Greta Jónsdóttir – interview

Gréta Jónsdóttir is a master's student in the Department of Art Education at the Icelandic Institute of Technology.

"I was born in Austin, Texas, and grew up there until I was six years old. Then my family and I moved to Iceland and I have lived in Iceland ever since, and I have lived in Breiðholt for the longest time."

After her primary school education, Gréta chose to attend Fjölbrautskólann in Breiðholt and graduated from there as a student of the fine arts program.

"Following that, I applied to the Department of Fine Arts at the Iceland Academy of the Arts and graduated from there in 2020. After graduating from LHÍ, I continued my studies and completed an additional diploma in sexology at the University of Iceland. Shortly after, I began to wonder how I could combine my knowledge and interest in fine arts, sexology, and working with people, and it seemed to me that studying art education at LHÍ was the most appropriate choice."

In Gréta's opinion, the study program in the art education department is diverse and offers many possibilities for different individuals.

"It is easy to tailor the program to your own interests, partly because of the diverse choice of courses. What has been particularly beneficial to me is getting to know different teachers and their teaching methods, as well as getting to experience teaching and doing practical teaching exercises."

One of the reasons why Gréta chose to return to study at LHÍ is how personalized and accessible the program is.

"Communication with teachers and administrators is easy and you can feel that there is a real desire to support students. In addition, I see an opportunity in holding courses and workshops for different groups," says Gréta. Before she began studying art education, Gréta worked as a support counselor at a housing association and, in addition to her work, used her free time for her own creativity.

Gréta has always enjoyed studying. It was when she was at Fjölbrautskólinn in Breiðholt that she first got the feeling that she might enjoy teaching.

"I found the possibilities that come with teaching the arts particularly exciting – both in terms of developing your own curriculum, trying out different teaching approaches and creating space for creative processes. Teaching the arts offers a mutual effect, where students and teachers are inspired, which I find fascinating."

Gréta is in her final semester of her studies in the art education department and is aiming to graduate in June.

"My future is to start working on my final project and continue to develop as a teacher. I see many possibilities after graduation, but my dream is to teach art, whether at the elementary or secondary school level."