By Emily Merrell, Photography by Melissa Donner

Aspiring artists of all ages have an innovative place to explore new techniques and hone their skills – The Creativity Lab, located in the historic Berger House on Main Street near Downtown Jonesboro.

Founder Cara Sullivan brings years of wisdom both as a professional artist and teacher, as well as an interdisciplinary and hands-on approach to teaching, to offer her students a unique and meaningful experience.

Sullivan grew up in rural Maine, developing an appreciation for nature that is evident in her artwork. She then came to Jonesboro and attended Arkansas State University, earning her bachelor’s degree in studio art. She studied abroad at the University of Ulster College of Art and Design in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and went on to earn her master’s degree at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. She has exhibited her work in many locations, including Belfast, Northern Ireland; Brooklyn, N.Y.; Portland, Ore.; Memphis, Tenn. and St. Louis.

Although she is an accomplished artist in her own right, Sullivan says she spends most of her time teaching art to others.

“It’s really gratifying to put my teaching philosophy into practice and see kids benefit and grow,” said Sullivan. “I’ve sought out an incredible variety of teaching experiences, from after-school programs (at The Foundation of Arts and Charlott Jones School of Art), to full-time college level teaching (A-State), and most recently, The Delta School, where I taught Intermediate (junior high) students for two years and spent the last year developing an ambitious after-school program connecting visiting artists in Wilson to engage with our incredible campus and students.”

With the recent closure of The Delta School in Wilson, Sullivan took the opportunity to begin teaching art full-time from her studio at the historic Berger House, where she resides with her family.

“I’ve actually been teaching part time out of my studio in Jonesboro for a little over 10 years, but I was always teaching full time somewhere else, so I could only have students in the summer, which is why I called my program the ‘Summer Studio’ back then,” said Sullivan. “I have always loved having students in my personal workspace, because I think it’s impactful to be making art in a space where an artist is making their own work. They might see finished work, they might see work in process, collections of objects that inspire me and scraps of drawings or notes that demonstrate how I conceptualize my work.

“With the closing of The Delta School, I felt like the universe was trying to tell me something. I’ve loved my summer teaching and I’d done it kind of under the radar for so many years, and a door opened for me to do it full time. I took my varied teaching experience, cap-stoned at the most cutting-edge educational environment I’ve ever had the pleasure of teaching in, and I came up with a name that would really represent experiences one can expect to have in my studio.”

Sullivan said she believes that creativity is the core of human invention, and invention requires experimentation, testing, iteration and refinement.

“My studio is a lab for ideation, tinkering, discovering and building skill through the experience of art,” she said. “I’m not really teaching kids ‘about’ art, we're actually making it. I feel really happy to be able to do this in Jonesboro.”

Though Sullivan says part of her heart will always be in Maine, she considers herself fortunate to have met some of the most wonderful, steadfast people in Jonesboro.

“From a teaching perspective, I have spent a good part of my life in art school as a student, as well as an administrator and teacher,” said Sullivan. “I’ve worked in professional studios and art centers, and I’ve juried a number of student exhibitions, but the students I have taught in Northeast Arkansas, at every age level, have been some of the most impressive, talented artists I have had the pleasure to work with.”

Sullivan’s unconventional teaching methods and philosophy offer her students the opportunity to learn skills through their own experiences and creative decisions.

“My method of teaching is fairly unusual,” said Sullivan. “I have small class sizes and a unifying material, but I don’t tell the kids what to paint – they all develop their own images. As students paint, they always comment on their experience – their discoveries, and these become topics of conversation for the group and teaching moments for me. The granular things we have to memorize in school and take tests on, we look back and don’t remember most of it. I’m a huge academic at heart, so it pains me to say it. However, if students are provided with experiences to process, and are allowed to develop their own ideas and interests through those, they will 100% remember every bit of it.

“Let’s say your child is obsessed with Minecraft, and they make Medieval ink with me at The Creativity Lab. We take a walk and collect oak galls in the neighborhood (community), we break them up with a hammer (physical reaction), we soak them in water making a tea of sorts, we mix in gum arabic and ferrous sulfate turning the brown liquid black (chemical reaction), and your child is doing all this while having sketched and visualized their Minecraft drawing. When the liquid thickens and the dip pens are brought out, I show the students da Vinci and Rembrandt drawings made in the same ink (art history), and they can see their participation in a long timeline. They are not only a part of something, they can see themselves in a historical context, carrying something forward. The number of times I’ve seen engineering, or biology, or chemistry, or language, or math or performance explored in art making is innumerable. I refer to fine art as ‘the core’ because it is central to learning for me.”

Sullivan views art and creativity as interdisciplinary skills that can help students in many other ways.

“I can teach kids how to draw what they see, and to make a strong representational drawing, and I love that, but what I’m more interested in is what engaging in the process of drawing does for their brains,” said Sullivan. “And I’m excited to share with people the many transferable skills that engaging in artmaking provides.

“I teach a multitude of media and processes, and I use the absolute best materials to create strong sensory experiences – watercolor, acrylic, vintage tempera cakes, resist techniques, printmaking, photography, mixed media and photo-transfers, sculpture, mosaics, spray painting and stencil making, sewing, weaving, even making our own ink, and paint.”

The Creativity Lab will offer classes for students of varying ages, ranging from pre-K to adults. Classes will be held in a home that has a rich history of providing education to others, the Historic Berger House, located at 1120 S. Main St.

“The Historic Berger House is our home and houses my art studio,” said Sullivan. “My husband, Joe Ford, an artist and digital designer, and I live there with our 9-year-old daughter. This is the second house near Downtown Jonesboro that we have renovated (a work in progress, of course). It was built in 1896 by Morris Berger Jr., an Austrian immigrant who was an impressive and well-liked businessman, and a pioneer of the city. The style of the house has been described as ‘Turkish Romanesque Victorian,’ which is evident in the stained-glass medallion that surrounds the front door, the ornate trim work and several curved interior walls. It was also the Jonesboro Public Library from 1950-1964 and held a collection of 20,000 books. We purchased the home from the Jones family, who gave us a volume of historical research on the home, which is also on the National Historic Register.”

Sullivan plans to continue offering art camps each summer, and beginning Aug. 19, The Creativity Lab will offer weekly, hour-long classes after school, as well as sessions during the day for homeschool students and adults. Sullivan also hopes to expand her offerings to spread her love for art and creativity to more people.

“As we ramp up our class offerings, we are also looking at small events like art parties and professional development for teachers,” said Sullivan. “It is our hope that The Creativity Lab of Jonesboro will have a positive impact on our community and will provide a unique and important service that makes living in Jonesboro a thought-provoking experience.”

For more information on upcoming art classes, follow The Creativity Lab on Facebook, call (870) 955-4184 or email creativitylabjonesboro@gmail.com.