Joel Javier earned his MA in Art Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and BFA from Murray State University. Jill took on leadership of the Spoken Word program in 2019.  Joel has experience teaching in museum & community art settings and has been instrumental in expanding public programming and advancing award-winning fellowship programs. An Oak Parker and D97 parent, Joel can be spotted riding his bike through town or making abstract, mixed media paintings that occasionally make their way into exhibitions and collections.