Jo Dery

Jo Dery is a Professor of Film Studies at Keene State College, specializing in experimental animation and visual storytelling. Her affiliations include residencies at MacDowell and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and she participated in an animation workshop at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Poland.

Her research integrates film, digital media, drawing, and memoir, with focus areas including:

• Autobiographical narratives and personal essays
• Hybrid art forms (film, installation, performance)
• Nature as a thematic setting
• Handmade aesthetics in digital contexts

Dery’s creative output spans 20+ projects, with recent works exploring family dynamics, solitude, and environmental themes through experimental techniques. Her films and installations have been exhibited globally.

Awards and Grants:

• Helen Hill Award (2012)
• Whiting Fellowship (2016)
• LEF Foundation, Vermont Arts Council, and Rhode Island State Council on the Arts grants
• Three Honorable Mentions in Best American Comics

She advises students through independent studies and teaches courses in animation, video production, and career development. Dery holds a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA from Goddard College.