Indiana Professor and Legendary Printmaker to Give Second Cherry Award Lecture
Media contact: Lori Fogleman, director of media communications, (254) 710-6275
Rudy Pozzatti, a distinguished professor emeritus of fine arts at Indiana University at Bloomington and one of three finalists for Baylor University's Robert Foster Cherry Awards for Great Teaching, will deliver his Cherry lecture from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16, in room 149 in the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center on the Baylor campus.
In his lecture, "My University Has New Vestments," the legendary printmaker, artist and teacher will speak about the transformation of American university art programs after WWII and the opportunity the GI bill provided for many young people after the war. He will review the influences of teachers and artists on his educational philosophy and practice, which resulted in the printmaking program at Indiana becoming one of the top ranked in the country.
Pozzatti said he hopes to show students that an education can furnish a wonderful path in life. The father of five children, he emphasizes the importance of good teaching.
"I have put a lot of myself into teaching," he said. "I'm impressed and think it is wonderful that Baylor has put this much emphasis on teaching."
The Cherry Award for Great Teaching is designed to honor great teachers, to stimulate discussion in the academy about the value of teaching, and to encourage departments and institutions to value their own great teachers. The Cherry Award is the only higher education teaching award in the United States that invites teachers from the English-speaking world to apply. In addition, it is the only national teaching award by a college or university - with the single largest monetary reward of $200,000 - given to an individual for exceptional teaching.
The award winner, who will be announced in spring 2008, will receive the $200,000 award, plus $25,000 for his home department and will teach in residence at Baylor during fall 2008 or spring 2009. Even before that, the Cherry finalists received $15,000 each, while their home departments also received $10,000 to foster the development of teaching skills.
Pozzatti was born in Telluride, Colo., and began studying art at the University of Colorado. However, World War II interrupted his education. During the war, he served under Gen. George Patton and was part of the Battle of the Bulge. After his military service, he returned to Colorado, where he earned his bachelor and master's degrees.
Pozzatti's works hang in some of the best-known art collections in the United States, including the Art Institute of Chicago, New York City's Museum of Modern Art, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the National Gallery of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. On an international level, his works have been exhibited at the Museum of Art in Sydney, Australia, the Puskin Museum in Moscow, Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris and the Toronto Museum of Art.
He is a former recipient of a Fulbright grant, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a U.S. State Department Cultural Exchange Grant and two Ford grants, among others. He was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1981 and won the Indiana Governor's Art Award that same year. His printmaking work also has been the subject of the book "Rudy Pozzatti" by Norman Geske and a public television documentary.
For more information, contact Linda McGregor at (254) 710-2923 or visit www.baylor.edu/cherry_awards.