The Art of Always Learning: Caroline Owen’s Powerful Open Mind
Meet Caroline Owen, our program coordinator whose creative background and ever-evolving skill set bring valuable
Caroline was born and raised in Pennsylvania. By the time she graduated high school, she knew she wanted to pursue the arts. When deciding where to attend college, she felt drawn to Clemson University to study drawing. Although Clemson took her far from home, Caroline discovered a rich community of friends and a supportive faculty that nurtured both her personal and academic growth. In her sophomore year, she enrolled in a printmaking course and fell in love with the process and intricacies of this unique art form. Caroline decided to major in printmaking, and as graduation approached, she began exploring possible paths to continue practicing, ultimately deciding to pursue her Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking at Purdue University.
While pursuing her master’s degree, Caroline found herself in a highly involved teaching assistant position where she solely instructed classes and crafted assignments. In this role, she quickly developed a passion for working with students and for the art of teaching; she loved being part of students’ growth and instructing the same classes that had changed her life. Although it was not part of her original plan, she embraced this unexpected path and continued to pursue it post-graduation. Caroline graduated with her MFA and became an adjunct professor at Purdue University while continuing to create her art.
After a few years and unique ventures, she and her husband decided they were ready for a change. When they both secured jobs in South Carolina, they felt excited about the opportunity to move back to the state where they had met. Caroline began working as an adjunct professor at Lander University, teaching design and art history. Until this point, her teaching experience had been limited to fine arts, but her strong grasp of art theory enabled her to apply concepts across disciplines. During her time at Lander, she also succeeded in revitalizing its introductory art history course. She led the implementation of a new textbook, allowing her to discuss art history in a more intentional and nuanced manner.
Caroline recognizes the power of art to tell stories, record history, and connect people across time and place. It is this creative, open-minded approach that she brings to her work with the CIL, where she is dedicated to helping individuals grow and connect. She joined the CIL team as an administrative assistant and quickly advanced to her current role as program coordinator, which allows her to shape the CIL's offerings and support the development of future leaders. A highlight of her time at the CIL has been her involvement in building the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) program. Caroline has been an invaluable part of recruiting and coordinating the important work of this program.
In her experience, Caroline has found people are often afraid to make mistakes. To combat this mindset, she has always found it helpful to remind both her students and teammates that the hardest move to make is always the first one. Her inspirational story highlights the benefits of a nonlinear career path as well as her ability to find the opportunity in everything. For Caroline, art is a form of communication and truth; she continues to apply these truths every day, no matter the task at hand.