Jenny Pauckner, MFA
Having studied at a small liberal arts college for her own undergraduate work, Jenny Pauckner understood the value of close relationships between faculty and students, a major feature of Ashford University. She earned her BA in Studio Art from Marian College and completed her MFA with an emphasis on painting at Indiana State University. Recently, she won a solo exhibition of her paintings at Marian College in Indianapolis.
As an instructor and teacher, Pauckner is best known for her experiential approach to learning. For example, in a recent session on Abstract Expressionism in her Art Appreciation II class, she and her students mimicked Jackson Pollack's process to create 'drip' paintings. They laid a 12-foot-long canvas across the floor of the studio. Then everyone used brushes, sticks, and even their own hands to drip, splatter, and fling paint across the canvass. Of this exercise, Pauckner says, ''experiencing painting like Pollock allowed us a greater understanding of the work: that painting was seen as a process as much as a finished product by artists of this movement."
Here at Ashford, Pauckner plays many different important roles. She is head of the Art Department, she teaches studio art and art history, and serves as a faculty advisor for Ashford students. In addition, she directs the Cortona Gallery (Ashford's very own visual-arts showplace on campus, located on the 2nd floor of Clare Hall), and also acts as a liaison between Ashford and the larger Clinton arts community. Perhaps most exciting of all, she is leading a small group of Ashford students and staff on a trip to Italy and Greece in May, where students will earn course credit while experiencing first-hand the art and architecture of the Mediterranean.