Colleen Tomlinson teaches Communication and Media Arts at The Creative Arts Academy of the Quad Cities in Davenport, Iowa. For years as a lead artist, her niche has been large scale collaborative projects. She has engaged community members at Quad City Art’s Metro Arts Youth Apprenticeship Program, The Heritage for Elderly, Disabled or Handicapped, Boys and Girls Club, Hand in Hand, and Figge Art Museum. As an independent artist, her most current series includes a mixed media series illustrating a narrative from her grandfather’s love letters during WWII.     

Tomlinson received her B.A. from Augustana College and Teaching Certification from the University of Iowa. A professional leader, she is Communications Chair,  Conference Chair for AEI’s 2022 Fall Conference, and Emerging Excellence Host. She served on the Iowa Department of Education’s Fine Arts Standards Adoption Team and the Statewide Fine Arts Leadership Team. She has passionately supported her district as an artsBASICS board member, Visual Arts and Media Arts Curriculum Team member and Collaborative Teacher Team Guide.