Pamela Johnson

Pamela Johnson combines her eye for design and passion for learning to turn the childhood game of dress up into a career art form. Beginning in 1974, when JMU was still Madison College, Pamela's work with students in designing costume and stage wear has been a recurring blessing. "After thirty years I am still learning and terrifically excited about learning," says Pamela. "Every project is a new opportunity to grow. Not many people I know can say that about a job they've been at that long." This dedication to her students earned Pamela the 2004-05 Carl Harter Distinguished Teacher Award for the College of Arts and Letters and the 2004 Meritorious Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. In March 2007, Pamela will have the chance to see years of work showcased with the opening of a clothing exhibition in Carrier Library, followed by another in September 2007 at the Gallery at Festival. The exhibition is composed of artifacts from the Historic Clothing Collection, Special Collections artifacts and pieces from the Madison Art Collection, all to celebrate and record the history of clothing at JMU.

"Seeing students achieve what they had not imagined themselves capable of, and watching them learn, literally reading it on their faces, when they encounter new material" keeps the fire burning inside Pamela Johnson.