Joyce Kistner poses with one of her murals and a table she painted with her design.
Joyce Kistner has a lifelong love for blending art, education and history. During her 28 years as a teacher, she was known for integrating art into most disciplines.
After graduating from Virginia Intermont and East Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science and a master’s degree in elementary education, she started teaching in the Bristol Virginia Public School System. While getting her Bachelor of Science degree, she served as a graduate assistant at the Carl Reece Museum at the university. She learned a great deal about galleries, hanging paintings, space, perspective, and she also helped with the cataloging of materials.
“I taught in grades two through six in the beginning of my career and gradually moved into including art in the academic presentation of subject matter. Combining the two areas seemed more meaningful and a good way for students to combine information — one subject connecting to the other subject is a more efficient way to remember material,” Kistner says.
Examples include her cabin, books and a trip she took. Kistner owns an authentic 1790-1800 cabin. Many school children have toured the cabin throughout the years. She wrote and illustrated a book showing how the cabin was built and used. This same cabin received a Bristol Virginia Historic Preservation award in 2022.
While on a mission trip in Romania, she taught an art class in the local school to Romanian children interpreted by a sixth-grade Romanian student. These pictures were brought back to the U.S. and exhibited at the Bristol Chamber of Commerce.
She wrote and illustrated a children’s book on area railroads called “Tracking Bristol VA TN,” which featured her original artwork, along with facts and games. She also created a program targeted to fourth-grade students which detailed the history of Bristol. Using historical artifacts, costumes and take-home bookmarks featuring her artwork, she presented this program at various schools for years to help supplement students’ education.
Kistner is also an artist in her own right.
“As a 6-or-7-year-old, I remember drawing a Santa Claus, and all the kids laughing but that did not stop me from continuing drawing, using crayons and paint. I also went on to music (piano) for five years. Art added variety to my life, and I enjoyed being creative in making cardboard boxes into houses and decorating inside with the Sears Catalog. I liked all areas of the arts,” she says.
She was recognized by Governor Charles Robb for outstanding artistry at the Martha Washington Inn during the 1989 Art Exhibition showcasing Southwest Virginia art. She wrote stories and poems about each piece exhibited. Her painting “Cabin Girl” won second place in the Bristol Art Guild Art Show at the Bristol Herald Courier Art Show. She was awarded a life membership in the State Central Parent Teacher Association after organizing a district art competition.
“As of now, I am still painting; I just painted Monet’s House as we were there last summer among beautiful flowers everywhere, where it rained all day. My son said it was beautiful and wet. I go to many artsy programs, exhibits, concerts and gardens to take pictures to paint and enjoy. I have recently compiled a book of 40 favorite paintings of mine. The pictures are of various subjects: the Bristol Sign, a Fourth of July Parade, the Nativity, and women celebrating the arrival of trains in Bristol in 1856. This is just a few of my collected paintings. The book should be out in the fall,” Kistner says.
“In addition to her devotion to art and children’s education, Joyce is also active in community service. She was the first woman elected to the Bristol Virginia School Board, a position she used to tirelessly advocate for the arts in education. As a teacher, she encouraged students to explore art and enter area arts competitions. The State Parent Teacher Association awarded Joyce a lifetime membership for her efforts to organize district art competitions for her students,” says Barbara Smith, past-president of the Bristol Historical Association
“The arts to me are a relaxing subject (painting), but when one begins to put the finishing touch on a new visual, you must be alert as to what needs to be changed and improved. It is a new way of thinking. Seeing fine art causes one to think what he or she can do or would do if he or she had been forming it in the beginning. David, the statue in Florence, shows perfection in the planning and design of the marble in a stunning creation.
“As a young child, parents should introduce their children to a variety of art experiences. Creativity comes from thinking about old ideas in a new and interesting combination of ideas.
“Winning this award is surprising to me and an experience I will long remember, and it will be an encouragement to me to continue to explore new ideas,” Kistner says.
