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Learn more about this site’s mission to integrate the arts and artistic thinking across the curriculum.

McQuillen Studios, where imagination and creativity go to grow.

McQuillen Studios advances artistic thinking and imaginative learning through art, education, and advocacy. We specialize in art that raises awareness, builds community, and envision possibilities. We offer teaching ideas and lessons that cultivate social imagination and foster personal creativity.

Artist Statement

The juxtaposition and melding of everyday items—political sound bites/rubber stamp patterns, family seafood recipes/storm drains, social science textbooks/birdhouses, school desks/balanced scales— imbue them with a new significance and meaning. The object’s historical, biological, and social associations play off each other creating multilayered sculptures and site-specific installations. Surprise, inventiveness, and paradox are integral in creating an image that lingers and nurtures reflection. Sometimes whimsical, sometimes poignant, these compelling visual metaphors can make the viewer see anew, draw attention to the overlooked, and foster discussion.

In the beginning this site was built to document my early works and share interdisciplinary teaching tips. Now the lessons and student resources are my art. The strategic arrangement of common cultural artifacts—paintings, poems, historical periodicals, photographs and illustrations— transform the work and the learning. Art wonderings foster interdisciplinary collaborations and inspire authentic research that helps students better understand their world and themselves.

2 ways to connect

  1. Email me at charles.s.mcquillen@gmail.com
  2. Connect with me via the social media links in the header above