This story was originally published in the March 2026 issue of COMO Magazine.
By Madeleine Leroux
COMO Magazine
College art faculty don’t stop being artists when class ends, but the work often has to fit in wherever it can. Creative projects happen after lectures, between grading, on weekends, or during short stretches of free time that are hard to come by once the semester is underway. Alongside teaching, faculty artists are also preparing critiques, mentoring students, and managing the day-to-day responsibilities of academic life. That work rarely leaves room for long, uninterrupted studio hours.
For Dr. Bethanie Irons, that reality isn’t abstract. It’s the practical framework of her creative life.
Irons is a visiting assistant professor of art at Columbia College, where she teaches typography, digital media, and corporate identity. Before joining the faculty there, she taught at other institutions in mid-Missouri and earned a doctorate in education alongside her work in the studio.
READ MORE: Scholars in the Studio – COMO Magazine
