Kristina Bogdanov
Bishop Herbert Welch Meritorious Teaching Award (2022)
Sherwood Dodge Shankland Award for Encouragement of Teachers (2015)
2022 Commencement Excerpt
Kristina Bogdanov arrived at OWU in 2007 and currently serves as Chair for the Department of Fine Arts. Professor Bogdanov specializes in ceramics, sculpture and pottery, photo-lithography on clay, and 3D design. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, and is the recipient of the Jurors Honorable Mention at the fifth International Competition, World Ceramics Biennial, in South Korea.
Professor Bogdanov introduced the OWU Community to Potters for Peace, a nonprofit, U.S.-based organization that includes potters, educators, and volunteers who work together to craft clay filters to purify water for human consumption. In class, she empowers her students to be curious and tenacious artists, eliciting an understanding of space through sight and touch. Encouraging them to view "mistakes" in art as opportunities to layer a picture builds confidence, inspires work, and motivates them toward artistic expression.
Her enormous talent, passion, and kindness are encouraging to others in and out of the classroom setting. She empowers students to question the multiple meanings in art, recognize individuality, and find meaningful answers to themselves. Congratulations and thank you, Professor Bogdanov, for your dedication and service!
2015 Commencement Excerpt
Dr. Bogdanov has a reputation for being a very generous, skilled, and caring teacher. She doesn’t just teach her students. She embraces them and introduces them to new worlds and different perspectives.
One of her students commented: “Kristina loves what she does and her enthusiasm is contagious. Not only has she taught us drawing skills, but she has also helped us with life skills.”
It is a pleasure to present this award to Dr. Kristina Bogdanov.