{"id":11010,"date":"2024-01-17T09:00:36","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T14:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/?p=11010"},"modified":"2024-01-18T13:39:34","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T18:39:34","slug":"sculpting-a-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/2024\/01\/17\/sculpting-a-legacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Sculpting a Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

John and Linda Jensen Find Lifelong Creativity, Connection and Community Through Armstrong\u2019s Art Department<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cIn those early days at Armstrong State University, we felt like we were on an adventure,\u201d said John Jensen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The meeting of art professors John and Linda Jensen was serendipitous. They didn\u2019t know it at the time, but they were among more than 125 applicants vying for tenure-track positions at Armstrong. John, a graduate of the University of Arizona, and Linda, with degrees from the University of Memphis, had a lifelong calling for creating and teaching art. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert Burnett, then-president of Armstrong State, envisioned an art department with John and Linda leading the way. They began their journey in August 1985, with John teaching ceramics and Linda teaching photography and art education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Jensens met on the first day of orientation. It wasn\u2019t long before they found in each other not just professional synergy but also an enduring personal connection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLinda took one look at me and she\u2019s like, ‘This is the man for me,'” reminisced John. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes I did,\u201d laughed Linda. \u201cNeither one of us had ever been married and our careers and our art were our lives. So we always say that Bob Burnett was responsible for our children.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBack in 1985, we had, including the two of us, three art faculty and about four students,\u201d John said. \u201cAnd I mean that literally. Nothing was perfect, but we loved it and we really felt appreciated. We knew they cared about us.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 35 and 30 years of teaching respectively, John and Linda have made a profound impact on their students. Many of Linda\u2019s students are professional photographers and John has plenty of students who are doing well in the world of ceramics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA special joy for us is watching our former students succeed,\u201d John said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s incredibly fulfilling to see our students thrive as artists,\u201d Linda added. \u201cTheir success is our success.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After ending their University careers \u2014 Linda retired in 2015 and John retired in 2020 \u2014 the couple embraced a new phase in their artistic lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

John\u2019s studio became a haven for his art and a welcoming space for art enthusiasts. Several galleries recognized the quality of his ceramics and paintings, and they are selling his works at a premium. He was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Sculpture and traveled to several countries to give presentations on his work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cRetirement for us was never about stopping,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was about starting something new and exciting. We couldn\u2019t stop creating because it\u2019s in our blood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Linda continues her artistic journey through vibrant mixed-media creations. She explained, \u201cMy art is an expression of my soul. I love incorporating vivid beads and photographs into my pieces.\u201d She infuses her art with a deeply personal touch, often crafting icons of her former students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

John and Linda occasionally collaborate on unique creations such as John\u2019s ceramic lamps with Linda\u2019s beautiful shades. Together, their art extends beyond their studios, reaching the community through active participation in fundraisers. John has contributed several pieces to area nonprofits and recently contributed to the Empty Bowl project for Emmaus House in Savannah. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Linda finds joy in gifting her creations to friends, family, former students and the wider community. \u201cFor me, art is meant to be shared,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, the art department at the Armstrong Campus carries the indelible mark left by the Jensens, and continues to produce excellent artists and creators. After more than four decades of artistic endeavors, the Jensens\u2019 love for art and each other continues to inspire everyone they encounter. \u201cOur story is far from over,\u201d John said. \u201cArt will always be a part of who we are.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 Liz Walker<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

John and Linda Jensen Find Lifelong Creativity, Connection and Community Through Armstrong\u2019s Art Department \u201cIn those early days at Armstrong State University, we felt like we were on an adventure,\u201d said John Jensen. The meeting of art professors John and Linda Jensen was serendipitous. They didn\u2019t know it at the time, but they were among […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":11171,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[86],"class_list":["post-11010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-fall-2023"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11010"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11010\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}