Tao Chen - Associate Professor, Art and Art History

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Profile

Tao Chen, Associate Professor in the Art and Art History Department, focuses on teaching the intersections between digital technology and visual communication. His main research interests are interdisciplinary and interactive screen-based media, digital mixed media expressionism and contemporary publication design.

Over the past few years, Professor Chen has been awarded numerous grants including five Connecticut State University faculty research grants. His artwork has been exhibited in 43 regional, national and international juried exhibitions. His connection to art started with his father, who opened the door to the joy of drawing at a young age. As Tao recalls, “I remember I was around five, fussing around on a long train ride when my father pulled out a pen and grabbed a nearby napkin to keep me occupied. He was an engineer, not an artist, yet those swift strokes and easy details intrigued me as they seemed to flow from his mind to his hand, through the pen and onto the napkin. It had fascinated me as I scrambled to try and replicate them. Horses, buses, airplanes; it was like a lightbulb moment as I realized for the first time that drawing something could be so fun.”

Besides being an artist and educator, Professor Chen also has many years of professional experience in digital media and visual communication design, with clients including Comcast, Oceania Cruises, and others.

Origins

Born and raised in Beijing, China, Professor Chen received his M.F.A in graphic design from Louisiana Tech University and a B.A. from Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication.

His passion for teaching

Profession Chen has a passion for teaching and enjoys developing practical and engaging hands-on tutorials and projects for his classes. “Sharing my experience with my students and helping them grow academically and professionally is my favorite part of being a teacher and educator.” Professor Chen also works to prepare his students for their future by providing them with real-life scenarios embedded in his teaching. Throughout his years as a professor at Eastern, students in his classes have had many wonderful and successful opportunities to work on design projects for local nonprofits such as the Chaplin Public Library, Willimantic Food Co-op and Windham Senior Center.