The Art of 

Justin Clumpner

Artist Bio

Justin Clumpner is a Dallas-based artist originally from Chicago. Working primarily in paint and collage, he depicts symbolic narratives built around portraiture. Using newspaper and advertisements as source material, Clumpner looks to our contemporary existence to find the maddening, the ironic, and the absurd. He uses this imagery to create secular icons of morality inspired by the stained glass windows and illuminated manuscripts that were ever-present in his upbringing. Using these same symbolic elements mixed with contemporary imagery, he creates something both new and familiar. Justin Clumpner holds degrees from the Savannah College of Art and Design and the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a master’s degree from Texas Tech. His work can currently be seen at the Kettle Art Gallery in Dallas, Texas.

Exhibitions

2023

For the Love of the Artist Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening February 18th

For the Love of the Kettle Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Saturday, February 11th

 
2022

Mixaphorical Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening October 9th

Art 214 Oak Cliff Cultural Center | https://dallasculture.org/ Opening April 23rd

2021

Still: Painting in Isolation

New Works by Justin Clumpner

 Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening October 28th

2019 

Holiday Presence XV Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening November 30th

Summer Session (curator) Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening June 27th

Mayjoring in Art Fort Worth Community Art Center | http://www.fwcac.org/ Reception May 3rd

For the Love of the Artist Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening February 17th at 7:00pm

For the Love of the Kettle Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ February 3rd, 7:00pm to 10:00pm 

2018 

Summer Session (curator) Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening July

For the Love of the Artist Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening February 10th at 7:00pm | On view until February 20th For the

Love of the Kettle Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ February 3rd, 7:00pm to 10:00pm Kettle Art Gallery 

2017

Art Con 13 | Cedars Union | http://www.artcon.org/ November 11th

Sacred | New Works by Justin Clumpner Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Reception Friday, June 16th, 5 to 8pm On view until July 8th

For the Love of the Artist Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening February 9th at 7:00pm | On view until February 20th

For the Love of the Kettle Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ February 4th, 7:00pm to 10:00pm

2016

2wo Hundred Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening September 22nd at 7:00pm

Non Pixelated: The Persistence of Painting in the Digital Age Bathhouse Cultural Center | 521 E. Lawther Drive Dallas TX Opening Reception: Saturday, July 2, 2016 (7-9 PM). Exhibition on display through July 30, 2016

Savages Lawley Art Group Gallery | 1507 Dragon Street, Dallas Friday, May 20th and 21st | 6:00pm to 10:00pm

Kings of Oblivion Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening May 5th at 7:00pm

Lost in Translation Slant Gallery | http://slantx.weebly.com/ Opening February 20th, 6:00pm to 10:00pm

For the Love of the Artist Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening February 11th at 7:00pm | On view until February 20th

For the Love of the Kettle Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ February 6th, 7:00pm to 10:00pm

2015 

The Instigators Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening November 5th at 7:00pm | On view until November 28th

Dia de los Muertos: The Liveliest of Celebrations Bath House Cultural Center | http://www.dallasculture.org/bathHouseCultureCenter/ Opening October 11th at 5:00pm

Prism Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening October 8th at 7:00pm Summer Salon Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening June 9th at 7:00pm

SKEWED Life in Deep Ellum | http://artconspiracy.org/art-conspiracy-presents-skewed-on-june-6/ Saturday, June 5th, 7:00-11:00pm

Myth America Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening April 23rd at 7:00pm | On view until May 9th

Art Con La Boheme Winspear Opera House | http://www.artconspiracy.org/ Saturday, March 27th, 7:00 p.m.

For the Love of the Artist Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening February 12th at 7:00pm | On view until February 28th

For the Love of the Kettle Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ February 7th, 7:00pm to 10:00pm

2014 

Holiday Presence X Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening December 4th at 7:00pm | On view until December 24th

Art Conspiracy 10 500 Singleton Blvd.Dallas, TX 75212 | http://www.artconspiracy.org/ Saturday, November 14th, 7:00 p.m.

