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Work Background
WorkPlay Learning DesignFounder, Chief Academy Officer
Jan. 2024Vermont, United StatesWorkPlay Learning Design is the concierge LXD (learning experience design) firm of Jack Thomas, an award-winning educator, consultant, and veteran learning architect. From tech startups to content creators, nonprofits to small businesses, executive coaches to wellness consultants, woodworkers to sommeliers - Jack has designed client-facing learning assets and internal company training for them all. Whether you’re managing six customers or six figures, expert learning design can elevate both your company culture and your client offerings. After a decorated career as a college art & art history professor at some of the country’s top research and liberal arts colleges, Jack brought her educational expertise to the intrepid world of VC-funded startups and EdTech, helping grow revenues and audiences at some of the world’s leading educational and training startups. Recognizing the pressing need for VC-quality LXD services in the private, nonprofit, and government sectors, Jack Launched WorkPlay Learning Design to serve individuals and small businesses in the knowledge, consulting, creative, environmental, tech, finance, and nonprofit sectors.
ResiliaLead Instructional Designer
Jan. 2023 - Jan. 2024
TeachableCourse Design Manager
Jan. 2022 - Oct. 2022Randolph, Vermont, United StatesAs the senior Course Design Manager at Teachable, I was the architect of a launch-based course design program that crafted premium-quality, profitable online courses for creators and other subject area experts. My proprietary funnel analysis framework and five-step course design process guided creators from discovery call to launch, resulting in courses that drove 10x the earnings of Teachable's platform average. In this role, I was responsible for mastering and delivering on a variety of skills, including (but not limited to): instructional design; curriculum development; scriptwriting for both marketing and technical content; ongoing iteration of social and video-based marketing strategy for creators; acting as director-producer for on-location educational and marketing video shoots; working directly with top talent for both content development and ongoing relationship/business growth; and managing video post-production workflows. I also engaged with hiring, training, and mentorship of junior team members and shared knowledge and original assets that measurably contributed to growth and target attainment across the platform.
Warren Wilson CollegeAdjunct Professor, Drawing
Aug. 2021 - Dec. 2021Swannanoa, North Carolina, United StatesI designed this course to cover a range of techniques and topics in Drawing, from making custom paintbrushes and pens for wet-media drawing to observational sketching to guiding self-directed multimedia drawing projects. The backbone of this course was a methodical accumulation of textural, observational, and conceptual/imaginative mastery, culminating in a comprehensive self-directed drawing project executed in multiple media. Students exited this course with a new familiarity of various materials and techniques; an understanding of the cumulative process required to make, assess, rework, and present a final work of art; the ability to craft heirloom-quality personal mark-making tools; professional practices knowledge centered on artwork documentation and general craftsmanship; a strong grasp of drawing-based vocabulary; and a multimedia portfolio of drawing work that reflected thoughtful assessment of their personal interests, lived environment, and strongest skills.
Brevard CollegeAdjunct Professor, Modern & Contemporary Art
Aug. 2021 - Dec. 2021Brevard, North Carolina, United StatesFor my Seminar in Modern & Contemporary Art course at Brevard College, I facilitated experiential learning about the foundational themes, artists, and movements associated with modern and contemporary art. This course had a special focus on Western artists and art movements since 1975 as well as on the craft, design, and artistic legacy of the Bauhaus and Black Mountain College. Throughout this course, students engaged in experiential field- and museum-based studies including the creation of new audio performance artwork using John Cage's legendary work "33 1/3". Students also gained skills and experience in research-based public presentation, consistent journaling/sketchbooking, writing contemporary art criticism, and curating conceptually-rigorous group art exhibitions based on self-selected themes. Students exited this course with research proficiency and historical knowledge regarding the prevailing themes, figures, and movements of Modern & Contemporary art history. They also gained a deeper understanding of the influence of regional Appalachian craft and Modernist design on contemporary art and design practices. Additionally, students engage in the critical practice of regular, reflective journaling and sketchbooking. Finally, students exited the course with a comprehensive package of knowledge and tangible works evincing a strong ability to connect concepts, themes, movements, and artworks in Modern & Contemporary Art History.
Blue Ridge Community CollegeFine Arts Faculty
Jan. 2021 - Jan. 2022Flat Rock, North Carolina, United StatesAs a full faculty member at Blue Ridge Community College, I taught Studio Art and Art History/Appreciation courses, as well as spearheaded curriculum development and instructional design for studio-based and history-based Arts courses. I also served as a student academic + career advisor; a member of college-wide committees; and a faculty sponsor for student identity groups. To achieve these goals, I work with a variety of technologies including Moodle LMS, Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, Adobe CC, Flipgrid, and Aviso Retention CRM as well as additional software and hardware for photo, audio, and video production. In addition to teaching, instructional design, committee work, and academic/career mentorship, my advising and faculty duties also include addressing issues common to a student body with a strong BIPoC and first-generation presence.
Blue Ridge Community CollegeAdjunct Professor, Painting
Aug. 2020 - Jan. 2021As an Art Department adjunct professor at Blue Ridge Community College, I taught Painting as a course based in technique, theory, and history, consistently attuning my approach to meet students at all skill levels. I structured this course around the three primary themes found in some of history's earliest known cave paintings (in the Cave of El Castillo, Cantabria, Spain). Red discs (Abstraction), reverse silhouettes of hands (The Body), and bison (Objects of Desire) adorn these cave walls, pointing to three enduring categories in the history of painting. Using these ancient works as touchpoints, my students move through the course studying related contemporary works and the foundations of color theory, composition, and oil painting technique while simultaneously creating self-directed paintings of their own that address these themes. Collaborative group critiques (both in-process and final) were integral to the course, as were talks from regional and national visiting artists (held via Zoom due to covid-19). At the culmination of the course, students exited with a cohesive portfolio of four thematic paintings, as well as exercise paintings based in color theory and value study for future studio reference.
