"Art is the expression of experiences.  My experiences are varied and so is my art." As the quote states, my work is varied.  Since I work with so many areas of art, I am able to be flexible and customize an art lesson plan to meet the needs of the organization I am working with. One residency that is a good example is one I did at an alternative school. The goal of the residency was to expose the students to the arts and do a group project that would stay at the school. Since it was around Mardi Gras and I was working with 8th -12th Graders, I suggested creating masks to integrate the social studies curriculum. Students studied masks that I brought in from around the world. They analyzed the role of masks in society and were asked to create masks representing five themes related to their own self-esteem and culture.  Students created masks from newspaper made into clay mache. Students grasped the concept quickly and finished the group project.  This allowed enough time for students to create individual masks using found objects. A culmination of the residency was an exhibition at the local art gallery that included artist's statements from each student.  A reception was held for the exhibition and was well-received by the students, school staff, administration, and the community as a whole. Available to conduct teacher workshops.

Jo Patterson has been a professional artist for over thirty years and a teaching artist for over twenty years. She exhibits and teaches throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Her vast knowledge of media and subject matter allows her to be extremely flexible and adjust to any situation.  She can work small scale to large scale, from individual works to group projects, and a variety of media from glue to sculpting in stone.  Jo has taught classes on drawing, painting, sculpting, mask making, collage, murals, calligraphy, printmaking, textile, faux finishes as well as classes on art history, portfolio preparation, how to make a living as an artist, legal matters for artists, and more.  She has taught multi-cultural art projects modeled on art from Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica.  Jo Is especially interested in integrating art into the classroom curriculum and has done several art-related math, science, language arts, and social studies projects. She feels it is important to share the excitement of art, as well as the discipline of creating art. Jo received a Bachelor of Fine Art in Painting and has traveled and studied in Europe.  Continuing studies with professionals in drawing, pen & ink, watercolors, acrylics, oils, and mixed media have honed her skills. Jo Is available year round to work with all ages and abilities; schools, museums, art agencies, art retailers and manufacturers, community centers, senior citizen centers, students with special needs (physically and emotionally), and youth-at-risk.  Services Offered – lectures, seminars, demonstrations, workshops, professional development workshops, residencies, consultations, supervision, collaborations, and juror.