ARTIST
BIOGRAPHY
Overview
Born in San Jose, California (1982) and currently living in the New York City area, J’han is an emerging contemporary artist who is driven by her creativity, informed by her curiosity, and inspired by her experiences, and works within sculpture, drawing, painting, and installation art, with a recognizably unique style best described as experimental and experiential, infused with expressionist, surrealist, and abstract elements.
Academically, J’han is a graduate of the MFA Studio Art program at American University (2019) and has nearly completed the MA in Art Education program at The City College of New York (2024). J’han also holds a BFA in Illustration summa cum laude from Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (2017). Additionally, J’han holds an a Professional Teaching Certificate in the State of New York and an Advanced Professional Teaching Certificate in the State of Maryland.
Professionally, J’han teaches visual/studio art full-time in a visual arts high school setting in the New York City public school system. J’han is also an Adjunct Instructor at a Maryland community college, teaching art in both continuing education and “Kids on Campus” courses.
In late 2019/early 2020, J’han was a member of the Critical Feedback Program residency at Trestle Gallery / Trestle Art Space in Brooklyn, NY / New York, NY. In 2018, J’han was awarded a full scholarship to the School of Art summer residency at the Chautauqua Institution in New York.
For J’han, art is a way of life.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I am an emerging contemporary artist and educator, and I strive to continuously enrich my life and to develop and learn from my work through experiential and experimental processes. I am fascinated with the visceral experience of art and the dialogue it can produce. My practice as an artist is combined with my dedication to art education, community, and assisting others, especially those who are underprivileged or overlooked. I believe that everyone has a voice, through which they should be able to embrace their individuality and difference. I am also interested in the inequality of education and experience, which seems to often be a byproduct of exploitation and ego.
Throughout my childhood, I was conditioned and controlled by others. This upbringing made me hesitant and unaware of how to operate within the wider world. I had a wealth of practical knowledge from adapting to my daily experiences and my many different environments. I learned through the loss of family, just as I reached the age of adulthood, that I was not prepared to take on such responsibilities. I did so much incorrectly and was often taken advantage of, simply because I knew no better. It was not until later that I realized I had lived without being truly challenged (or supported) in any academic, professional, or adult environments. I was also unaware of the opportunities that life presents, if they are sought out. Only years later did I understand the difficulties of life, and how to address them. I have been forced to address additional and unusual complications in my life and move beyond them, in order to be able to hold myself up and face the reality that my past does not define me, my identity, or my potential.
I am a minority female from a disadvantaged youth whose path to self-recognition and growth came with a heavy heart and a range of unfortunate events and experiences. Now, however, I have achieved a deep, broad, and advanced education and am able to speak on the power of art and education. Despite all prior lack of support, motivation, or inspiration, I am proud to have completed an MFA in Studio Art (American University) and a BFA in Illustration (Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design), and will be proud of my nearly completed MA in Art Education (City College of New York). As a first generation graduate of any kind, much less graduate school, I am extremely proud of my academic and artistic accomplishments.
My sense of identity was long restricted, but my ability to evolve and adapt has prevailed: I have discovered the importance of knowledge and how education can empower individuals to be unafraid of the unknown, as entering areas unknown and inexperienced is the only way for the underprivileged to compete in a society defined by institutions where the elite hold positions of power and authority. To this end, I am also an Afro-American educator who strives to encourage and empower my students in their exploration of abstract thinking and in learning to fight the oppression of expectation. I teach, and live, in a way that dictates learning from the chaos and injustice of life, developing skills, strategy, and perseverance along the way.
In recent moments, I find myself interested in an essential question: what is equity and inclusion? My interest in this is derived from explorations of the societal importance of education and oppression, as well as my study of the philosophy of knowledge and education. I also find myself interested in a variety of other ideas and themes, including identity, memory, society, the human body, mapping the passage of time, socioeconomics and education, and the imagery and allegory of the line.
