Jeff Hopkins, Art Education

Published in ConnectED Newsletter - Volume 6 - Issue 3 - March 2023

Jeff Kopkins is an Adjunct Professor in the Art Education program. He holds a B.F.A. in illustration and animation from Rhode Island School of Design and an M.Ed. in arts in education from Harvard University Graduate School of Education. 

Professor Hopkins’ background is in illustration, animation, and museum education. He began his artistic career in 1995 as an illustrator of educational children’s books. Simultaneously, he discovered a passion for teaching while working at the Whitney Museum of American Art. He continued to teach at many arts institutions including MoMA, the Guggenheim, the Jewish Museum, American Ballet Theatre, and ArtsConnection. Through these programs, he has taught as an Artist-in-Residence in hundreds of New York City public school classrooms. He still designs curricula and leads educational programs for many of those organizations. By combining his love of drawing with performing, he also developed a series of live drawing/storytelling performances for children and families that he presents at museums, schools, and libraries across the country.

For almost 12 years, Prof. Hopkins has been involved in the preparation of pre-service teachers. He says, “One of my biggest professional joys is knowing that our excellent pre-service teachers will soon be inspiring and impacting the lives of students in their own classrooms. Whether they are future early childhood or elementary teachers in my Introduction to Art Education class or soon-to-be art teachers in my graduate classes, I take pride in knowing that I play a small role in helping our teachers, schools, and students to have a bright future.”

Prof. Hopkins is currently teaching Curriculum and Assessment in Art Education. He shares that, when he works with students in this class, his hope is that they will develop teaching methods and curriculum content that best reflect who they are and who they want their students to be. “For this to happen, I must get to know my individual students well; I need to understand what brought them to CCNY, what drives them, and what unique qualities they will bring to their teaching. I cannot help but be inspired by my students’ own stories as I help to guide them to the next steps on their paths.”

The Only One Club (Flashlight Press, 2004), written by Jane Naliboff and illustrated by Professor Hopkins, was a Society of School Librarians International Honor Book in 2005. His work was also recognized by the Anti-Defamation League as a recommended multicultural and anti-bias book.

Finally, Professor Hopkins has received very positive feedback from around the world for his popular web series with the Guggenheim Museum called “Sketch with Jeff.” In the very beginning of the pandemic, he was asked by the museum to create a short video series about art for children and families. Now, more than 100 episodes later, “Sketch with Jeff” appears on television as a segment of the PBS show Camp TV and is available on Sensical, the streaming network for kids.