artist . designer . educator
Rockford, Illinois Area
- Current
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- Adjunct Professor at McHenry County College
- Adjunct Professor at International Academy of Design and Technology
- Adjunct Professor at ITT Technical Institute
- Past
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- Adjunct Professor /SME at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh - Online Division
- Associate Professor at The Illinois Institute of Art - Schaumburg
- Assistant Professor at Rockford College
- Graduate Teaching Assistant at Northern Illinois University
- Illustration Consultant at Unext
- Graduate Teaching Intern at Northern Illinois University via The Chicago Field Museum
- Education
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- Northern Illinois University
- Recommended
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13 people have recommended Chris - Connections
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105
connections
- Industry
- Higher Education
Chris Sisson’s Summary
Stints in Fine Art, Illustration, and Graphic Design culminated in graduate work at NIU and an MFA in Painting, leading me to Higher Education as my ultimate career path. Outside of education I continue to take on illustration work, commissioned assignments, graphic design projects, and gallery exhibitions.
Chris Sisson’s Specialties:
In Higher Education I have a range of teaching experience specifically related to my background in Graphic Design, Illustration, and Fine Art. Course topics include but are not limited to: Drawing, 2D/3D, Software, Art History, Conceptual Thinking, Advertising, Type, Art Direction, Storyboarding, Illustration, Pro Practices, & Portfolio. I have written curriculum at levels ranging from 100-400 for both the online and traditional classroom formats and am an experienced team leader in this area.
Chris Sisson’s Experience
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Adjunct Professor
McHenry County College
(Educational Institution; Higher Education industry)
October 2009 — Present (3 months)
Instruct Drawing and Art History courses.
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Adjunct Professor
International Academy of Design and Technology
(Educational Institution; Higher Education industry)
September 2009 — Present (4 months)
Instruct Drawing for Game Production courses.
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Adjunct Professor
ITT Technical Institute
(Higher Education industry)
August 2009 — Present (5 months)
Instruct Design Theory and Methods which include: Problem Solving with Design Methodology, Two-Dimensional Design Forms, Gestalt Principles, Perceptual Design Principles, Visual Communications,Typographic Design, and Portfolio.
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Adjunct Professor /SME
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh - Online Division
(Higher Education industry)
August 2004 — July 2009 (5 years )
Developed and Instructed online courses for Graphic Design and Advertising. Courses included Drawing, Conceptual Thinking, Mixed Media, Illustration, and Storyboarding. I also served as a Subject Matter Expert in Course Development (Storyboarding) and was the Faculty Advisor for the American Advertising Federation Student Group.
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Associate Professor
The Illinois Institute of Art - Schaumburg
(Educational Institution; Higher Education industry)
October 2002 — July 2009 (6 years 10 months)
Developed and Instructed a wide range of courses in the Foundation, Advertising, and Graphic Design departments.
Courses ranged from beginning to advanced and included Fundamentals of Drawing, Design, and Visual Communication; Image Manipulation, Life Drawing, Design Drawing, Survey of Design History, Conceptual Thinking, Intro/Advanced Ad Campaigns, Typography, Media Design, Storyboarding, Art Direction, Professional Practices, Package Design, Senior Project; Portfolio 1 & 2 for Graphic Design, Advertising, Digital Design, and Digital Photography.
Was the creator and Faculty Advisor for the AIGA Student Group (Visual Voltage), co-creator and co-chair of our Annual Student Design Competition: Square One, founder of the student produced magazine CAKE, and Gallery Committee member/designer. -
Assistant Professor
Rockford College
(Educational Institution; 201-500 employees; Higher Education industry)
August 2002 — May 2005 (2 years 10 months)
Taught beginning and advanced Digital Fine Art courses.
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Graduate Teaching Assistant
Northern Illinois University
(Educational Institution; Higher Education industry)
January 1999 — May 2002 (3 years 5 months)
Instructed various courses in the Design & Time Arts departments, including: The Fundamentals of Image/Text, Design 1 (2-D), and Design 2 (3-D).
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Illustration Consultant
Unext
(Education Management industry)
August 2000 — August 2001 (1 year 1 month)
Developed storyboards, layouts, and character designs for Flash animated learning segments, used in an accredited online learning community (Cardean University via Unext) focused on continuing education in business and e-commerce.
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Graduate Teaching Intern
Northern Illinois University via The Chicago Field Museum
(Educational Institution; Higher Education industry)
June 2000 — August 2000 (3 months)
Instructed undergraduates from a variety of disciplines in courses focused on painting and drawing from nature, and working in a range of media. Assisted in running group critiques for both undergraduate and graduate students.
Chris Sisson’s Education
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Northern Illinois University
MFA, BFA , Studio Art (Painting, Illustration) , 1995 — 2002
Additional Information
Chris Sisson’s Groups:
The Disquieted Few (Artist Collective)
AIGA (The American Institute of Graphic Arts)
STA (Society of Typographic Arts)
AAF (American Advertising Federation)
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AIGA | the professional association for design
Chris Sisson’s Honors:
ILIS Faculty Advisor of the Year; Spring 2009
ILIS Faculty Sabbatical; Spring 2006
ILIS Quality Service Award; July 2005
N.I.U. Graduate Teaching Internship; Summer 2000
N.I.U. Graduate Teaching Assistantship; 1999-02
N.I.U. Foundation Scholarship; 1999-00
Chris Sisson’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- career opportunities
- consulting offers
- new ventures
- expertise requests
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