I thrive on abstraction, surrealism, and conceptual thinking. I am fascinated by the process of drawing from memory and imagination, just as I am in analyzing and constructing unconventional paths and creative alternatives. The challenge of conveying conceptual thoughts pushes my artistic abilities, and my curiosity is stimulated by exploring and identifying connections to underlying issues. The imagery of the line is very significant to me and has become the foundation of my work, as I utilize lines in a two- or three-dimensional format through suggestion, manipulation, and transformation. I explore how different materials and mediums can be intertwined to create powerful visual aesthetics. I am a figurative artist and find the body to be a versatile subject for the exploration of complex concepts. I am fascinated by how the physical rendering of a form or gesture (in any medium) is a simple reference to all that is humanity but, simultaneously, a method to convey the detailed complexity of being human.
Through education and discourse, I acquired the ability to truly identify and own my life and identity, which has resulted in the steady progression of my professional abilities and functions. I have belatedly learned the power of choice and am still learning to effectively communicate with those who have had advantages and privileges that I did not. And I have learned to use art and art education as tools to convey important messages of hope and perseverance to those who may not even know they need them.
For me, art is a way of life!
J’han
EDUCATION
The City College of New York
New York, NY
Master of Art in Art Education
Spring 2024
American University
Washington, D.C.
Master of Fine Art in Studio Art
June 2019
Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design
Denver, CO
Bachelor of Fine Art in Illustration summa cum laude
February 2017
Santa Clara High School
Santa Clara, CA
High School Diploma
June 2001
CERTIFICATIONS
Maryland State, Department of Education
MD
Advanced Professional Teaching Certificate - Teacher, PreK-12, Specialty Area, Art (September 2022)
Conditional Teaching Certificate - Teacher, PreK-12, Specialty Area, Art (March 2022)
New York State, Office of Teaching Initiatives
NY
Professional Teaching Certificate - Classroom Teacher, K-12, Visual Arts (October 2023)
Initial Teaching Certificate - Classroom Teacher, K-12, Visual Arts (October 2022)
Internship Teaching Certificate - Classroom Teacher, K-12, Visual Arts (February 2022)
New York City, Department of Education
New York, NY
Substitute Teacher Certificate - Classroom Teacher, K-12, Visual Arts (September 2021)
TRAINING & CONTINUING EDUCATION
New York State, Department of Education
Examinations
Secondary Assessment of Teaching Skills - Written (November 2021)
Content Specialty Test - Visual Arts (November 2021)
Educating All Students (December 2020)
Training
Mandated Reporter Training: Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse and Maltreatment (July 2020)
Child Abuse Prevention Workshop (May 2020)
Dignity for All Students Act Workshop (May 2020)
School Violence Prevention and Intervention Workshop (May 2020)
PROGRAMS, RESIDENCIES, & FELLOWSHIPS
Harlem Arts Alliance
New York, NY
Artistic Entrepreneurial Development Program
February 2020 - March 2020
Trestle Art Gallery / Trestle Art Space
Brooklyn, NY
Critical Feedback Program and Residency
October 2019 - March 2020
The Alper Initiative for Washington Art
The New York Foundation for the Arts
Washington, D.C.
Artist as Entrepreneur Program for Visual Artists
May 2019
Survivor’s Best Friend
Artist Fellowship
2019
Chautauqua School of Art
Chautauqua, NY
Residency
Summer 2018
AWARDS & HONORS
Fiber Art Now
United States
Teacher Grant
2019
American University
Washington, D.C.
Merit Scholarship (AY2017, AY2018)
Babs Van Swearingen Memorial Award (AY2017, AY2018)
“Figurative Creation: Extending Thesis Investigations and ‘Sculpture Time’ Into Professional Practice”
Graduate Student Research Award (AY2018)Carol Bird Ravenal Art Award (Summer 2018)
"Exploring the Integration of Painting and Sculpture"
Graduate Student Research Award (AY2017)
August 2018 - June 2019
College Art Association
United States
Travel Grant
February 2018
Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design
Denver, CO
President’s Honor Roll
Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Summer 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Summer 2015, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Fall 2014
Service to the Community Award for Student Government (Spring 2016)
November 2013 - February 2017
PUBLICATIONS
Minetta Review
Spring 2018: p38-39
Alternate Edge and Ambivalent Reflections are both featured in the Spring 2018 issue of the Minetta Review, a literary and arts publication of New York University.
The Formative Period: 2016-2017
Studio :: J'han, Volume II
February 2018
The Formative Period: 2016-2017 is Volume II of the Studio :: J'han series, presenting the fine art of J'han, an emerging contemporary artist with a recognizably unique style best described as experimental and experiential, infused with expressionist, surrealist, and abstract elements.
