John Decker

Degree

M.S. Instructional Design and Technology, Emporia State University
B.F.A. Printmaking and Graphic Design, Emporia State University

Professional Organizations

American Institute of Graphic Artists
Mid America Print Council
Society of American Graphic Artists

Artist Bio

My journey as an artist started at a young age. As long as I can remember, I have always felt a need to draw. With the encouragement of my family and teachers, I decided to pursue a career in the arts. I received my B.F.A. in Printmaking and Graphic Design in 1990, studying printmaking under Dan Kirchefer. I worked in the Emporia State University Marketing and Media Relations office as a graphic designer for 18 years. During this time, I taught a variety of classes on a part-time basis including 5-12 grade art, continuing education courses on graphic design, and digital images courses for the Department of Art at ESU. In 2010, I received my M.S. in Instructional Design and Technology from Emporia State University. I joined the Flint Hills Technical College faculty in 2011, developing the multimedia program for seven years, and teaching in the graphic arts program for the 2018-2019 academic year. In the fall of 2019, I joined the ESU Department of Art faculty and currently serve as an associate professor, focusing on graphic design and motion graphics.

I also maintain a free-lance graphic design/multimedia development business, Fatfly Design. Recent work includes work for Project Playscape, Flint Hills Gravel, Gravel City Adventure and Supply Co., Lifetime Unbound Gravel, Rock Ridge Gravel, Great Plains Gravel Cup, Discover Gravel, Dirty Kanza Promotions, and producing a documentary titled A Welsh Farmstead: The Howe Family from 1858. Most of these projects are for organizations who share the common goal of building a better community.