2022 Tournament of Art

 Today was the annual Selection Sunday show, where the seeding, match-ups, and teams for the year's NCAA mens basketball tournament are announced.  That means today is also the day where I announce the participants in this year's Tournament of Art, where I list all the colleges that have been chosen for the tournament that are also schools where I have been represented as an artist.  This can be teaching, an exhibition, a publication, or a collection.  There are always a few. The basketball tournament lasts about three weeks, and I'll update things here every weekend as long as I have an art school in it.  So here they are, in chronological order of my appearance there:

Illinois, #4 seed in the South Region.  I had an exhibition there in 1994, part of an exchange between SIU and U of I, first they came to us, and then we were there.  Our faculty had sold them on my Fourth of July series, so I showed that on a large brick wall.  Originally there was a push from some faculty to show my blocks, with claims it was closer to painting, which is what Illinois had sent us.  I told them I thought of the blocks as closer to sculpture, but I wanted to show the prints, the point of the series.  They also wanted to banish Linn Nelson, the only other printmaker that year, but Joel Feldman stepped in to say they should have us both or neither, and they really wanted my piece in the show.

Rutgers, #11 seed in the West Region.  I have a few links to Rutgers.  I applied there as a college, was accepted, and invited to interview for their honors program. Was offered that as well, but chose to go elsewhere.  I did go to a workshop there in the early 90's probably, on Wage and Labor law in New Jersey, although the certificate I got was from Cornell.  But what I think really qualifies me for the school is that I did a classroom appearance, including the showing of artwork, at the invitation of Bill Fick, who was a temporary hire there sometime around the turn of the century (can't find the date anywhere, preceding this blog by a few years).  I also showed work as part of the open portfolio night when the SGC was there back in 2004, but I don't know if I count that.

Villanova, #2 seed in the South Region.  Had two prints there as part of the Art and Religion show back in 1997.  The show was actually at the Balch Institute in Philadelphia, but they accepted 4 saints (the most for any one artist) and split the show between the Balch and Villanova University, so I ended up with two at each location.

Louisiana State University, #4 seed in the Midwest Region. There was a showing of a portfolio here in 2006 that I was a part of, as was then faculty member Sean Star Wars.