b. 1960, Philippines
Self-portrait, 2021
Oil pastel on sandpaper
Teaching Career
Jojo F. Javier, better known as Teacher Jo or Ms. Jo, by her students, graduated from college at the young age of 40 years old.
Nurturing was inherent in her. She first chose to be a full-time mom and eventually realized that teaching gave her joy and fulfillment. After she graduated from college, she pursued a teaching career and became a college instructor for about 11 years. During her stint as an instructor, she became part of different departments such as the Arts and Science, Communication Arts and General Education Department, teaching subjects like Creative Writing, Art Appreciation, Introduction to Theater Arts, Introduction to Mass Communication, to name a few.
Art Journey
Let's Paint Group, On the Spot Painting Session
PETA Program Showcase
While her passion for teaching kept her busy, she never forgot about her first love – the Arts.
At a very young age, she already developed her liking for the performing arts. She would play the guitar and piano, sing and dance during family gatherings. In her teens, she discovered her fondness for visual arts, and started to cultivate her skills by sketching portraits of her family and her crushes.
In her 50’s, she went on to enroll in PETA or the Philippine Educational Theater Association, to fulfill her dream of performing on a big stage. She also enrolled in art classes and became an active member in art groups like Artipolo Art Group, Philippine Pastel Artist and Philippine Guild of Watercolorist, to deepen her appreciation and understanding for the visual arts.
Passions
Later on, she and her daughters found a way to merge her 2 passions.
In 2019, they founded Art Mama, which started as a small neighborhood art school, with a mission to help individuals build courage and confidence to create.
By teaching art, Teacher Jojo hopes to share the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual benefits that she has gained from doing art over the years. Most especially, she aims to spread the mindset of ‘generosity to oneself’ through teaching basic art education.
Teacher Jojo is the co-founder and Head Nurturer of Art Mama.
