Joyce Ann Kistner

Joyce has a life-long love for art, education, and history. During her 28 years as a teacher, she was known for integrating art into most disciplines. 

Joyce wrote and illustrated a children’s book on area railroads called “Tracking Bristol VA TN,” which featured her original artwork, along with facts and games. She also created a program targeted to 4th grade students which detailed the history of Bristol.  Using historical artifacts, costumes, and take-home bookmarks featuring her artwork, she presented this program at various schools for years to help supplement students’ educations.

Joyce and her late husband, Kenneth, reconstructed a late 18th century cabin on her property which she opened up on a regular basis for schoolchildren to tour for many years. She wrote and illustrated a book entitled “Hannah’s Cabin,” detailing how the cabin was originally made and used in its time.  Her preservation efforts were recognized with a Bristol Virginia Historic Preservation Award in 2022.

Joyce is an accomplished visual artist. Her work has been featured in many regional shows, including those sponsored by the Bristol Art Guild and the Virginia Highlands Festival.  In the 1980s, she was recognized by then Governor Chuck Robb as part of a special exhibit of Southwest Virginia artists. She also wrote poems and stories about each exhibited piece. 

In addition to her devotion to art and children’s education, Joyce is also active in community service.  She was the first woman elected to the Bristol Virginia School Board, a position she used to tirelessly advocate for the arts in education.   As a teacher, she encouraged students to explore art and enter area arts competitions. The State Parent Teacher Association awarded Joyce a lifetime membership for her efforts organizing district art competitions for her students.  

  “Besides being an award-winning artist, Joyce has been a tireless advocate for ways to connect children to art and history.  She is most deserving of an AAME Arts Achievement Award, both as a visual artist and as an arts educator, and advocate.”—Barbara H. Smith, Past-President of the Bristol Historical Association

“If Joyce Kistner’s life could be summed up in four words, they would be Art, Education, History, and Faith. In everything she does, Joyce always has the interest of children in mind. Long before there was “STEM” or “STEAM” in the school system, there was Joyce!  -- Susan Long