The road to becoming a college-level art instructor was no short path for Glenn Holmstrom. But now that he’s in his stride, he said, it was more than worth the effort.
After earning multiple degrees, teaching high school and even working in residence life, Holmstrom began teaching college courses part time. Then, in 1997, he came to Neumann to work as a full-time professor.
Holmstrom, who has an undergrad degree in painting and drawing, said he didn’t know he wanted to be a professor of art until he took his second painting class. The course’s teacher, Ronald Augutis, now deceased, taught in a way that allowed Holmstrom to learn within a creative environment.
“He was just a good person to talk to; he was very approachable,” Holmstrom said. “He didn’t try to turn us into miniature versions of himself. He was open to allowing his students to find their own way of painting.”
Today, as the only full-time art professor, Holmstrom acts as “the Swiss Army knife of the art department.” He teaches all types of classes, including drawing, print making, digital photography and Photoshop. And he continues to create his own works of art, having exhibited nationally with his paintings and photographs. As for the rest of his free time, Holmstrom devotes it to remodeling his home and taking care of his miniature schnauzer, Otto.
Holmstrom’s advice for his students: Don’t ever stop working toward your goal.
“If I had any advice for art students, it’s to be persistent and patient. I graduated in 1990 with my MFA, and was pretty intent on wanting to teach full time, but it took me another seven years,” he said. “A lot of people would have given up. But I kept going and I got where I wanted to be.”