Our #newtoACC series welcomes new faculty to our Austin Community College Riverbat family.

Meet Matthew Isaacson , ACC’s new Art Professor!

What inspired you to apply to teach at Austin Community College?

A close friend who is also an artist and educator moved to Austin in 2004, they said ACC was one of the best and biggest Community College institutions in the country to work for and highly encouraged me to apply!

Currently teaching?

This semester I am teaching three sections of Ceramics 1 and 2.

ACC values diversity, equity, and inclusion. As an instructor, how do you create a classroom culture that intentionally welcomes and supports students from different racial/ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds?

I do my best to create a fun and exciting learning environment where everyone feels welcome in the ceramics studio. One way I help create a classroom culture is by sponsoring and promoting a new student organization we officially called Clay Club, which became official this November. I support and encourage our students to hold ‘events’ that allow extra time on the weekends where I monitor the studio. This gives ACC students’ supplemental instruction and extra lab time to work on their projects and space to gather together to hold their club meetings!

Where did you grow up? What was it like?

I grew up living and working on a cherry farm in a small town in Northern Michigan. It was a wonderful and beautiful place to grow up with the four seasons and a long hard winter. This made me really appreciate the short intense summers. My hard work ethic was instilled in me and started working a 40 hours week during the summers after I achieved my tractor driver training certification at age 11, when I turned 14 I was putting in 105 hours in a 7 day work week during cherry-pack commonly know as the summer harvest.

What do you geek out about?  

I love the science that is imbued in Art, especially ceramics! There is so much technical knowledge involved in the chemistry of ceramic engineering and glaze calculation and formulation that is taken for granted. I totally geek out when it comes to researching and creating new glaze formulas and testing raw materials to create new clay bodies!

What is the best thing about your job?

I get to do what I love most, make art and teach others how to become better makers and inspire their own creativity with the making process and materials. It is truly a rewarding moment when someone discovers clay for the fist time and they learn that they have the potential to make absolutely anything with this material. Everyone will have a unique and individual learning experience when they come into contact and connect with such a simple yet profound plastic ceramic material we call clay.

Three words that best describe you?

Patient, Dedicated, Hard Working

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Welcome Matthew Isaacson to ACC!

Post a comment below or email Matthew Isaacson at matthew.isaacson@austincc.edu.