Teresa Harris, associate professor of art
Teresa Harris is Missouri Western State University’s recipient of the 2016 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education. Harris, associate professor of art and director of graphic design, received her award at a luncheon with Gov. Jay Nixon on April 13 in Jefferson City.
“The quality of Teresa’s teaching is evident in the success of her students,” said Dr. Jeanne Daffron, Missouri Western’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Many of her students have won local, regional, national or international awards and graduates have accepted positions in some of the largest and most successful design and advertising agencies. If you have watched a recent Super Bowl, watched the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, or the 2012 Democratic National Convention, you have seen the work of some of Teresa’s former students.”
“Amiot” Mixed Media, Wood, Paper, Found Objects, Wax by Teresa J. Harris
Harris has been on Missouri Western’s faculty since 2004. She graduated from Missouri Western with a Bachelor of Arts in 1982, and earned a Master of Fine Arts from Fort Hays State University in 1999.
In addition to her teaching, Harris is a prolific artist. Her work has been accepted into more than 60 juried international, national and solo exhibitions and been honored with numerous awards, including a first place at the South Arkansas Arts Center’s juried exhibition last year. Her mixed-media personal work is primarily autobiographical, finding visual connections between past familial history and current life experiences. Commissions of her work include Jesup & Lamont, Inc., Provident Life Insurance, Inc., and A,T & T. Corporate collections include McDougal, Littell & Company Publishers, Sandusky Art Center, Ann Arbor Art Center, and Saks Fifth Avenue, NY. Samples of her work can be seen at teresajharris.com/.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.