entertainmentFebruary 18, 2013

Assistant professor of art Justin Miller and assistant art history professor Dr. Joni Hand are new to the art department.

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Assistant professor of art Justin Miller and assistant art history professor Dr. Joni Hand are new to the art department.

Hand earned her Ph. D. from the City University of New York Graduate Center in 2010, has a Master of Arts degree in painting from Hunter College in New York and has a Bachelor of Art in graphic design from Kent State University.

Hand came to Southeast Missouri State University after spending 10 years in New York. She grew up in Ohio, but this is her first time living in Missouri.

New faculty member Justin Miller speaks to students in one of his classes at the River Campus. Photo by Callie Leitterman
New faculty member Justin Miller speaks to students in one of his classes at the River Campus. Photo by Callie Leitterman

"It's something to get used to," Hand said, in reference to moving from New York to Cape Girardeau.

Hand is an assistant professor of art history, and her research focuses on illuminated manuscripts from Northern Europe and female patronage in the late-medieval period. Her book "Women, Manuscripts and Identity in Northern Europe, 1350-1550" was published this month.

According to Hand, there is a big difference between teaching in New York and teaching at Southeast. She has had to revamp her style of teaching to make sure students are gaining the best experience.

"Cape Girardeau is different in the sense that there aren't as many museums here as there are in New York," Hand said. "Students don't have the same exposure, so you have to rely more on books; however, I like it to be more activity based than lecture based."

Hand stated that the way she keeps her class more interactive is by playing YouTube videos and having projects for the students to do.

"I don't want to bore the students by always doing lectures," Hand said. "I want to keep it fun and interesting. That is my goal."

Justin Miller is an assistant professor of art at Southeast. Miller grew up in a rural community in central Illinois. He received his Bachelor of Arts in art education and his Master of Arts from Eastern Illinois University. He also received his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Notre Dame.

After completing his education, Miller taught at a university in Fort Wayne, Ind., before coming to Southeast in the fall.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Cape Girardeau," Miller said. "I am also very proud to be a part of the Southeast faculty. The art department in particular has been incredibly helpful and welcoming, making it a relatively easy transition for me."

In addition to teaching, Miller is a practicing and exhibiting artist and is represented by Zg Gallery in Chicago.

"I try to inundate my students with images of contemporary painters," Miller said. "We live in the technological age, which allows me to bring up videos and images of other practicing artists. I think this helps inspire the art vernacular of today. I also try to take students on field trips so that they actually see paintings firsthand and better understand other artists' processes.

"Ultimately I want students to feel connected and see that they have the potential to be a part of vast artist community. I am just trying to bring my enthusiasm, experience and love for art-making to campus."

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