The Early Period: 2003-2015
Studio :: J'han, Volume I
February 2018
The Early Period: 2003-2015 is Volume I of the Studio :: J'han series, presenting the fine art of J'han, an emerging contemporary artist with a recognizably unique style best described as experimental and experiential, infused with expressionist, surrealist, and abstract elements.
CONFERENCES
Winter 2024 NOW Conference: global online conference for art teachers
The Art of Education University
Online/Remote
February 2024
NAEA22 National Convention
National Art Education Association
Online/Remote
March 2022
110th Annual Conference
The College Art Association
Online/Remote
February/March 2022
Winter 2022 NOW Conference: global online conference for art teachers
The Art of Education University
Online/Remote
February 2022
REMOTE K12: the connected teacher conference
Online/Remote
January 2021
107th Annual Conference
The College Art Association
New York, NY
February 2019
28th International Sculpture Conference
Philadelphia, PA
October 2018
POSITIONS
The Studio :: J’han Company LLC
NY
President, Founder, Principal, and Resident Artist
January 2018 to Present
BRADYcore LLC
MD
Chief of Creative
January 2022 to Present
(A Visual Arts High School)
New York City Department of Education
New York, NY
Art Teacher, High School
Fall 2023 to Present
(A Community College)
MD
Adjunct Instructor, Art
Fall 2022 to Present
Fall 2023: (ARTS 120) Introduction to Painting
Summer 2023: (XE 732) Drawing: Intro to Charcoal
Spring 2023: (ARTS 120) Introduction to Painting
Fall 2022: (ARTS 103) Drawing I: Observation and Intention
Adjunct Instructor, “Kids on Campus,” Art
Summers 2022 to Present
Lake Elkhorn Middle School
Howard County Public Schools System
Columbia, MD
Art Teacher, Middle School
July 2022 to June 2023 (ART 1 and ART 2)
March 2022 to June 2022 (ART 1)
Black Student Achievement Program, Summer Program
Howard County Public Schools System
Columbia, MD
Assistant Site Coordinator and Art Instructor
Summer 2022
Hyde Leadership Charter School
The Bronx, NY
Art Teacher, Elementary/Middle School
November 2021 to February 2022
Camp Pinecliffe
Harrison, ME
Director of Studio Art
Summers 2020 - 2021
The Ella Baker School
New York City Department of Education #M225
Manhattan, NY
Art Teacher (Long-term Substitute), Elementary/Middle School
September 2021 to November 2021
KIPP STAR Middle School
Manhattan, NY
Art Teacher, Elementary/Middle School
August 2021 to September 2021
Capital Preparatory Bronx Charter School
The Bronx, NY
Art Teacher, Middle School
August 2020 to August 2021
Success Academy Charter School - Bronx 2 Middle School
The Bronx, NY
Art Teacher, Middle School
July 2019 to August 2020
American University
Washington, D.C.
Graduate/Teaching Assistant
Spring 2019: Studio Experience
Fall 2018: Sculpture
Spring 2018: Studio Experience
Fall 2017: Studio Art
Kate Fleming
Washington, D.C.
Artist’s Assistant
Mural Painting and Public Art at Pow! Wow! DC
May 2018
The Workhouse Arts Center
Lorton, VA
Art Instructor
Summer 2017: Teen Intermediate Drawing
Spring 2017: Teen Advanced Drawing
Winter 2017: Teen Advanced Drawing
Summer 2016: Teen Intermediate Drawing
Winter 2016: Intermediate Drawing
Fall 2015: Teen Basic Painting; Basic Drawing
MEMBERSHIPS & ASSOCIATIONS
College Art Association
United States
2017 to Present
Howard County Arts Council
Howard County, MD
2022 to 2023
Harlem Arts Alliance
New York, NY
2019 to 2020
Fiber Art Network
United States
2019 to 2021
Falls Church Arts
Falls Church, VA
2017 to 2019
Washington Sculptors Group
Washington, D.C.
2018 to 2019
National Association of Graduate and Professional Students
United States
2017 to 2019
Fairfax Art League
Fairfax, VA
2017 to 2018