Jessica Johnson Webb, writer

Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of hearing about the fascinating discoveries Chaz Kirchhoff has made while researching the armor collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Courtly pageantry? Tragic love stories? Check out all that from a truly amazing woman discovering new stories about old pieces. Link in the comments.

Wishing you could be a farmer, but live in the city limits? Check out my latest article about Linda Chubbuck & Stan Slaughter (my parents!) and their "Adventures in Suburban Farming". You can read it online (link in comments) or pick up a copy of Mother Earth News from the store or news stand. Start planning your own suburban farm!

Looking for something to do outdoors with the family? Kansas is a great place to hunt fossils! Check out a few photos of our recent adventure and read all about the possibilities in my latest article! https://roadtrippers.com/magazine/kansas-fossil-hunting/

Love coming across an "old friend" from my days at the Spencer. So much to learn from this one image.

Robert Blackburn was an artist, commercial printer, and teacher who grew up in Harlem in the 1930s. Throughout his prolific career, Blackburn pioneered new print techniques, collaborated with dozens of artists and print studios, and established his own printing workshop in 1948.

This homage to Blackburn by regional artist Ron Adams—made at the Lawrence Lithography Workshop—is evidence of the lasting impact of Blackburn as an artist and educator.

Ron Adams
"Blackburn," 2002
color lithograph, wove paper
Lawrence Lithography Workshop Archive, 2003.0010

Valentine's Day is generally a celebration of the happiest parts of love. But what if there are ways to view arguments as a form of meditation? Inspired by Marina Abramovic and Ulay's many, many performance pieces that pushed their own relationship to the limits, I thought Valentine's might be a good opportunity to explore a new perspective. https://theelementalartist.com/2021/02/13/a-valentines-meditation-on-arguments/

A Valentine’s Meditation on Arguments “We are facing each other both producing a continuous vocal sound. We slowly build up the tension, our faces coming closer together until we are screaming into each other’s open mouths.” In honor o…

Art history/Football meme? Yes please! And from one of my favorite museums - Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa! 🏈🏈

Good thing this game didn’t happen during the .

From the 1500s onward, till around the year 1800, life expectancy throughout Europe hovered between 30 and 40 years of age.

Tom Brady is 43.

After all the excitement and emotions of yesterday, a mental vacation is just what we need today! Check out this fantastically detailed map of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's a Where's Waldo for your favorite work of art! Can you find the Hall of Arms & Armor? Or Degas' "Little Dancer"?

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/mesmerizing-map-met-museum

Can donning emotional armor actually make you better able to connect with others? It's an interesting thought I had while chatting with my friend and armor specialist Chaz Kirchhoff about her work at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

https://theelementalartist.com/2021/01/15/the-armor-we-wear/

The Armor We Wear “I’m sensitive and I’d like to stay that way.”  Over the years, that line from Jewel’s 1995 “I’m Sensitive” has always bothered me. I was reminded of it again recently when I talked about armo…

Decided to broaden my Business page to include all of my writing. Check out some of my recent works! https://jessicajohnsonwebb.com/portfolio/

Portfolio Art Educator, Award-winning Journalist, HR Professional, Grant Manager Specializing in:  Art for EveryoneHR & Personnel Management with EmpathyPersonal Career Management jessica@jessicajoh…

Jessica Johnson Webb, writer updated their website address.

Playing "Dress Up" can be a way to try on a new identity - and remember that even identities are changeable. 2021 can be an opportunity to try on a new version of you!
https://theelementalartist.com/2020/12/30/playing-dress-up/

Playing Dress Up I’ve loved playing Dress Up for as long as I can remember. We have loads of pictures from when I was a kid – me dressed as some sort of classy lady, and my brothers as women with pillows stuf…

Just discovered this amazing tech experiment called Blob Opera. It was suggested as something for parents to share with their kids, but I'm pretty sure it's fun for all ages!
https://boingboing.net/2020/12/16/blob-opera-a-delightful-machine-learning-and-music-experiment.html

Blob Opera, a delightful machine learning and music experiment | Boing Boing David Li created the Blob Opera, a wonderful creative experiment at the intersection of machine learning, music, and digital art. From the project description at Google Arts & Culture, hosts of…

Great thoughts about how and when to use the power of our intellect.

Samson Was An Onion | Linda Chubbuck To get out of this cultural period of lies, confusion and polarization, we need to pull all our thinking capacity to the front lines.

If you stop fighting against limitations and instead allow them to inspire you, you might find a new perspective. https://theelementalartist.com/2020/12/08/a-series-of-limitations/

A Series of Limitations I remember sitting outside the Percolator Art Space in Lawrence, Kan. one evening over 10 years ago, sipping a beer and chatting with a friend. My artist’s soul was chafing at the bounds of a “regu…

Christmas crafting as an opportunity to embrace your own vulnerability? Why not? https://theelementalartist.com/2020/11/22/memento-mori-christmas-nesting/

Memento Mori Christmas Nesting Winter is not my favorite season, but since it constitutes at least three months of every year (a quarter of my life!), I am always looking to change my attitude. In Scandinavia, people embrace the…

Dreading winter? What about these novel ideas to give you a different perspective? https://theelementalartist.com/2020/11/11/how-the-design-element-line-helps-me-combat-seasonal-affective-disorder/

How the Element of “Line” Helps me Combat Seasonal Affective Disorder If I tell you that line – the design element – helped me to weather the depression of winter and decreased my Seasonal Affective Disorder, you might smile and nod politely, while wonder…