KNOXVILLE — Two University of Tennessee, Knoxville, School of Art alumni visited the campus for a lecture and exhibit opening on Thursday, Sept. 16.
Bill FitzGibbons and Creighton Michael, both accomplished artists, launched the Filament exhibit which will run through Oct. 31 in the Ewing Gallery, housed in the campus Art and Architecture building.
Both men also received the Accomplished Alumnus Award, given by the UT Office of Alumni Affairs. The award recognizes graduates who have achieved great professional success.
The exhibit includes paintings from Michael’s MOTIF series, FitzGibbons’ new Fire Drawings and a collaborative video and dimensional drawing piece by both artists. A correlative lighting installation by FitzGibbons also will be on display at the Knoxville Museum of Art.
FitzGibbons has received more than 30 public art commissions throughout his distinguished career as an international sculptor and public artist. His work has appeared in such venues as the Lab Gallery in New York and the San Antonio Museum of Art. Recent commissions include site-specific light installations in Reykjavic, Iceland, and Seattle.
FitzGibbons received a BFA in sculpture and art history from UT Knoxville in 1972 and an MFA in sculpture and multi-media from Washington University in St. Louis.
Michael’s work has been honored with a variety of awards including a Pollack-Krasner Foundation grant and a New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship in sculpture. His work is on display in such prestigious collections as the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Mint Museums of Art in Charlotte, NC.
Michael earned a BFA in studio art from UT, an MA in art history from Vanderbilt University and an MFA in painting and multi-media from Washington University in St. Louis.
The Accomplished Alumni program is designed to attract alumni of note to campus to share their success stories. Alumni who are honored through this program spend time on campus teaching students, sharing dialogue with faculty and engaging with other alumni and friends of the university. A variety of outstanding alumni have been featured in this program including CEOs of major corporations, Olympians, authors, artists, musicians, U.S. Ambassadors and civic leaders.
For more information on the Accomplished Alumni program and to view other recipients, visit http://alumni.utk.edu/programs/accomplished.
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C O N T A C T:
Patrick Wade (865-974-3011, pwade@utk.edu)
Beth Gladden (865-974-9008, bgladden@utk.edu)