October 1, 2018
Cara Bean’s work has been featured in Pen America Illustrated, The Women’s Review of Books , and Teaching Arts Magazine. She is the author of Draw 500 Funny Faces and Features and she provides public drawing and creativity workshops that explore how the beginning of complex ideas emerge from the simple act of doodling on paper. Cara has been teaching art in Lexington, Massachusetts for thirteen years.
According to Cara, “I create comics that speak to kids directly about mental health. This topic interests me because I have lived with my own anxiety and periods of depression. I have also been impacted as a teacher witnessing the emotional landscape of the students who have opened up to me over the years. I think it’s important to make comics that I would have wanted to read as a kid and something that would have helped my students before they came to me in high school.”
Cara has taken a leave from her teaching position to focus on creating comics that speak directly to kids about mental health. Harry Bliss, Cornish CCS Fellowship Program Director, believes Cara was the right choice for the residency because of “her understanding of the form, its application in education, and the great empathy she brings to her work to address mental health issues.“ Harry added, “Plus, Cara draws beautifully.”
For more information about Cara Bean visit her website at carabeancomics.com and support her work at patreon.com/CaraBean.
Tags: 500 Funny Faces and Features, Cara Bean, Comics, Cornish, Cornish CCS Residency, Harry Bliss, Pen America Illustrated, Teaching Arts Magazine, Teaching Comics, The Women’s Review of Books
