Libby Lynch

Beginning Art, Intermediate Art, Advanced Art, AP Studio Art

Elizabeth ‘Libby’ Lynch has been a teacher for 18 years. She taught in the Shelby County Schools before coming to USJ 12 years ago.

Libby has a bachelor of arts degree from Union, bachelor of fine arts degree from the Memphis College of Art, and a masters degree in art theory from the University of Memphis. She is a member of the National Art Education Association and is past president of the Tennessee Art Education Association

She was named Tennessee's Art Educator of the Year for 2004.

Her husband, Shane, teaches American history and AP European History at USJ. They have two children: Trey is a senior at USJ; Ann Elizabeth is in ninth grade at USJ.

"All students can learn to draw," she says. "USJ has the best students and the most supportive parents anywhere."

Email Libby Lynch

Tennessee Arts Academy

Libby Lynch, University School of Jackson's Upper School Visual Art Department Chair, has been selected to be a Facilitator at the 2011 Tennessee Art Academy, a premier professional development institute for arts educators. A program of the Tennessee Department of Education, the Academy has been held annually since 1987 on the campus of Belmont University in Nashville. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the program.

"This will be the seventh Academy that I have been privileged to participate in, and the third time to be a facilitator," said Lynch. "It is an awesome, reviving experience for any fine arts instructor and I am excited to see what is in store for this summer."

This year the Academy's expert faculty will teach a diverse range of classes in music, theater, and visual art as well as special classes in school administration. Highlights of the week include live performances, daily speeches by well-known artists and educators, and multiple art exhibitions. More than 250 K–12 teachers and administrators attend the Academy every summer. They then impact more than 100,000 Tennessee students each year in their individual school districts and classrooms across the state. Taught by nationally and internationally renowned instructors and artists, the Academy's advanced curriculum, cutting-edge methodology, and unique philosophical perspective maximize participants' learning experiences.

"Educators leave the Academy with renewed energy and knowledge," said Lynch. "They are better equipped and motivated to raise achievement standards and effect positive and lasting change for Tennessee students, providing them with the necessary skills to become creative and productive members of our workforce and society."