Jessica Mueller

For the first several years of my career I did two of the things I love most, make art and teach art. During those years, within my classrooms and studio I learned that my teaching practice and my studio practice are one in the same. That one directly informs the other and my students challenged, pushed, and inspired me just as much as I did them. As a teaching artist for CAPE the idea of bringing my inquiry based artist practice and not just art curriculum to the classroom was nurtured and developed.

That experience shaped how I approached my work as a program manager at CAPE. I managed the multiple layers of a million dollar, research based, federal grant. I developed and organized professional developments and supported partnerships for over 40 artists, arts teachers, and academic teachers, while working with principals and district officials.

Currently, I'm delving into my own art making process, exploring the possibilities of an art based entrepreneurship through ThINKers Press, ThINKersPrints on Etsy. At ThINKers Press I specialize in both screen printing and block printing original as well as custom art work.

I have exhibited locally and nationally, my work is a part of the permanent collection at the Library of Congress. I hold a B.F.A. from the American Academy of Art and am a former member of the Blue Island Arts and Culture Committee. I also partner with Jahn Elementary School as a member of the Local School Council and Parent Advisory Council to foster community involvement and support arts in education.

Using a combination of screen printed photos, drawings, typography, and painting, I express my beliefs, often with parallels between past and present, bringing awareness and encouraging action. My goal is to capture the attention of the viewer with the intensity of the people in the photos that I use. Those people and the stories that their photos tell give integrity to my artwork.