Jessica Houston
Visual
Specialities: Collage, Drawing, Murals, Nature-focused art, Outdoor Art-making, Painting, Printmaking, Photography, Public Installations, Storytelling
Contact Info
Email address
Phone Number
Website address
Other Weblink
Resides in
English Montreal
Social Media
Experience working with
Student In
- Early childhood
- Cycle 1 Elementary
- Cycle 2 Elementary
- Cycle 3 Elementary
- Secondary 1 & 2
- Secondary 3 & 4
- Secondary 5
- CEGEP
- Senior Citizens
Lifelong Learners
- Adult Learners
I regularly explore the following Broad Areas of Learning/Themes in my work
- Health and Wellbeing
- Personal and Career Planning
- Environmental Awareness and Consumer Rights and Responsibilities
- Media Literacy
- Citizenship and Community Life (Identity & Belonging)
- STEAM
Listed in the Quebec Culture in the Schools Repertoire
- Yes
I have experience working with
- ELAN’s ACE Initiative
- LEARN, Quebec; The New York State School Board; Creative Arts Learning at Columbia University, NY; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
I can facilitate virtual creative experiences
- Yes
Travel
- I am available for travel overnight
- An extended residency is an option
Other ELAN ArtEd Links
Stories and News:- Taking it Outside: Bringing Arts Education into Open Spaces
- Artists in Education – Jessica Houston
- Stories & News: Fostering Resilience Through Art-Making
- Stories & News: Question, Wonder, Imagine: Experiencing the World Through Visual Arts
- Distance Learning: the 21st Century Message in a Bottle
I have traveled from pole to pole creating art projects with high-school and primary students at the intersection of art, ecology and environmental justice. My school-wide art and STEAM projects, drawing, painting, murals, installations, and interdisciplinary collaborations generate diverse spaces for creative expression. I hold a MA in Art and Art Education from Columbia University. I work closely with teachers and schools to develop online and/or in-person art experiences.
Creative Approach and Experiences Offered
I lead visual art experiences that connect students with nature and beauty. With focused exercises, students follow their natural curiosity in focused, age-appropriate experiences. We celebrate diversity of expression. Through involvement with the rich, tactile properties of drawing, painting, collage, clay, mixed media, students enrich their visual language, which they use for their own expressive means. Projects draw inspiration from nature; science; poetry/literature; social justice issues; history and students’ imagination. The creative process offers many discoveries in terms of materials, ideas, critical thinking and working together.1. Environmental Themes/Climate Change/Nature
2. Art + Science
3. Drawing, Painting
4. Social Justice, Museum/Art History Integration
5. Interdisciplinary Projects
6. Oral Histories
One-Day Event Description
Beyond Her Horizons"Beyond Her Horizons is a polar expedition that sailed the Northwest Passage in 2023 to document and honor untold stories of Indigenous and non-Indigenous women’s involvement in Arctic exploration. Okalik Eegeesiak, former chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council; Noémie Planat, polar scientist; and artist Jessica Houston sailed aboard the Que Sera, operated by Foundation Pacifique. En route, the team visited communities and listened to stories related to Inuit women’s knowledge of their land, animals, qulliq, clothing, sewing, and their contributions to the success of their families and to early explorers during first contact. In doing so, the endeavor expands the image of an “explorer” and challenges the Doctrine of Discovery.
Before and after the voyage, the team has spoken with women currently involved in Arctic exploration, including scientists, poets, educators, activists and historians to evoke the intersections of their work.
The video includes footage from the journey and oral histories in Inuktut, English, and French that showcase transdisciplinary, intergenerational narratives about and from inspirational women voyagers. Beyond Her Horizons tell stories of generations of women (living and historic) who have made life-saving clothing, migrated with animals, and interpreted and charted Arctic paths before the first Europeans ever set sail for the far north."
I can work with any number of students at a time.
Multimedia Links (copy paste web address into your browser to view):
https://vimeo.com/875789845?share=copy
The activity can be tailored to the venue, age, and amount of people.
Video
Jessica Houston: What does visual arts bring to schools at this time?
Drop-in Drawing—Drawing Rhythmic Lines at The Met