Curriculum Vitae (last updated Feb. 2022)
Jethro D. Gillespie, Ph. D.
Art Educator
Maple Mountain High School
Spanish Fork, UT
Instagram: @moonbeamdirtfarmer
Honors/Awards
Organization Award Date
National Art Education Association Elliot Eisner Doctoral Research Award in Art 2019 Education Runner-up
Utah Statewide Photography/Craft/ Juror’s choice award for “Black tally mark 2018 Digital/Video Annual Show quilt”
Utah Statewide Painting/Sculpture/ Best in show for “White tally mark quilt” 2017 Installation Annual Show
Maple Mountain High School Teacher of the Year 2017
Art21 Educators Art21 Educators Mentor 2016-17
Nebo School District PEAK Award winner 2016
National Art Education Association Utah Art Educator of the Year 2013
Utah Art Education Association Utah High School Art Teacher of the Year 2012
Art21 Educators Art21 Educators 3rd year cohort 2011-2012
Utah Art Education Association Board member (print media) 2011-2015
Utah Education Teacher of the year 2008 Association/ Nebo District Springville Junior High School
Education
University Degree Discipline Dates
Concordia University Doctor of Philosophy Art Education 2013-2018 (Montreal, Quebec)
Brigham Young Master of Arts Art Education 2009-2012 University (Utah)
Brigham Young Bachelor of Fine Arts Printmaking, K-12 2002-2006 University (Utah) Art Education certification
Teaching experience
School/Institution Dates Duration Grade level
The Art of Education University 2019-2021 1.5 years Higher Ed- Graduate
Utah Valley University 2018-2019 3 semesters Higher Ed- Undergraduate
Concordia University 2013 1 semester Higher Ed- Undergraduate
Brigham Young University 2011-16 8 semesters Graduate & Undergraduate
Maple Mountain High School 2009- present 12 years Secondary - Grades 10-12
Springville Junior High 2007-2009 2 years Secondary- Grades 7-9
Refereed Publications
2016: “Oliver Herring’s TASK in the classroom: A case for process, play, and possibility.” Art Education Journal. January issue, p. 31-37.
2014: “The Portable Art Gallery: Fostering Student Ownership Through Exhibiting Artwork.” Art Education Journal. July issue, p. 6-13.
Other publications
2017: “Areas for Action in the classroom” School Arts. March issue, p. 38-39.
Doctoral Dissertation
“Rethinking and remaking a High School Art Foundations Curriculum”
Committee Members
(Dr. Juan Carlos Castro, Dr. Daniel Barney, Dr. M.J. Thompson, & Dr. Lorrie Blair)
Defended: April 4, 2018
Presentations and Public Collaborations
2022: -P(woe)vo: And A/R/T-ographic gesture. Utah Art Education Assocition
Conference. Hurricane, UT (March).
2020: -Scribbling party: Educator catharsis and the current state of public education in
Utah. Utah Art Education Association Conference. Hurricane, UT (February).
2019: -Connecting secondary students with contemporary artists. (with Clark
Goldsberry, & Jamie Rees) National Art Education Association Conference.
Boston, MA (March).
2018: -Rethinking and Remaking a High School Art Foundations Curriculum. Pecha
Kucha format, Grad student presentations, Art Education Research Institute
(AERI). Naperville, Illinois (September).
-Concentration Blitz: An approach to helping A.P. students develop a more
authentic art practice. Utah Art Education Association conference. Hurricane,
UT. (February).
2017: -Rethinking and Remaking a high school art foundations curriculum. A
presentation of preliminary findings from my dissertation research. With Mark
Graham and Fidalis Buehler. Foundations of Art: Theory and Education (FATE)
conference. Kansas City, MO. (April).
-Areas for Action in the classroom. Collaboration with Oliver Herring, Jessica
Hamlin, and several high school students. National Art Education Association
conference. Super Session, New York City, NY (March).
2016: -Areas for Action. Collaboration with Oliver Herring and hundreds students from
five high schools and one university (BYU) in Utah county over the course of a
week and a half (with Bart Francis, James Rees, Clark Goldsberry, & Michelle
Walker) Utah Art Education Conference. St. George, UT. (October).
2015: -Paintings and TASK in the classroom. Creative Collaborative Artist talk. Provo,
UT (October).
-Artist lecture about my practice, UVU Art Department, Orem, UT. (October).
-Areas for Action. Collaboration with Oliver Herring and 15 high school students.
