About

The narratives in this blog explore issues in artist emergence and contemporary culture. They bring together interdisciplinary fields of discourse to examine how the art market, traditional and new media genres, and personal and professional support structures affect an artist’s path in today’s economic and socio-political environment.

Jill Thayer received her doctorate in Cultural Studies/Museum Studies at Claremont Graduate University in 2011.

Jill was part of a transdisciplinary doctoral study in Global Strategy and Trade at St. Peter’s College, University of Oxford, UK. The program is facilitated with Peter F, Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management and Claremont Graduate University (2006)

Jill Thayer received her doctorate in Cultural Studies with emphases in Museum Studies from Claremont Graduate University in the areas of Exhibition Theory, Contemporary Art History, Design Theory, and Visual Culture. Her transdisciplinary study in Global Strategy and Trade at St. Peter’s College, Oxford University, UK with Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management explored the effects of European Union expansion on artistic creation, commerce, and culture. This work eventually led to her dissertation, “Artist Emergence in Contemporary Culture: A Dialectic of Social and Material Conditions of Southern California Artists.” (ProQuest/UMI)

Touring the countryside: English Garden at Sulgrave Manor Oxfordshire, UK (2006)

Installation view: Claremont Graduate University East Gallery, “In Their Own Words: Oral Histories of CGU Art,” (Sept. 4-23, 2012) curated by Jill Thayer, Ph.D. with works by John Frame (sculpture), Ted Kerzie (paintings), and Roland Reiss (sculpture) (2012)

As an artist, educator, curatorial archivist, and art historian, Jill brings insight to the contemporary dialogue by exploring the narratives of people and their contributions to the cultural culture. Jill compiled “In Their Own Words: Oral Histories of CGU Art,” a postdoctoral project of alumni, professors, and professors emeritus. The series is included in Archives of American Art at The Smithsonian Institution.

Dr. Jill Thayer, Curatorial Archivist for “In Their Own Words: Oral Histories of CGU Art.” (2012)

Dr. Jill Thayer (left) interviews John Frame in Wrightwood, California for “In Their Own Words: Oral Histories of CGU Art.” (2011)

Travel to Morocco, Casablanca coastline (2006)

As an educator, Jill lectures and develops online curricula through the university system in areas of marketing, design, studio art, theory, and professional practice. She teaches online courses and develops curricula in marketing management and strategic communications for National University, La Jolla School of Business and Management; global visual culture for Santa Monica College; and professional practice in the Arts Marketing program in the Institute for Communications, Entertainment and Media School of Leadership Studies. Jill is part-time instructor of digital art and Illustrator at Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo. 

Jill Thayer Associates provides award-winning solutions in design and marketing strategy for small business and international companies. Developing an integrated presence through print and online media for a global clientele, the studio offers coordinated creativity start to finish for industries including: cultural, institutional, development, technology, oil, agribusiness, healthcare, entertainment, financial, retail, manufacturing, and renewable energy. 

Jill Thayer Galleries at the Fox opening for Felix Adamo (c. 2005)

Street view of Jill Thayer Galleries at the Fox, Bakersfield, California (c. 2005)

Jill Thayer Galleries at the Fox (1994-2009) showcased regional and international contemporary artists through selected exhibitions. Located at the historic Fox Theater in downtown Bakersfield, the gallery received critical review and presented emerging, mid-careeer, and established artists for 15 years contributing to the cultural aesthetic of the community. Featured exhibitions included works of Brad Howe, Walter Gabrielson, Gronk, Greg Colson, Jeff Colson, Terry Rose, Josh Bernstein, Joe Davidson, Jessica Curtaz, Kimi Kolba, Anita Bunn, Florence Arnold, Bill Devine, David Koeth, Harry Wilson, Michael Hall, Glenn Chang, Margaret Knowling, Gianna Vargas, Quinton Bemiller, Ed Reep, Milford Zornes, Wayne LaCom, Watson Cross, Ken Potter, George Post, Ted Kerzie, George Ketterl, Michael Heivly, Joyce Kohl, Thomas Trivitt, Carlos Estrada-Vega, Teo Gonzalez, Andres Duque, Tom Huntington, Felix Adamo, Lindsay Thomson, Elain Thompson, Brian Bosworth, David Campion, Mel Smothers, and others.

Exhibition opening at Jill Thayer Galleries at the Fox (c. 1996)

Installation view: Quinton Bemiller exhibition at Jill Thayer Galleries at the Fox (c. 2007)

Moving beyond the constructs of the gallery space, Jill offers new perspectives in the cultural dialog representing artists working in various methodologies and theoretical frameworks. She continues her own work in painting, digital media, and installation, and is contributing writer for Artpulse Magazine (Miami); ArtDistricts Magazine (Florida); and Artvoices Magazine (Los Angeles).

Installation view: Joe Davidson, “Casts of the Interiors of My Shoes. 1996-2004,” Jill Thayer Galleries at the Fox (c. 2009)

Jill Thayer Associates design studios at the historic Hayden Atrium Building in downtown Bakersfield (1991-2007). Photo by Don Mason (c. 1992)

Jill has garnered over 30 ADDY Awards from American Advertising Federation and numerous accolades for her design and marketing initiatives.  In 1991, her work was featured on 1.5 million Pepsi cans to commemorate Christo’s Umbrellas: Joint Project for Japan and USA, as the donated design helped raise $250,0oo for 15 local organizations with the Umbrella Coalition. Client credits include: Disney, NBC, Nestle Dairies, Carnation, Tejon Ranch, PermaCity, Buck Owens Production Companies, Lani Netter Productions, Mission Bank, Memorial Hospital Foundation, Anthony Vineyards, Smith’s Bakeries, G.E. Wind, and others. She has been featured in the Los Angeles Times; Art Business News, New York; Artist’s and Graphic Designer’s Market (North Light Books), and Newest Logos from California (Madison Square Press). Jill works in tandem with academic and art institutions to further develop cultural awareness and education in the Arts, as she continues to promote the professional practice of artists.

For more information on interviews, writing, design, and curatorial services, contact Jill Thayer, Ph.D. at: jill@jillthayer.com or 661 428 4611 or visit: www.artnarratives.wordpress.com; www.jillthayer.com; or www.linkedin.com/in/jillthayer.

Installation View: “Legends of Watercolor,” with works by: Ed Reep, Wayne LaCom, Milford Zornes, Robert E. Wood, Watson Cross, George Post, and California Regionalist artists at Jill Thayer Galleries at the Fox (c. 2006)

Jill Thayer Galleries at the Fox showcased regional and international artists from 1994-2009 through selected exhibitions. (c. 2008)

Jill in the Hayden Atrium Building studio, Bakersfield, California (c. 2002)