Junction Summer 2014 Landmark Arts Satellite Gallery 1108 5th Street (5th St. & Ave. J) Lubbock, Texas 7940 Opening August 1st at 6:00PM 

9th Annual Human Rights Art Exhibition Cooper Center for Arts Communication http://www.humanrightsartexhibit.com/ March 17th to April 25th

Love, Death and the Desert New Work by Justin Clumpner, Brad Albright and Brian Crawford Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ Opening February 27th at 7:00pm | On view until March 15th Video Interview

For the Love of the Kettle Kettle Art Gallery | http://www.kettleart.com/ February 8th, 7:00pm to 9:00pm


Presentations

2023

Working with Administrators and Counselors Texas Art Education Association Conference, Allen, TX | Help administrators, counselors, and colleagues unfamiliar with art education to effectively support visual art teachers and students. Improve learning environments for students and help administrators support the growth of our program and art teachers.

Helping New Teachers Texas Art Education Association Conference, Allen, TX | We will offer tools and techniques to help new teachers grow quickly and demonstrate how purposeful cooperation and collaboration can benefit both veteran teachers and the rookies they are mentoring.

Effectively Collaborating Across Town Mesquite ISD Professional Development, Mesquite , TX | Strategies and tools will be presented that can be used to effectively collaborate and align curriculum across their district while reducing teachers' overall workload and improving student outcomes.

Art Curriculum Authenticity National Art Education Association Conference, San Antonio, TX |This session will demonstrate strategies to encourage personal artistic growth in the secondary art classroom including building an environment of creative investigation and authentic artmaking. This will elaborate on work in my NAEA journal Article.

2022

Art Curriculum Authenticity Texas Art Education Association Conference, McAllen, TX |This session will demonstrate strategies to encourage personal artistic growth in the secondary art classroom including building an environment of creative investigation and authentic artmaking. This will elaborate on work in my NAEA journal Article.

Effectively Collaborating Across Town Texas Art Education Association Conference, McAllen, TX | Teachers from separate campuses will discuss the tools and strategies they use to effectively collaborate and align curriculum across their district while reducing teachers' overall workload and improving student outcomes.

Lesson Planning for Student Voice Dallas ISD Professional Development, Dallas, TX | Teachers will be guided through various processes used to create visual art lessons that empower student voice and prepare students for meaningful artmaking.

2021

Digital Organization and Collaboration (what the pandemic taught me) Region 10 Fine Arts Summit, Richardson, TX | This session will demonstrate tools and strategies used to effectively collaborate and align curriculum across their district while reducing teachers' overall workload and improving student outcomes. 

2020

Structure and Growth in the Art Department Region 10 Fine Arts Summit, Richardson, TX | This session will demonstrate the decisions and strategies used to grow a department from three visual art teachers to six, as well as how to best structure student learning and organizational systems to maximize student success. 

2019 

Preparing Student for Sustained Investigations Texas Art Education Association Conference, Galveston, TX | Strategies are given that prepare students to create art that is personally meaningful and explores a complex concept over many works of art and to empower students to become the driving force in using art as an investigatory and communicative tool.

Using Google for Collaborative Planning Texas Art Education Association Conference, Galveston, TX | Strategies will be shared for using Google as a collaborative tool for lesson planning and curriculum design between teachers as well as a communicative tool with students and parents.

BYOB Art History: Conceptual Art Kettle Art Gallery, Dallas, TX | Artist and educator Justin Clumpner will lead a casual discussion on various topics and periods in art history. This installment will provide insights into the world of Conceptual Art. This event is free and open to the public, but as the name implies you should bring your own beverage of choice. 

Merging Skill Building and Conceptual Making Region 10 Fine Arts Summit, Richardson, TX | This session will demonstrate building lessons around self-reflective, conceptual inquiry while facilitating skill building. We will model and practice effective methods for teaching foundational drawing skills and discuss how those skills can be incorporated into lessons that encourage students to develop a unique, artistic voice while making work that is self-reflective and communicative. This is great for visual art teachers with Art 2 or Pre-AP courses encouraging skillful, authentic artmaking practices in their students.

2018 

 Authentic Art-Making for the AP Classroom Texas Art Education Association Conference, McCallen, TX | November 9th, 2018 This presentation will provide teaching strategies and digital tools designed to increase student and teacher productivity in the classroom, allowing both teacher and student to focus on individualized growth and making.

