Faculty Guest Blogger: Stephen Garrison
The Marywood University Art Department is thrilled to announce the appointment of Professor Stephen Garrison as the new Art Program Coordinator in the fall 2025. Professor Garrison brings a wealth of experience to this multifaceted role, encompassing not only his extensive teaching background but also his artistic endeavors and entrepreneurial spirit. As the department’s central point of contact, he will serve as a guiding force and advocate for students, faculty, and staff, while his passion for the arts will undoubtedly continue to energize the vibrant spirit of the program. WhereCreativityWorks.com recently sat down with Professor Stephen Garrison to learn more about his experience as an artist and educator.
What do you teach and how long have you been teaching at Marywood?
This is a tough one as I have taught in many areas during my 23 years at Marywood, from the History of Furniture, Drawing and Representation, Furniture Design Studio, Design Thinking, Sculpture, and Painting. Most consistently over that time has been Foundation Design, whether in the Art Department or the Marywood School of Architecture (MUSOA), looking at the essence of composition and helping students to make the transition from a standardized model of high school education to become curious thinkers with regards to the design process.
Can you tell us about your educational background?
I received my BFA and MFA, both in Painting and Art History, from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. In addition to teaching, I am currently serving as the Art Department’s Program Coordinator.
Did your career path match your vision of a career path? What is different?
I cannot say that my path has been a linear one that I could have predicted specifically but looking back on it I can definitely say that I have been open to making decisions based on being curious about what ‘design’ truly means. When opportunities arose, I looked at them for their potential challenge as opposed to seeing them as limitations.
What is your favorite thing about your current job?
Being back in the Marywood University Art Department after some time away has reminded me that art, artistry, and creativity are what makes the world a more interesting place. Art is evident in every facet of life. Everything in the world has been designed, but not everything in the world has been designed well and it’s the artistry of the detail that makes things worthwhile. It could be the color chosen, the pattern, it could be as simple as the finish of a material, but these are all artistic choices to be experienced.
Artwork can be quiet. Artwork can be loud. Artwork can be an object that you interact with on a daily basis or artwork can be in the background as something that is subconscious. It is those choices, it is that level of investment and involvement that makes every day worthwhile.
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Can you share about any recent career milestones?
Over the last year I was able to exhibit a group of new paintings and drawings, entitled The Stories We Tell Ourselves, both here at Marywood in September of 2023, and in Savannah, Georgia in January of 2024. This was a connection of the two major creative epicenters of my career, and was an opportunity to focus on creating artwork in a way that I had not been able to for quite some time. In all it was 24 paintings and drawings, with 22 of them being created in 2023 alone.
What kinds of things inspire you?
As trite as it might sound, as an educator and coach I am inspired by inspiring. I love to create opportunities for others to learn or create things that they might not have considered or thought possible.
Are you currently working on any interesting side projects?
Earlier this year I wrapped the 10th season of an international webcast that I created in 2018 called ‘A Student’s Perspective’ which connected Marywood Interior Architecture students with designers, manufacturers, and design celebrities around the world to hear the stories about how their careers might have developed in a non-linear way. I produced, edited, directed, and composed every episode, with the 10th season, and part of the 9th, seeing me step from the production side of things to go ‘on air’ out of necessity, with the final season having been recorded in the UK in February of 2024. In all we had just over 140 episodes containing 100+ hours of conversation about what it takes to craft your own career in the world of design, and offering sage advice along the way. Some of our hosts even found their future employers sitting across the microphones. We even managed to rank in the top 200 design podcasts for a time last year on the German Apple Podcast charts, the episodes can be found at www.astudentsperspective.tv
What are some of the biggest rewards in your career?
As an educator, the biggest rewards will always be hearing back from a former student and seeing their successes.
Any advice for current art students at Marywood?
My advice to the Marywood Art students is to always be curious, never settle for ‘what is’, and to be open to possibility.
Visit Stephen Garrison at https://stephen-garrison.weebly.com/ and on Instagram at @stephen.p.garrison
Visit our Study Art page to discover more about the programs we offer, our faculty, and our exciting opportunities for art majors both on and off campus.
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To learn more about the Art Department or to schedule a visit, email us at art@marywood.edu or call 570-348-6278 and chat with us.