About Consulting
I have played a lot of roles, in a lot of places, throughout my career — artist, educator, non-profit director, documentary filmmaker. In all these roles there is a constant: I conceive projects and nurture big ideas. I get others excited, I build a team and together we make things happen. This is what I do as a consultant… and it is much more active than the word “consultant” implies. I’m a Builder, Connector, Creator, Cultivator, Dreamer, Encourager, Instigator, Questioner, Organizer, Intuit-er, Experimenter and Do-er. From training teams of Teaching Artists in Cambodia — to bringing barter-based cost-free arts education and peer-to-peer mentorship to kids in Philadelphia — I show others how an aesthetic approach to our interactions with the world changes how we see and contemplate community. From the classroom to the board room, and everything in-between — I believe in creative, arts-based, solutions to the challenges life throws at us. I believe in approaches that acknowledge who you are, where you come from, what you are passionate about, and where you want to go. I believe in moving beyond just talking about it. Let’s get started.
Consultant Bio
Tobin is an unconventional consultant with a global perspective. His practical and creative approach builds on his career as an artist, educator and leader. Tobin has over two decades of experience directing non-profits, facilitating workshops, and leading projects in over 10 countries. With five years at Lincoln Center Education as a Lead Teaching Artist and full time faculty member, he is fluent in the practice of Aesthetic Education, and embraces a flexible approach to its application. While at Lincoln Center he trained adult educators, administrators and artists from around the world, and worked with students and educators in grade school to graduate school classrooms of all five NYC boroughs. His unique contributions to the practice of Aesthetic Education include action research into: the Role of School Counselors and Teaching Artists in Addressing Potential Trauma Triggered by Arts Experiences; The Effects of Aesthetic Education and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) on Self-Contained Classrooms and Students with Learning Disabilities; and The Development of Collaboration and Leadership Skills through Aesthetic Education. Tobin served on the planning committee of the 4th International Teaching Artist Conference (ITAC4) in New York, NY. Tobin received his MFA from MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) in 2013, and certification in Mandarin Chinese and Chinese Culture from Beijing Language and Culture University (formerly Beijing Language Institute) in 1992.