art, you need to break down that barrier to teach your skills and knowledge," Park said. "It's so hands-on that you can't have a wall up. My experiences with different cultures have helped me break this wall down."
Park said she wants every student to expand their knowledge by experiencing other ways of life.
"Going somewhere new was one of the best things I ever did," Park said. "It taught me so much about my work and about life."
Park said traveling and experiencing culture shock shaped her as a person and as an artist.
"It may seem intimidating at first, but trust in yourself and just go," Park said. "Find out who you are by finding out who other people are. You'll find a little piece of home where you go, just like I did here in Auburn."
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