Rate My Professor Alan Pocaro

Alan Pocaro serves as Associate Professor of Art and Design at Eastern Illinois University in the School of the Arts, with expertise in Art Foundations and Printmaking. A native of Cleveland, he earned an MFA in Studio Art from Miami University, an MA in Education from the University of Akron, and a BFA in Fine Art from Ohio University. Prior to his appointment at Eastern Illinois University, Pocaro held adjunct faculty positions at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and Miami University. His academic career encompasses teaching in art foundations, printmaking, and related areas within the Department of Art + Design, where he also acts as Faculty Sponsor for the Student Art Association.

Pocaro's research specializations include Art and Design, Interdisciplinary Arts and Media, and Printmaking. He is associated with the New Aesthetics movement, an informal group of artists and writers who emphasize the physical and material nature of art. As a prolific writer and art critic, Pocaro has contributed over 200 articles, essays, and reviews, with regular features in NewCity and publications in SmilePolitely, articritcal, AbstractCritical, ART PAPERS, CityBeat, The New Criterion, and New American Paintings. Notable works include his long-form essay “In the Beginning,” published in Tom Torluemke: Live! On Paper, 1987-2024 by Skira-Arte Publishing in 2025, which explores the evolution of drawing into autonomous artworks, and Graphic Design USA (with S. Osborne) in 2018. His scholarly output also features digital and visual products. In 2025, Pocaro received the James K. and Wanda L. Johnson Award from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at Eastern Illinois University, recognizing faculty for research, development activities, conference presentations, study abroad initiatives, interdisciplinary programs, and classroom technology advancement. He has participated in university events such as the Authors@EIU series hosted by Booth Library, presenting his publications to the EIU community.