Meet Clarrissa Pettijohn, artist, teacher, mom, grandmother, who is taking our gallery to the next level. Welcome to the Garden!
Before joining the TILA Studios Gallery in July 2018, Clarrissa worked for 40+ years at a diverse range of organizations. Her previous roles include Head Costume Designer at Karamu and Inner City Theatres, Designer at Premore Production and BBD&O advertising agency, and Director's Assistant, at Charles R. Drew’s Theatre Production.
She created dolls and conducted workshops for the The Dolls of Hope HIV/AIDs project in Los Angeles California, Bangkok Thailand, and Honduras for the Charles R. Drew health organization. Clarrissa also did graphic art for AMREP corporation, and NYRAJU, Program Coordinator for The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) and a board member of two non-profits; Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Safe Kids of Fulton County. As an educator she was an art instructor at LACMA summer programs, Emmaus House youth programs.
In these varied roles, Clarrissa was responsible for marketing, creating art and design, presentations, multicultural awareness; education, leadership and successfully served a range of clients including entrepreneurs, corporate professionals, artists, public servants and CEO’s
Today, Clarrissa is focusing on a variety of women’s issues. Women are underserved and overlooked and suffer continuously from unfair practices, such as gender discrimination, gender underestimation and gender harassment. Using mix media collage, oil and water based paintings, printmaking and textiles, Clarrissa address some of these challenges that women face everyday.
At TILA, she will be working on building our community engagement strategy, conducting community outreach, developing our patron circle, and conducting tours of the gallery for the general public.
She will be working in the gallery Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 12p.m. to 4 p.m.