Georgia State University College of the ArtsAdjunct Professor, Introductory Studio (Art Foundations Program)
Aug. 2020 - Jan. 2021Atlanta, Georgia, United StatesMy Introductory Studio course, part of GSU's rigorous Art Foundations program, was based on "How to Be an Artist", the best-selling book from Pulitzer-prize-winning art critic Jerry Saltz. This course covered a range of techniques and topics from art history to situational sculpture, from making paintbrushes to crafting artist statements, and from critical reading to video production. The backbone of the course is a methodical reading of Saltz's book that scaffolds an array of visual projects and professional practices, culminating in a comprehensive education on what it really takes to be a working artist. Students exited this course with a new familiarity of various materials and techniques; an understanding of the cumulative process required to make, assess, rework, and present a final work of art; early drafts of a working artist statement; an abundance of professional practices knowledge centered on artwork documentation and juried show/grant research; and a multimedia portfolio of work that reflected thoughtful assessment of their personal history and foundational beliefs as an artist.
Brevard CollegeAdjunct Professor, Foundations of 2D Design (Art Foundations Program)
Aug. 2020 - Jan. 2021Brevard, North Carolina, United StatesFor my Foundations of 2D Design course, I designed and facilitated experiential learning about the elements of art, the principles of design, and contemporary art & design history related to select projects. I developed this course around the concept "Bauhaus at Black Mountain: Appalachian Modernism at Black Mountain College". Students moved through this course learning about the history of the Bauhaus, the migration of prominent Bauhaus professors and artists to Black Mountain College, and the legacy created by the collision of Appalachian craft and Bauhaus design. Simultaneously, students were introduced to the elements of art and principles of design, and were empowered to employ this new technical and historical knowledge to create their own works of art. After each unit (ex: Space & Texture), students completed an exploratory technical exercise designed to develop material mastery and test design ideas in pencil, pen, ink, and/or gouache. After a collaborative critique of the exercise, students moved on to use their new skills and ideas to complete a Modernist-inspired visual project that involved media proficiency, conceptual mastery, and individual imagination. These projects also pay homage to the visual legacy of both the Bauhaus and the aesthetics of Black Mountain College (ex: a Modernist quilt design based on positive/negative space and three categories of texture). Students exited this course with material proficiency and technical knowledge regarding the elements of art and principles of design, as well as proficiency with design vocabulary for use in group critique and self-assessment. They also gained a deeper understanding of the influence of regional Appalachian craft and Modernist design on contemporary art and design practices. Finally, students developed a visually cohesive portfolio of exercises and creative works in a variety of techniques including painting, drawing, collage, and handmade book structures.
Georgia State UniversityInstructor of Record, Introductory Studio (Art Foundations Program)
Aug. 2019 - May. 2020Atlanta, Georgia, United StatesAs Instructor of Record for Introductory Studio in GSU's Art Foundations program, I was responsible for the independent design and implementation of a course that established familiarity with material processes; art history/appreciation; conceptual reading; critical writing; and professional practices for current and prospective art majors. I designed one section of this course around the title "Utopia/Mytopia/Myopia", encouraging students to think critically about their relationships to secular and spiritual belief systems in the context of empathy and art-making. In this course, students produced a painting, a sculpture, a stop-motion video, and a handmade zine or book, with each project incorporating critical discussion and writing components. I designed my second section of Introductory Studio around "How to Be an Artist", the best-selling recent book from Pulitzer-prize-winning art critic Jerry Saltz. This section of the course covered a range of techniques and topics from art history to situational sculpture, making paintbrushes to crafting artist statements, and critical reading to video production. The backbone of the course was a methodical reading of Saltz's book that scaffolds an array of visual projects and professional practices, culminating in a comprehensive education on what it really takes to be a working artist.
Georgia State UniversityInstructor of Record, Introduction to Printmaking
Aug. 2018 - May. 2019Atlanta, Georgia, United StatesAs an instructor for Introduction to Printmaking, I enabled students to gain working confidence in the processes, materials, and safety protocols of a bustling university print shop while challenging themselves to mesh personal interests and creative goals into a cohesive portfolio of work. Through structured creative learning, I empowered student success in the mechanics of etching zinc & copper; carving wood & linoleum; preparing ink; and operating various presses. For each project in this course, I guided individual students from ideation through experimentation and to the creation of final work for critique and personal portfolio development. I adapted my teaching to support students at all levels of skill, including the allocation of additional instruction for students seeking more advanced techniques and goals within the structure of the course. While employing a wide array of print media - including relief, intaglio, monotype, silkscreen, collagraph, flocking, and pronto-plate lithography - I enabled students to create a comprehensive portfolio of work addressing the question "What is the most powerful force in the universe?" This ideological scaffolding supported critical reading and writing exercises; provided a backbone for collaborative discussion and critique; and laid a strong foundation for students to expand their independent portfolios outside of the context of the Printmaking class. Students exited this course with a comprehensive portfolio of work and writing; an introduction to professional practices in the editions print shop; and a strong introductory (and in some cases intermediate) knowledge of nearly all printmaking media and techniques.
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