James F. G. Brown Ph.D.
Wednesdays 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Dr. Brown has served as Program Coordinator and instructor for the University's Visual Arts Education certification and degree programs at Undergraduate, Master's, and Doctoral levels, Provided program and curriculum development for required State recertification review for all colleges and universities in Michigan.
He has participated in evaluation of teaching portfolios. Provided supervision for Student Teachers in 1/2 day and full day internships, Provided oversight and expansion for the program's Laboratory School experience. Provided student advising to undergraduate and graduate students, Served on Doctoral committees, providing guidance, research support, and qualifying exams, Researched, Designed, and taught several new courses for the College of Education including: Applied Design in Visual Arts Education, the Art of Indigenous Cultures, Collage, Assemblage, and Mixed-Media, as well as: Painting, Art Trends, Multicultural Issues, Theory and Practice of Art Education, and two courses that assist students with the completion of their Master's Theses.
Dr. Brown has been an active member of many visual arts and education communities for over four decades. His work experience includes teaching art at all levels from kindergarten through graduate level. He has exhibited his work on the east coast and in Michigan, he has worked as a designer of specialized environments and aids for physically challenged children, and designed a number of architectural renovations. His intellectual interests include: exploring the art and wisdom of indigenous cultures, the effects of racism and sexism on the development and practice of art making, the experience of teaching as relatedness, and the affective heart of education. His studio work is an attempt to weave together influences from the immediate physical environment, two-dimensional and three-dimensional media, and various aspects of his spiritual journey, into a coherent statement of personal meaning. Recognizing the limits of education in the classroom, he strives to encourage self-directed explorations of course content, as a means to validate life-long growth and learning.
Baccalaureate: B.F.A.: Clark University, Worcester, MA, Painting and
Furniture Design.
Graduate: M.A.T.: Assumption College, Worcester, MA, Fine Arts
C.A.G.S.: Assumption College, Worcester, MA, Education
Psy.S.: Center for Humanistic Studies, Detroit, MI, Humanistic Psychology
Ph.D.: Union University, Cincinnati, OH, Clinical Psychology, with subfields in
Humanistic Education, Humanistic Psychology, and Qualitative Research.
Certification: K-12 Visual Arts: Massachusetts
Exhibitions
Scarab Club: Detroit, MI.
University of Michigan, Work Gallery, Detroit, MI.
Wayne State University: Faculty Exhibitions
Detroit Artist’s Market, Detroit, MI.
Willis Gallery, Detroit, MI.: two exhibitions
Lansing Art Gallery: two exhibitions
Whitney Counterweight, New York, N.Y.
The Worcester Art Museum: nine exhibitions
The Washburn and Moen Gallery: four exhibitions
Boston Center for the Arts: three exhibitions
Boston Visual Artists Union Gallery: four exhibitions
The Henri Gallery, Washington, D.C., two exhibitions
The Brocton Art Center, Brocton, MA.
Heaney Gallery, Holden, MA: two exhibitions
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Mt Ida College, Newton, MA.
Barraford Gallery, Wellesley, MA.
Worcester State College, Worcester, MA.
Atlantic Union College, Clinton, MA.
OTHER CREATIVE WORKS
Provided consultation and designs for Interior Architectural renovations of historic Detroit homes to contractors, and for homes in mid-Michigan.
Designed and totally rehabilitated a 100 year old house that was ready for demolition in Detroit
Created Masks for local theatre production of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, by Ron Allen
Created Masks for local theatre production of The Aboriginal Treatment Center, by Ron Allen
Set design, fabrication, and painting for Theatre and Dance Troupes in Worcester Massachusetts.
Papers OR Seminars Presented
International Rehabilitation Association Conference: Psychosocial Issues and Interventions in Rehabilitation, Southfield MI.
Michigan State University: Rehabilitation of the Whole Person.
Union Institute and University: Phenomenology: History and Application. Salt Lake City, UT.
The Center for Humanistic Studies Annual Conference: Gestalt Process and Eidetic Variation: Imaginal Tools.
The Center for Humanistic Studies Annual Conference: Eidetic Variation: Key Process of Phenomenological Research.
Seminar on The Impact of Early Literacy Texts on Children’s Eye Movement and Oral Reading Processes, presented with Dr Karen Feathers and Dr Poonam Arya, Wayne State University.
Training Seminars on “The Essentials of Art Education”, Community Arts Partnerships, College for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI.
Seminar on Classroom Relationships that Facilitate Learning and Cooperation, Wayne State University.
Seminar on Social Skills for Adolescents who Experience Asperger’s Syndrome, Seaholm High School.
Seminar on Classroom Management, COE, Wayne State University.
Seminar on the Uses Technology for the Classroom, COE, Wayne State University.
Seminar on Classroom Management, COE, Wayne State University.
Seminar on Classroom Management, 6 week, 2 hour Seminar for Art Education students, Wayne State University.
Lecture on Existential Play and Art Therapies with Children, Oakwood Hospital.
Channel 30: Impact of Substance Abuse and Dependency on the Family.
Oakwood Hospital: Dynamics of the Dysfunctional Family.
Troy Public Library: Why Men are the Way They Are.
City of Grand Rapids: Handicapper Health, Safety, and Sensitivity.
Center for Handicapper Affairs, Lansing, MI, Dynamics of Communication for Peer Counseling.
Michigan Association for Rehabilitation Facilities: Rehabilitation Design: Aids and Environments.
Center for Realistic Living, Troy, MI: Communication Skills Training.
The Effects of Racism and Discrimination on the Arts of the Garifuna, A case study of institutional and cultural racism on the Indigenous people of the eastern coast of Belize.
The Effects of Racism and Discrimination on the Arts of the Garifuna, A case study of institutional and cultural racism on the Indigenous people of the eastern coast of Nicaragua.
Gestalt, Perception, and Visual Tracking: A Literature Review with a Theoretical Model for understanding reading problems in children's books.
Analysis of the Methods and Processes of Teaching in Reggio Emilia inspired schools: A Case Study utilizing Interactional Analysis of the teaching methods used in 4 schools in California.
Study of the Mental Health Environment in Head Start Schools; A Case Study of teaching styles and methodologies of 20 teachers, written for the Macomb County Head Start Program.
Why Men and Women Are the Way They Are: a Case Study of contemporary literature on Sex-Role Stereotyping.
Rehabilitation Design Manual: A training program with accompanying slide documentation, Written for the Michigan Deportment of Social Services.
Into the Labyrinth: The Struggle for Personal Freedom: a Phenomenological Study of personal growth in relationships (Doctoral Dissertation).