Tyler Alpern, MFA

  • Associate Director of Creative Minds RAP
  • Teaching Associate Professor
  • ARTS & SCIENCES RESIDENTIAL ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

BA, Occidental College
MFA, Painting, Â鶹ÊÓƵ

Tyler Alpern is an artist and educator with a long association with the University of Colorado. He was educated at Occidental College in Los Angeles, at two different schools in Rome, Italy, and earned his MFA in Painting from the University of Colorado. His artwork can be described as technically accomplished, narrative painting with an expressive style and a contemporary slant. A constant source of inspiration and learning are the college students of all ages that Tyler has been teaching since 1989. Working together with his students and others, Tyler has created a number of murals at the University of Colorado and on University Hill. Tyler's teaching philosophy is that Art is full of "yeses"and possibilities. There are a myriad of correct answers and different wonderful ways to do things. He helps students find the individual solutions that work best for them. He designs his classes so students acquire skills in a logical order, yet early on have the independence to develop their own ideas and styles. Teaching art to non-artists is rewarding because it helps foster visual thinking, idea development, adaptability and the creative process, skills that are useful in every academic discipline and career.