Inside Scott Thompson’s artist residency at Lane Community College

Having students “right there in the thick of it” made Scott Thompson’s residency at Lane Community College meaningful, he said. For student Tayah Ash, the experience taught her “persistence, confidence, and how much work goes into capturing emotion on screen.”

For three weeks at the start of spring term 2026, visiting artist Scott Thompson worked with Lane Community College’s Media and Visual Arts programs, sharing experience in photography, filmmaking, and storytelling. Art faculty Teresa Meier, who invited Thompson to apply for the residency and has been mentored by him for the past six years, said the experience connected classroom learning with professional practice. Meier said Thompson had already made a strong impression in her Documentary Photography class in spring 2025, which led her to encourage him to apply for the residency. 

During his time at Lane, he gave an artist talk and presentation, led a workshop on marketing for artists, and visited classes in photography, animation, and art history. He also met individually with students to review portfolios, extending the residency’s impact beyond the classroom. 

Meier also noted that alumni from the Documentary Photography class returned to participate in Thompson’s masterclass, and several students and alumni expressed gratitude afterward.

Thompson is a Chicago-based photographer and storyteller whose work includes lifestyle, adventure, and military photography. His clients have included Disney, Sony Music, Getty Images, the Chicago Tribune, and USAA. He has also worked as an Air National Guard photojournalist and filmmaker. 

Thompson was chosen for the residency because of his ability to connect creative practice with career development. The Jane Stevens King Artist Residency, a prestigious, short-term program at Lane Community College, bridges the gap between professional practice and student learning. Unlike some residencies that only provide space for an artist to work in isolation, this program asks artists to actively engage with the LCC community. The residency also included a creative marketing seminar and an artist talk open to the community, and much of it was recorded by Media Services for future students.

A working artist in the classroom

What resonated most was Thompson’s willingness to work alongside students rather than simply speak to them. He said that the experience was meaningful and reinforced the importance of the creative community. To Thompson, this work was not only teaching technical skills or business strategies; it showed “what it looks like to lead from the heart as an artist.”

In his work, he strives to tell the stories of his subjects through “narrative, life, and authentic imagery” guided by curiosity, humility, and attention to other people’s lives. His values and approach shaped his time at Lane and carried into the final video project This Is My Rhythm, created with art student Tayah Ash and Lane faculty.

Ash said the project taught her persistence, confidence, and how much work goes into capturing emotion on screen, adding that she was grateful for the experience and the opportunity to connect with other artists.

The video project drew on support from multiple parts of the college and included location shooting across campus and Springfield. Colleagues in Health Professions lent a golf cart for filming, Arts faculty Jon Meyers assisted on set with lighting and scouting, and Arts Dean Ellen Osterkamp helped make the bridge shot possible by driving her truck so Thompson could film from the bed of the vehicle.

“Ash was incredible to work with,” Thompson said. The experience “produced personal growth I’d been needing for a long while.” 

A residency with lasting value

The response from students included multiple notes of thanks for the opportunity to learn from Thompson’s decades of professional experience. The positive reaction speaks to the broader value of artist residencies, which give students access to practicing professionals who can connect craft, career, and creative identity in tangible ways.

The residency also highlights the ongoing importance of donor support for the arts at Lane. College leaders credited the opportunity to the generosity behind the Jane Stevens King Artist in Residence program, which continues to bring working artists to campus for educational exchanges such as this.