Joanna Kemp comes to the Ready Freddy team as a Pittsburgh native and AmeriCorps Public Ally Apprentice with an interest in education and arts advocacy. She received her Bachelor’s degree in the History of Art and Architecture from the University of Pittsburgh, where she studied modern and contemporary topics and completed a minor in Museum Studies. During her last year at Pitt, she was part of a dynamic team that implemented a pilot program, called The Encounters Project: Art in the City, at a local Pittsburgh public high school. As part of the program she taught classes about public art, helped students create original artwork, and curated an exhibition to display their final work. This teaching experience has inspired and motivated Joanna to seek new and innovative ways to combine the arts and education. With a special interest in community and non-profit work, she was accepted into Public Allies to develop her skills as a non-profit leader. Now as part of the Ready Freddy team she works on attendance at Pittsburgh Langley K-8 which is located in the West End of Pittsburgh. She is working to make connections with parents – calling home when children miss school. She also spends time in the classrooms, working with kids and collecting attendance data, as well as within the community to promote the importance of Kindergarten attendance. And in the spring, Joanna will begin doing parent presentations on kindergarten transition.