Alignment and Conceptual Thinking in Art 3 Texas Art Education Association Conference, McCallen, TX | November 8th, 2018 This session demonstrates how a Pre-AP 2 and Drawing 3 teacher devised an open-ended curriculum that not only encourages students to explore a variety of media and concepts, but also differentiates learning goals for self-assessment.

2016

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago Curriculum Slam (featured presenter) National Art Education Association Conference Chicago, IL | March 19th, 2016 Teachers from across the country share curriculum in a fast, functional, and fun format. Curated by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s Teacher Advisory Committee, each performative presentation introduces fresh activities and artmaking approaches. Emceed by Lydia Ross and James Rees. 

Leading by Example: Teachers as Artists, Researchers, and Writers (co-presenter) National Art Education Association Conference Chicago, IL | March 19th, 2016 This session highlights the importance of thinking about ourselves as artists, researchers, and writers before teachers. In order to model creative thinking to our students, we must be participating in the process of making work. 

Art Education without Authority National Art Education Association Conference Chicago, IL | March 18th, 2016 Designing lessons following concept instead of steps, and creating a curriculum that allows students to take control of their creative process so you become an assistant to dynamic student artists.

2015 

B.Y.O.B. Art History North Texas Mensa Regional Gathering Grapevine, TX | November 27th, 2015 Justin Clumpner is an artist, educator, and former bartender that has combined his love of art history, education, and drinking into a lighthearted and slightly NSFW presentation. The entirety of art history’s “Western canon” will be discussed from ancient cave painting through modern art in about an hour. Like an entire college semester up, over & out, this lecture is both humorous and a spectacle; and like anything else, it’s better with a good drink in hand. 

Art Education without Authority Texas Art Education Association Conference Galveston, TX | November, 2015 Designing lessons following concept instead of steps, and creating a curriculum that allows students to take control of their creative process so you become an assistant to dynamic student artists.

B.Y.O.B. Art History: The Surrealists Kettle Art Gallery Dallas, TX | October 1st, 2015 Arts educator Justin Clumpner has the right idea — pairing anything with booze, especially art history, makes it infinitely better. Round up those stray cans of beer in the fridge or scrape together quarters for a sixer of something cheap, and bring it up to Kettle Art on Thursday for BYOB Art History. Clumpner will present a lightning-fast, “speed-reading” version of art history, from cave drawings to 2015, after which the gallery will screen award-winning short films from Salvador Dali and Marcel Duchamp in keeping with Kettle’s current surrealist exhibition. More at kettleart.com. By Amy McCarthy 

B.Y.O.B. Art History: Myth America Edition Kettle Art Gallery Dallas, TX | May 14th, 2015 B.Y.O.B. Art History is back! And it's kicking off one last weekend of the "Myth America" exhibit in its extended run, held over through Saturday, May 16. Join host Justin Clumpner and his fellow "Myth America" artists for a fun and enlightening evening of informal discussion on the history of art this Thursday, May 14, at 7:30pm. 

Vertical Teaming: From Seventh Grade to Senior Year (co-presenter) National Art Education Association Conference New Orleans, LA | March 27th, 2015 Two teachers share their curriculum re-design in Pre-AP and AP classes. The vertical alignment starts with the middle school student and follows him/her to the AP portfolio.

2014 

B.Y.O.B. Art History: Ancient Egypt Kettle Art Gallery Dallas, TX | April 24th, 2014 Join us for the second installment of BYOB Art History. Artist and educator Justin Clumpner will lead a casual discussion on the art and culture of ancient Egypt. Bring your favorite beverage and maybe a chair. Seating is limited. Doors open at 7 p.m. We will begin promptly at 7:30.

B.Y.O.B. Art History Kettle Art Gallery Dallas, TX | March 13th, 2014 Rockwall High School art teacher Justin Clumpner – whose work is part of the current three-man “Love, Death + Desert” exhibition at the gallery – will be dropping his knowledge of art history as part of the Deep Ellum gallery’s newest series. The initial installment will give a broad overview of the entire series including topics from prehistory to post-modernism. Bringing your own beers, and chairs, is recommended. -- Cory Graves

2013 

Art/Technology/Cinematography (co-presenter) National Art Education Association Conference Fort Worth, TX | March 8th, 2013 Utilizing the narrative qualities of canonical art historical works, this session discusses the steps needed to create a film with art 1 students from concept to an edited film.


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