JJ Johnson

I have been exploring Visual Arts since elementary school, and my love for the field has expanded all the way to pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Studio Art. I studied at Temple University's Tyler School of Fine Arts and now I attend Messiah College's School of the Arts. Eager to step into the professional world, I set my sights on acquiring authentic experience through Internships. I honed my skills in multiple environments, including a gallery, a comprehensive urban arts center and Pennsylvania's capital city's major cultural and learning hub, called Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts. I hold related interests in working at an artist's studio, a museum, and in community Art Education programs at a variety of organization types.

Real education consists

in drawing the best out

of yourself.

~ Mohandas Gandhi

course history:

Figure Drawing

Fabric Dyeing

Loom Weaving

Hand Weaving

Exploring "Alternative" Materials

Bookmaking

Photography: Black and White Wet Lab

Graphic Design: Typography

Glass Blowing

Ceramics - On and off Wheel

Printmaking - Lithography and Serigraphy

Painting: Oil and Watercolor/ Gouache

Casting

From September through early December 2010, I served as the Curatorial Assistant at The Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. While uninstalling the Titanic exhibit, I assisted the professional artifact curator in packaging and shipping the items, with the joy of handling one artifact personally. I helped maintain over 200 modules and exhibits throughout the three floors of Harsco Science Center, including a spherical video screen. Among other duties, I assembled a children's indoor ride, and I customized lighting for the ride's partner exhibit: a series of model trains and decorated trees.

In summer of 2010 I completed an internship at Goggle Works: Center for the Arts in Reading, Pennsylvania. As the Outbuilding Studio Team Intern, I tracked more than 600 pieces of ceramic and glass artwork from more than 220 students in 36 camps over 9 weeks. I was pleased to function as the assistant ceramic teacher for a week-long teen camp. Also, I refreshed my art education skills as an assistant group leader of a small children's camp for a week. My major accomplishments included designing, implementing, and refining an Outbuilding Artwork Tracking Log, and its partner, the Artwork Tracking Database.

For one very rewarding week, I volunteered as a general laborer and photographer on the Berks County set of an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Congratulations, Trisha and Cora Urban!

From February to May in 2010, I completed an 80-hour internship with The Art Center: School and Galleries in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. As the Gallery Assistant, I helped select artwork for off-site galleries, hang and take down shows, and plan events. My projects included redesigning and moving the Sales Gallery.

On Thursday evenings in February, March and April 2010, I tutored ESL adults at the Center for Education, Employment, and Entrepreneurial Development (CEEED) in Allison Hill near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

My work-study job at Messiah College's Harrisburg Institute blessed me with professional development as I created, over the course of three semesters, all Standard Operating Procedures for Messiah College's Harrisburg Shuttle Coordinator position. During this time I managed teams of 6-8 drivers to provide transportation services for more than 5,000 passengers on upwards of 200 shuttle runs per semester.