Ed Charbonneau

Edward Charbonneau is an adjunct faculty member of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). Since 2009, he has taught classes in the Foundation, Fine Arts, Creative Entrepreneurship, Continuing Education, and Liberal Arts Departments, and as an occasional mentor in the MFA program. He holds an MFA degree in Visual Studies from MCAD (2006) and BFA degree in painting from the College of Visual Arts (1999).

Charbonneau’s teaching methodologies are informed by his in-depth color theory research. This past October, he presented his paper, Regarding Racism in Color Theory, at the International Colour Association Congress, Colour for Future, in Taipei, Taiwan. In November, he gave a presentation titled, Color Theory and Literacy: a reflection on an in-progress color course, at the Colour Society of Australia Biennial Conference, Colour Matrix Sydney 2025, in Sydney, Australia.

During the spring semesters of 2022 and 2025, he co-taught a collaboration between MCAD and the Target Corporation to co-design an industry-leading inclusive concept which makes meaningful contributions to fulfilling diverse guest needs in apparel and home categories. He is a member of the Colour Literacy Project’s Partners Network, and he independently writes, voices, and produces the podcast, Chromosphere: The Color Theory Podcast, which is currently in its fifth season with a global audience.

In addition to teaching at MCAD, he has taught as an adjunct instructor at St. Paul’s Concordia, Hamline, and Metropolitan State Universities, as well as at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. He has conducted mural and painting projects and workshops with high schools and youth organizations, such as St. Paul’s Central and Harding High Schools, Hastings High School in Hastings, Minnesota, and the Little Earth of United Tribes’ Native Youth Arts Collective, in Minneapolis. He has created additional murals and large-scale installations for businesses and private collectors over the past thirty-seven years. Notable examples of these can be found at the Medtronic Corporation in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, and the US Bank/Vikings Stadium in downtown Minneapolis; his studio paintings are exhibited at Holly Hunt Showrooms. He lives in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, and works at a painting studio in the Midway area of St. Paul.

Chromosphere: The Color Theory Podcast