Creative Chemistries Symposium, hosted by Art21. Park Avenue Armory, New
York City, NY. (February).
2014: -The Teaching Artist’s Praxis in the Classroom Environment (Pecha Kucha
format). NYU Forum on the Teaching Artist: Innovation, Navigation, and
Sustainability. New York City, NY. (April).
-Relational Projects in the high school art classroom (with Jack Watson and
Todd Elkin) National Art Education Association Conference. San Diego, CA
(March).
-The Portable Art Gallery: Fostering student ownership through exhibiting
student artwork. National Art Education Association Conference. San Diego,
CA (March).
-The Teaching Artist’s Praxis in the Classroom Environment. Art Education
Graduate Student Symposium. Montreal, QC, Canada (March).
2013: -Teaching History through Art. Springville Museum of Art, Springville, UT
(January).
2012: -Art Education Featured Seminar Lecture, (with Jamie Rees) UVU. Orem, UT,
(October).
-A Year with Art21 Educators: Case Studies and Conversations. National Art
Education Association conference. Panel member, New York City, NY (March).
-Collaboration Across Communities (presented with Bart Francis). National Art
Education Association conference. New York City, NY (March).
-The Portable Art Gallery: Facilitating Student Ownership through Exhibiting
Artwork. Utah Art Education Association conference, St. George, UT
(February).
2011: -TASK: Improvisation and Creativity, Utah Valley University, Orem, UT (October).
-The Billboard Poetry Project (with Ashley Mae Hoiland & Dr. Daniel Barney)
Provo, UT (September).
-Teaching with Themes. Utah Art Education Association conference. St. George,
UT (February).
2008: -Tapping into Contemporary Art. Utah Art Education Association conference. St.
George, UT (February).
Recent personal art practice- Solo and group exhibitions & events
2022: - “Common Threads” Group show of fabric works. Finch Lane Gallery, SLC, UT
(April-June).
2021: - “Altar for Richard Rorty,” pallet wood sculpture (approx. 48”x36”x36”) burning
and speech. Highland, UT (Jan.)
2020: - “Buckyball altar” (for Buckminster Fuller), pallet wood sculpture of a
36”x36”x36” Buckyball, burning with speech. Highland, UT (Dec.)
2019: - “Pencil Effigy” 96”x54”x54”, pallet wood sculpture of large used-up pencil,
burning event with speech. Highland, UT (December). Video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13KGZcvW07M
- “Pink drill bit” (96”x18”x18”, wood, project foam, pink minky fabric) accepted
into the Springville Museum of Art- Spiritual and Religious show. In Springville,
Utah. (October).
2018: - “Black tally mark quilt” (72”x72”, black thread on black muslin) Juror’s choice
award at the Utah Statewide Annual Photography, Craft, & Digital/Video show
at the Rio Grand Gallery in conjunction with the Utah Arts Council in Salt Lake
City. (November).
- “Black tally mark quilt” (72”x72”, black thread on black muslin) accepted into
the Springville Museum of Art annual quilt show. In Springville, Utah (July).
- “Black tally mark quilt” and “White tally mark quilt” (each 72”x72”) Growing
Divine: Muslim, Mormon, & Hindu textile art. Curated by McArthur Krishna, at
Writ and Vision in Provo, Utah (June).
- “Whoop Dee Doo” performance, collaboration with Jaimie Warren and Matt
Roche and several high school students, at the Provo Towne Centre, Provo,
Utah (May).
- “Portraits of learning: Muriel” photograph (36”x24”, digital) accepted into the
Spring Salon at the Springville Museum of Art (February).
2017: - “White tally mark quilt” (72” x 72”, white thread on white muslin) won best in
show at the Utah Statewide Annual Painting, Sculpture, and Installation show
in Salt Lake City (December).
- “Portraits of Learning: Isabell” photograph (48”x48”, digital) accepted in the
2nd Annual Zion Art Society Invitational: 50 years of LDS art show at Anthony’s
Fine Art in Salt Lake City (November).
- “White tally mark quilt and 2”x4” nail project” installation (approx. 72”x72”x72”)
accepted in the Spring showcase at the Springville Museum of Art (February).
2016: - “Areas for Action” exhibition at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art in Salt
Lake City. Part of a group project with Oliver Herring and other art educators
from Utah valley (Bart Francis (MVHS), Jamie Rees (PHS), Clark Goldsberry
(AFHS), and Anna Davis (THS) (February).
2015: - “TASK Party” hosted with Oliver Herring in Mapleton, UT with 400 participants
(October).