Communications

Assistant Professor

College of Arts & Humanities - Art + Design

Bio

Prior to her role as Assistant Professor at West Chester University, Karen Watkins served as art director for a leading communications design firm in the Museum, Aquarium, Zoo and education marketplace with print and exhibition design for clients including Hershey, Adventure Aquarium, The Academy of Natural Sciences, The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, Stroud Water Research, Sturbridge Village, The Barnes Foundation, The New Jersey State Museum, UPenn, UPenn Perelman Medical Center, the Chester County Historical Museum, among others. More recently, Watkins has created work for personal clients including Yellow Springs Farm, The Gecko Group, and Friends of Everhart Park.

At Temple University, among numerous awards for her student work and as Director of Publications, Watkins received Global recognition from the Society of Experiential Graphic Design SEGD for an interactive public installation called “Me Too, The Empathy Project” which she presented at the SEGD Academic Summit in 2016.

Watkins continues to draw on her multidisciplinary skills with a growing a focus on experiential design, a natural extension of her exhibition design background. A West Chester resident and volunteer, Watkins is currently channeling her energy into creating an interactive experience for the community with an app that explores the champion trees in Everhart Park.

Expertise

• Environment & Sustainability
• Art
• Design
• Exhibit Design
• Public Installation + Interactive Art
• Study Abroad

Education

• B.F.A., Michigan State University
• M.F.A., Temple University
• Professional Certificate, University of the Arts