About the Author

Jennifer Hamrock

Greetings! I join AOEU after spreading my love of art education for nearly twenty years. I spent some time teaching and making art with little and big humans in various settings. My public school teaching experiences began in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where I taught third and fourth grade for a few years and high school art for nine. During this time, I earned my master’s and National Board Certification while collaborating with teachers in other subjects and the community. I earned my doctorate from Florida State University. During that time, my interests took me deeper into arts-based research, the intersections of art education and art therapy, art teacher professional development, and community arts engagement. I have worked with other K-12 art teachers, art therapists, artists, and community organizations exploring these topics. While residing in Tallahassee, I was actively involved with the creative community space, The Plant, for which I developed various art programs. In 2018, I also worked closely with the Museum of Fine Arts, K-12 art teachers, and local artists in Tallahassee on the Waging Peace! Project. Currently, I live in Atlanta, Georgia, and work as a lecturer of Art Education and Foundations at Georgia State University, working with undergraduate and graduate art majors, future art teachers, and veteran art teachers. 

I have a sweet cat named Sunshine (Sunny for short) who hails from Florida. Competing for my attention is my love of the ocean, salt-water, and surfing. I am grateful for all of the amazing relationships, perspectives, and inspiration I have developed from my surf travels over the years. As an artist, I am an avid letter writer. My favorite artmaking rituals are creating mixed media postcards and papers and mailing them to friends. Not only do I view this process as my self-care and art practice, but it’s an important part of maintaining all the relationships I’ve collected over the years. 

Through all of my experiences and inquiries, I confidently think art is the most important subject, and art is for everyone. I also believe relationships are the defining underpinning of my teaching philosophy. I teach art to connect. I make art to connect. I look forward to every new connection here at AOEU!