Teaching Assistant, University of Waterloo
‘FINE 100 - Studio Fundamentals’ with Professor Doug Kirkton
September - December 2023
Open Studio Instructor, Contemporary Art Gallery
‘Between Canvas and Celluloid with Paige Smith’
July 2023
Open Studio is a monthly program for young visitors and families inspired by contemporary art practices and Vancouver’s Contemporary Art Gallery’s current exhibitions.
Inspired by Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill’s M***** exhibition, participants learned to manipulate film celluloid using paint, ink and scratching to create moving-image paintings. Throughout this workshop, students were introduced cameraless filmmaking techniques exploring how to translate tactile gestures of paint brushes and pens into movement. Each participant created a short segment, and the group's work was stitched together and screened at the end of the workshop.
Podcasting Instructor, Music Production & Technology ACE-IT Industry Training Program with VIVO Media Arts Centre
‘Podcasting 101 for Teens’
2020
Four session workshop series focused on teaching podcast/radio show production skills, including recording, editing, and composing. Taught Burnaby North Secondary School students enrolled in the Music Production & Technology ACE-IT Industry Training Program with support from ArtStarts in School’s Creative Spark Vancouver grant and partnership from VIVO Media Arts Centre. Final pieces were broadcast on Vancouver radio station CJSF 90.1FM.
Students were encouraged to focus on how the pandemic has affected their lives, exploring new ways of connection in a time of isolation. Experimentation was encouraged, with a wide variety of techniques and examples showcased.
Camera & Lights for Women & Non-Binary Folks
Cinematography Instructor
2019 & 2020
This hands-on introductory workshop series was designed for women and non-binary folks who were looking to learn the fundamentals of cinematography. It combines theory and practice of cinematography and is structured around breaking down the common barriers that women and non-binary folks face when accessing this men-dominated field.
Basic technical aspects of camera operation and lighting principles were taught through demonstration and hands-on practical exercises in this multi-day workshop series.
This workshop series was taught twice through VIVO Media Arts Centre in 2019 & 2020.
Anonymous Student Testimony:
“Paige is a phenomenal instructor, filling all the boxes: warm, intelligent, approachable and constructive. Her feedback and teaching methods made me feel completely safe and provided me with so much knowledge and confidence.”
“She used a variety of teaching methods for a variety of learning styles. She encouraged us to ask questions and always had a clear response. I appreciated her awareness, empathy, and fun personality.”
“Her slides were super clear and compact. She gave us right amount of information and balanced it with hands on information. Paige was very generous about sharing her knowledge and pointing the right materials and resources for later learning.”
Additional teaching experience includes private podcasting lessons; podcasting instructor for Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Communications, Art and Technology; working as a teaching assistant with Devan Scott’s “Cinematography: Ways of Seeing” workshop series in 2018; and digital filmmaking instruction with The Cinematheque Learning & Outreach program.