Professor Cheryl Knowles-Harrigan
Artist’s Bio:
Cheryl Knowles-Harrigan was educated at Philadelphia College of Art (illustration) and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (painting, printmaking). Her graduate degree is in Educational Technology from Stockton University of NJ. She is a Full Professor of Art at Atlantic Cape Community College where she teaches drawing, mixed media painting, classical drawing and painting techniques, printmaking, and General Education art courses for the non-major. She has lectured on art history, art appreciation, and led hands-on workshops for teenagers and adults at numerous art and community centers. In 2009-2010, she received a Princeton Mid-Career Fellowship that allowed her to study the portrait and conceptual writing and art while authoring an in-depth research paper that was published by Princeton University. She was Atlantic Cape’s 2011 recipient of the Lindback Teaching Excellence Award.
Cheryl is in numerous private collections and has exhibited her work in many solo and group shows in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Her work can be seen at La Bottega of Art (Millville), Nashville North Gallery (Linwood), and at Ocean City Fine Arts League (Ocean City NJ). She is a studio artist at Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts (Studio 3). She will meet you by appointment at the studio and is available for commission work. Cheryl is a resident of Milmay, NJ. You can see more of Cheryl’s work and get updates on workshops and events by visiting Ckharts on Facebook or here on her Website.
Artist’s Statement:
“No matter the medium, the primary goal of my painting is to clearly communicate to the viewer beyond what is simply seen. When painting realistic subject matter, be it landscape, still life, or figure, I seek to find the nuances of a subject that evoke a sensation of a mood, time, and space. Even though my paintings are usually quiet, I hope they speak volumes to the viewer through their rich detail, light, and color thus capturing not only the likeness of the subject but more importantly its spirit at that moment in time.”
Teaching Philosophy (Abridged):
“After leading the classroom for 30+ years I aim to cater to all learning styles. Being a visual learner, I stress attainable benchmarks through scaffolded learning. Each exercise builds upon the last and all are intricately connected and purposefully planned. At the end of a class, artspeak and the physical act of art making, are cogent and embedded in the students’ outcomes. Art was a process of learning for me; first at my leisure then as a career. For my art students, I seek to enrich their lives through see it, do it exercises. For the non-majors art is a means of communication and we seek to find the underlying message and components that make up the work itself. I do not believe in rote memory for the visual arts. It is a process…just like making a painting.”
Cheryl Knowles-Harrigan Art 